What Equipment Should DND and the Canadian Forces Get Rid of to Save Money?

Leopard C2 Canadian Forces - photo USAF

December 18, 2011. David Pugliese - Defence Watch

As I wrote on the weekend in the Citizen, the Defence Department is looking to get rid of or sell off equipment as it tries to save money and free up funds for the purchase of new gear.

In May, Vice-Admiral Bruce Donaldson, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, pointed out that Dan Ross, the Assistant Deputy Minster of Materiel, had been told to come up with a list by Dec. 1 of equipment that could be disposed of.

That plan is considered to be “essential to maintaining affordability” as it would “forecast future divestments” for the army, navy and air force, Donaldson wrote in the DND/CF business plan for the next coming years.

In addition, a directive sent out by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk in October notes that such an initiative is being driven by the need to free up money for the billions of dollars of proposed new equipment purchases. “Non-core legacy equipment and systems must be divested in order to provide the resources required for these new acquisitions,” he writes.

It’s doubtful the savings will come from any sales of old equipment (there are large quantities of surplus military equipment on the market), but instead savings will come from DND/the CF no longer have to store and support such equipment.

Mind you, some procurement specialists such as Alan Williams, the former ADM Mat, say that the real savings come from getting rid/selling off real estate, not used up equipment.

The Army had wanted to look at getting rid of the older Leopards and the RG-31. Whether that has happened or not is not clear as Defence Watch hasn’t yet obtained a copy of Ross’s list. (As you know the TAPV project, with its 500 vehicles, would replace the RG-31 and Coyote reconnaissance vehicle.)

But any thoughts out there on what should be put on the chopping block or what should be on Ross’s list?