FIRST READING: Despite cash influx, military says it won't be functional until 2032

National Post

2 days ago

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With the federal government announcing new plans to triple Canadian defence spending, the military itself is saying the organization is so overwhelmed and dysfunctional that they won't be able to meet even their current duties for at least another seven years.
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This time last year, the Department of National Defence was estimating that by March 31, 2025, it would have 90 per cent of its forces 'ready for operations in accordance with established targets.'
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Now, a new internal report is estimating that they won't be able to meet this benchmark until the more 'realistic and achievable' date of 2032.
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Part of the delay is due to the sudden influx of new defence spending, with the report stating that it will take time to manage the 'significant improvements' now being ordered by Ottawa.
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But DND also details how it continues to be burdened by personnel shortages, degraded equipment and a chronic inability to obtain new kit.
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'There is a risk that DND/CAF will not have the right military personnel, in the right numbers, with the right competencies at the right place, and the right time,' reads a section outlining how the military may even fail to meet its new 2032 targets.
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The shortages are most apparent when it comes to equipment. Right now, more than half of the military's aircraft, ships and army vehicles are effectively out of commission.
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The Canadian Armed Forces maintains annual statistics on what percentage of its various vehicle fleets are considered adequate to meet 'training, readiness and operational requirements.' In the navy, air force and army, these figures are all at historic lows of 45.7 per cent, 48.9 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively.
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The new report estimates that it will be years until this can be turned around. In the air force and army, it won't be until 2032 that fleets will be 'at least 70 per cent' functional. In the Royal Canadian Navy, meanwhile, the 2032 target is set slightly lower 'at least 60 per cent.'
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Although the navy is waiting on a 'future fleet' of new destroyers, the first vessels aren't scheduled to be completed until 'the early 2030.' In the meantime, the navy will largely remain dependent on a fleet of aging frigates that have been described as 'rapidly becoming combat ineffective.'
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'The degradation in materiel readiness of the aging platforms within the existing fleet will present a significant challenge to maintaining … operational readiness,' reads the report.