Navy Lookout – On 28th June, the Canadian Navy formally announced the start of construction work on its River-class destroyers. Here we look at how this design has been developed from the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate.

Breaking Defense – Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said his German counterpart approached him about joining the German-Norwegian submarine package.

War on the Rocks – Canada’s military is in a “death spiral.” This is how Minister of National Defense Bill Blair described the state of Canada’s armed forces at last month’s Ottawa Conference on Security and Defense. 

Breaking Defense – The head of the Royal Canadian Navy issued a remarkably blunt and public assessment of his own fleet, citing numerous shipbuilding and recruiting issues that threaten the service’s ability to meets it obligations in the near- and long-term.

CBC – Defence Minister Bill Blair says a sense of urgency driven by security threats around the globe is behind the federal government’s decision to sole-source a deal worth more than $10 billion to buy a new fleet of P-8 military surveillance planes.

USNI News – Canada is sending three frigates a year and a replenishment vessel into the Western Pacific as part of Ottawa’s new strategy, its top admiral said Friday.

CIMSEC – Canada’s current naval capabilities fall short of meeting great power threats, which may diminish its usefulness in supporting allies in a Pacific conflict.

Covert Shores – The first images of Cellula’s new autonomous underwater vehicle in the water have surfaced. The Canadian company’s Solus-XR is a long-range extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV). 

Defense News – Canada is pledging to step up its military posture in the Indo-Pacific, with its defense minister announcing the nation will annually commit to the region an additional warship.

Korea Times – A planned summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is prompting speculation over a potential submarine deal between Korea and Canada as Ottawa plans to replace its aging submarines.

(Thanks to Alain)

National Post – Military commanders and experts say subs are critical to defending Canada, including in the Arctic, as Russia and China build up their own underwater fleets.

(Thanks to Alain)

Globe and Mail – The Canadian military found and retrieved Chinese monitoring buoys in the Arctic this past fall, a development whose public exposure adds another item to a list of pressing concerns about Beijing’s interventions in Canadian affairs, including interference in recent federal elections.

(Thanks to Alain)

CIMSEC – Canada has been conducting annual Pacific deployments of strategic import, including Westploy in 2016, Operation Poseidon Cutlass in 2017, and Operation Projection since 2018. These deployments highlight increasing Canadian naval presence and naval exercising with other China-concerned partners in the region. The particularly successful Operation Projection of 2022 has complemented Canada’s recently-released Indo-Pacific Strategy and its maritime provisions for the future.

Defense News – The Royal Canadian Navy will have to continue relying on allies and a private firm to refuel its ships at sea after a project to build a new fleet of supply vessels was hit with more delays.

Breaking Defense – Media reports indicate a major Canadian investment in the Indo-Pacific is coming, and it’s not a moment too soon.

Global News – The Royal Canadian Navy is launching its long-anticipated push to replace Canada‘s beleaguered submarine fleet, setting the stage for what will almost certainly be an extremely controversial debate around the need for such vessels.

CTV News – For the first time in seven years, the Canadian navy expects to have three of its four submarines operating simultaneously by the end of 2021.

War Zone – Canada’s tiny submarine fleet has been in sad shape for years. Now with the return of HMCS Corner Brook that could start to change.

Naval News – The Canadian Coast Guard announced on 6 May 2021 that two Polar icebreakers will join its fleet to enhance Canada’s Arctic presence and provide critical services to Canadians.

CBC – A Canadian warship sailed through sensitive waters near China this week amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

Canadian Navy – Canada’s next-generation frigate is putting on weight and will cost more money than originally projected, according to a new cost analysis.

CBC – It will be 2031, at the earliest, before the navy sees the first of its new frigates; a setback brought about partly by the fact Canada, Britain and Australia are still feeling their way around how to build the ultra-modern warship.

Naval News – An interview with Admiral Art McDonald, Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff. The former Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy spoke about the importance of cooperation with regional countries including Japan and his country’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region.

War Zone – The Royal Canadian Navy’s Victoria class diesel-electric submarine HMCS Corner Brook will be out of commission until at least next summer after a recent leak caused damage to the boat, which has already been undergoing maintenance for some six years. The plight of the Corner Brook in many ways reflects the at best disappointing service career of all four of the Victorias, which Canada first agreed to acquire second-hand from the United Kingdom more than two decades ago and that have spent far more time laid up than at sea.

Naval News – The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) released the latest details on the configuration of its next generation frigates: the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC). They will be heavily armed, featuring Naval Strike Missiles, Tomahawk and both ESSM and Sea Ceptor.