Yesterday I watched a video on the Royal Navy if Dr Alexander Clarke was Prime Minister. I was inspired to follow this thought exercise for the Royal Canadian Navy. I’ll use similar rules as in the video but I haven’t limited myself to the RCN as the Canadian Armed Forces are more integrated than most countries. I’m working on the assumption the defence budget is going to defence not regional development and vote buying.
Canada has the world’s longest coastline and most of the Northwest Passage is within Canada’s claimed territory. Canada also has commitments in Europe, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. There will never be enough ships to cover everything so the Royal Canadian Air Force will be needed.
Aircraft:
The CP-140 Aurora is in need of replacement by a four engine turboprop capable of operating in the Canadian Arctic. Four squadrons should be procured with a fifth squadron for training and maintenance. One squadron for each coast made up of regulars and reservists will give better coverage of Canada’s coastline. Eighteen hours response time to Arctic contacts is unacceptable. The fourth squadron would be for international commitments and the fifth would be based in Thunder Bay.
The CH-148 Cyclone had its issues that need to be sorted out and once that is achieved more should be purchased. A mixed Anti-Submarine/Search And Rescue Helicopter Squadron should be deployed to the Arctic. Again assets coming from the south take to long.
To augment the maritime patrol and search and rescue roles I’d add three squadrons of Viking Canadair CL-515 and modernize the Twin Otter squadron based in the Arctic. One CL-515 squadron for the Atlantic, one for the Pacific, and one wandering the world helping allies.
Two squadrons of either Rafale Ms or Super Hornets should be acquired and trained to fly off allied carriers. Most of Canada’s fighters should be the Gripen E which is more capable and deployable in Canada. Super Hornets will require extension of Arctic airfields and F-35s would require a few billion in major airfield upgrades.
Surface Combatants:
Currently Canada only has twelve Halifax Class Patrol Frigates. With the current upgrade programs and proper maintenance they should last another twenty years. With the Type 26C (C is my designation as it will be fitted differently than UK versions) coming, eventually, the Halifax Class ships should be the main training ships of the fleet and be crewed mostly by reservists.
The Kingston Class should be rearmed, why the 40mm Bofors were removed is a mystery to me. If possible the Kingstons should be upgraded with Enhanced Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) capability and if that’s not possible sell them off immediately. The same goes for the Harry DeWolf Class, why a ship was designed without air defence capability is another of those mysteries.
To replace the Kingston Class, twelve fast, agile missile boats capable of carrying Harpoons and anything other anti-shipping missile. They should have some air defence capability and easily have their missiles reloaded without facilities. These vessels will train to come out of fjords, inlets etc and swarm enemy vessels from multiple directions with intention to overwhelm their missile defences. These vessels should be capable of coordinating such attacks with strike fighters.
For the escort and sub hunting roles the Halifax Class and Type 26C will be the main assets. A Type 26C replacement program should be started immediately after the first ship is delivered. A permanent upgrade and development program should be started to integrate lessons learnt and integrate new technologies as they prove themselves.
Submarines:
The Victoria Class should be augmented with six Arctic capable submarines using the best off the shelf design. When the Victoria Class retires they should be replaced with a more advanced design, also Arctic capable. Eventually Canada should have twelve submarines in two classes of six for constant development.
Auxiliaries:
Let’s start with doubling the Joint Support Ships to four and augmenting them with a couple of converted oil tankers operated by reservists. With the current global economy it might be worth buying some newish ships for training and the support; a container ship converted as seaplane tender, a Roll-on-roll-off ship to move the army’s vehicles around, and a small cruise ship converted to a hospital ship. Throw on some advanced naval systems and point defences to protect them and train crew in their use.
Forward Basing:
I would augment the current basing with forward bases in Spain or Portugal, Philippines, and Haiti. Each forward base would have a frigate, stockpiles of spares, supplies, support personnel, and equipment needed to support DART (Disaster Assistance Relief Team). The Haitian base would need to be built and helping the economic development of Haiti. The southern coast of Haiti gives access to the Panama Canal, helps anti-trafficking operations, and help training with local allies.
As resources permit a fourth base along the East coast of Africa should be established in cooperation with allies. Allies have bases around the world which are helpful but having our own bases gives us independence of action and can host allies should their bases be unusable.
Arctic Sovereignty:
As mentioned above I would discard the Harry DeWolf class if it can’t be upgraded to have air defences. There is no point getting a ship stuck in the ice to be an easy target for a missile or bomb strike. Submarines and aircraft are be needed to defend the region. With China and Russia looking at resource exploitation Canada needs to have assets in the Arctic, even if it means sacrificing ability elsewhere in the world.
The first priority to deploy surveillance system to Canada’s portion Northwest Passage with sonar, radar, and Ranger Patrols reporting to an Artic Defence Force Headquarters. Contacts should see armed Canadian aircraft monitoring their activities. Maybe start with the yellow and red SAR aircraft and escalate as needed but certainly waiting 18 hours for something with teeth to show up is unacceptable.
Final Thoughts:
This has been an interesting thought exercise and I know things like two carrier strike squadrons is highly unlikely. The current, mostly unarmed, fleet is wasting resources and damaging recruiting. My forces are designed for Canada to do it alone in domestic security and contribute where we can globally.
As for the Danes and Hans Island, let’s make it two bottles of whiskey and create an international protected area overseen by a joint commission.
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