After more than two years of adjusting, a new $30 billion dollar plan to re-equip the Canadian Forces was announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday.
The PM spoke about long term goals and procurement limits that will combine several of the proposals that have been voiced over the last several years.
“If a nation is to be taken seriously it has to have the ability and capacity to act, it is just that simple,” stated PM Harper speaking to military personnel and reporters.
“If do not have the capacity to act, then you give up your right to be a player at the table, and you become a nation that no one listens to, a nation that is smiled at and then ignored,” said PM Harper.
The plan includes several large capital expenditures such as ships and jet fighters, and a minor increase in the number of service personnel. The announced plan was a broad outline but was not rich in detail or specific in how it would be accomplished.
The potential cost of several of the specific elements are being kept confidential, to allow the necessary time and security in dealing with suppliers and military contractors. The timeline for when some of the specifics of the new plan would be announced was not made clear