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Arctic military bases for Canada ?
last update: Jul 19, 2011 08:07 PM
From various articles: At present the Canadian military is exploring a way to cut costs and speed up the movement of troops and equipment in the vast and inhospitable Arctic by building several new northern bases.
This could also help to strengthen the country's Arctic sovereignty claims.
In a study, commissioned by the force's operational support command, a plan was made which is a variation of the one put in place for overseas operations. The plan, sketched out Barebones transportation hubs, which is essentially a suitable landing strip and storage facility, at strategic spots around the globe make it more efficient when soldiers are called out to a global hot spot in a pinch.
The military is looking at a domestic variant of those overseas hubs. The plan could result in remote bases and a small-but-permanent military presence in far-off communities.
Locations could include Alert, Inuvik, Whitehorse, Rankin Inlet, Iqaluit or Nanisivik, according to the technical memorandum prepared by the research wing of the military last year.
The Canadian Forces says no decision has been made to go ahead with the construction of new hubs, but that could change. Navy Lt. Greg Menzies said “The hub concept referred to in this report is just one of many ideas being examined at the time to enhance our capabilities up in the North.”
The report is premised on the priority that the Conservative government has placed on a more rigorous defence of Canada's territorial sovereignty in the North, where countries including Russia, Denmark and the United States are currently staking their claims to land and underwater territory.
“To maintain its sovereignty over its northern region, Canada will need to develop enforcement and surveillance capabilities for the Arctic,” the report says. It envisions scenarios that could call for a military response in the North: disease outbreak in an Arctic community; a major air disaster; water contamination from an oil spill, and the cleanup of contaminated space debris, such as a satellite falling from orbit. “To quickly and effectively respond to these scenarios, the CF would need to improve its personnel and equipment readiness for deployment in the North.”
Read:
Star Exclusive, 14th July 2011
UPI, 14th July 2011
