CDS Denies Air & Ship Cuts

The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Ray Henault, is formally denying allegations that the Navy and Air Force would be forced to cut their combat strength in order to free up funds for the "Peacekeeping" brigade.

This report in the Edmonton Sun states that:

Canada's top general is mad as hell, calling anonymous officers in his organization "unprofessional" for leaking what he termed "inaccurate" information about the expansion of the Armed Forces. Gen. Ray Henault summoned reporters to Defence headquarters yesterday to deny reports the military would have to slash navy and air force operations to pay for a Liberal election promise to add a "peacekeeping brigade" of 5,000 troops. [. . .]

[H]e rebuked the unnamed officers who spoke to Jane's Defence Weekly and others about an option that would mothball three navy destroyers and a quarter of the air force's CF-18 fighter jets to pay for an increase in ground forces.

"This is, of course, not the standard of professionalism, discipline and ethics that we expect in this organization," he said.

No, the standard of professionalism is the same as that expected of German Generals during the Second World War: no criticism of the political leadership is allowed. Even normal comments are unwelcome at best, and career-ending at worst.