The Canadian Army does not have enough vehicles to support both the brigade in Latvia and a similar size exercise in Canada, the Community House Committee was said Thursday.
Major-gen. Robert Ritchie, director of the strategic joint staff (military nerve center), told the Defense Committee that more than 400 all types of vehicles were deployed in the Baltic nation in the Baltic nation.
“We do not have a mirror to replenish that equipment in Canada, nor do you need to,” testified by Ritchie, providing a link to a link to Radical shift in combined weapons workout Implemented last year.
“Vehicles used by individuals [Latvia] Installation is the ones they need to teach before installation to understand the systems and trust that you use that equipment. ”
Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the Adast Military Base in Latvia last month, declaring an extension to the deterrent mission. (Christinne Muschi/Canada Press)
Ritchie did not specifically examine the deep lack of vehicles in Canada and how it affected other, smaller overseas missions or internal dislocations.
However, the fact that the army does not have enough vehicles to support the brigade outdoors and carries out the same size forces training-it is a concern for several defense analysts and observers to share the restoration and revitalize forces after the liberal government plan.
The army faced criticism of the transfer of combined weapons training when foot soldiers exercise with tanks, artillery and aircraft to improve their coordination skills-Wainwright, alta, to Latvia.
Critics, including the former army commander, say the change means that soldiers are less ready to fight immediately and have to study at work.
According to critics, the amendment was partly made due to the redistribution of the internal budget at the National Defense Department and the general lack of funds. The CBC News was the first to report the overhaul of training in 2024. In the spring and at a time when the department denied that funding played any role.
On Thursday, Ritchie continued to defend the decision, saying that soldiers are studying locally and under conditions that they may need to fight.
“This is a deterrent effect because it conducts training at the front line, which is defended by an international group,” said Ritchie.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces this year in the NATO Training Center in Latvia are posing in front of the joint tactical vehicle in Latvia. (Murray Brewster/CBC)
He added that “the reasons’ conglomerate forced us to decide to move before the dislocation to Latvia, which was exclusively made by Latvia and all allies.”
However, the Documents of the Internal Defense Department received by the CBC News says there were problems with space in Latvia. The Canadian soldiers did not have a “event training” during the last deployment.
“This required a more academic approach to readiness” for the main exercises known as Oak Resolve, the documents said.
See | Does the Canadian army have what they need in Latvia?:
The problem of the workout was complicated by critical – and in some cases restraint – a shortage of spare parts that forced the brigade to build vehicles, including the Leopard 2A4 major battle tanks.
Factors forcing the army to build vehicles include the Canadian “Supply Circuit Problems, parts retardation” and a new “compressed” training regime, during which the army completed its combined weapons training in Latvia rather than Canada, said a separate set of internal documents received by the CBC News.
Ritchie recognized the problem to parliamentarians and said the federal government injection of $ 9.3 billion this year helps solve the problem.
“The recent budget commitment has allowed the delivery of large spare parts orders, and we have taken it at speed,” Ritchie said.
However, he pointed out the previous decisions that “eradicated a couple of things”, namely the army’s spare parts reserve and that some “long -term suppliers adapted to other contracts”.