What is the Government Doing to the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s Report on Military Procurement?
Like many of my readers, I am old enough to remember the beginning of January 2013, when the press was all abuzz over reports that Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page had completed what promised to be an incendiary sequel to his takedown of the F-35 project, this one involving the Joint Support Ships which the government will soon be building a cost of more than a billion dollars each:
The parliamentary budget officer has been examining the program and is poised to release his findings once MPs return from their Christmas break.
Interesting, that. The MPs have returned from their Christmas break. Now they’re gone again on their February holidays. (Like all responsible employers, Parliament has set up its calendar such that MPs get at least one week off per month, in addition to their winter and summer holidays.) Kevin Page is now days away from his forced retirement. No successor has been chosen.
And the Joint Support Ship report has apparently vanished without a trace. The media isn’t even talking about it anymore.
What’s up with that?
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the anonymous salamander hordes
Remain calm .. and retreat underground .. head first..
Get your head planted in the sand is the first step
Muslim riff raff disco girls have taken over the Joint Support Ships file
and impinged the Department of Defense
This robo alert is due to an automatic system update of the Harper Government Transparency and Accountability Enablement Window so all Canadians can look in here.. see nothing but feel good, feel entitled or even better about themselves and realize how we in Ottawa are all about Us .. and our Jobs, The Economy and Good Government .. and you all are so wise to believe this of us.
Kevin Page has been retired.. Ignore any manifestations or rumors or tummy upsets that refer to his former employment or his former agency
Thank You.. alert Canadians.. n Ethical hockey fans and timbits lovers
All is well with our F-35′s, polar bares and the Tar Sands too
and farmed salmon are really good to eat and help our export ratio
We will regain control of the Joint Support Ships after the next election.. and purge the muslim disco girls soonly
the Power and the Glory.. the Rapture of Israel .. Amen ..
The Royal Harper Government Of Canada
approved media release # 9
jrkrideau
It is much more important to have a Office of Religious Freedom http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/02/19/pol-ambassdor-office-religious-freedom-announced.html than worry about this minor accounting glitch.
BTW, Yahoo news reports that the office will be base in Maple ON. Is Maple a hot bed of religious strife? Oh wait that Julian Fantino’s riding.
Mark Collins
The Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute’s “3Ds Blog” has not forgotten the JSS, see 2) here:
“Canadian National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy: Choppy Waters Ahead? Part 2
Further to this post which begins,
‘If the large ships being acquired are on time and on budget I’ll be a dolphin’s aunt (but those foreign-owned design firms might help somewhat)…’
I’m still looking like that dolphin’s aunt…”
http://cdfai3ds.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/mark-collins-canadian-national-shipbuilding-procurement-strategy-choppy-waters-ahead-part-2/
Mark
Ottawa
Mark Collins
Related:
“Canadian Surface Combatant: Not Exactly Steady as She Goes, Part 2″
http://cdfai3ds.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/mark-collins-canadian-surface-combatant-not-exactly-steady-as-she-goes-part-2/
Mark
Ottawa
Sixth Estate
Thanks for those links, Mark.
Since you’ve looked at it recently, is your best guess that they’re going to be drastically scaling back the capabilities of the new destroyers (like they’ve apparently done with the supply ships), or drastically increasing the cost estimates?
I suppose “both” is also an answer.
Mark Collins
Sixth: Both less capable and fewer I’d think, they are not going to pay more. If anyone in the RCN or on the civilian side were smart they’d be looking at many fewer frigate types (maximum say six such high-end ships, after all the mighty Royal Navy is going down to only 19 such types):
http://www.defencemanagement.com/news_story.asp?id=19203 ).
They’d also look at buying abroad (that great jobs! jobs! jobs! no no)
http://cdfai3ds.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/mark-collins-rcn-and-foreign-surface-combatants/
and acquiring offshore patrol vessels for the bulk of the fleet, note Canadian stuff at end:
http://cdfai3ds.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/mark-collins-the-asian-maritime-cockpit-offshore-patrol-vessel-and-drone-section/
Mark
Ottawa
Sixth Estate
Thanks for your thoughts. I suspect that the higher cost of Canadian construction should be seen simply as a political fact of life (i.e. no way they will be built elsewhere), but the rest of it makes sense.
I did wonder at the idea that we needed a one-for-one trade of old frigates and destroyers for new next-generation ships.
Mark Collins
Sixth: “Why a one-for-one replacement of the old RCN ships–acquired with Soviet subs in the North Atlantic in mind during the Cold War–when that strategic world is long gone? Is the RCN now, with government support, thinking of a Pacific pivot with China as the envisaged adversary? Or something else specific and substantive with direct relevance to Canadian national interests, treaty obligations, or…?
Put another way, what are the policy and operational concepts that dictate the RCN needs 15 high-end surface warships? This gov’t (and any other likely one) seems unable to think in such terms…”
http://cdfai3ds.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/mark-collins-australiauk-defence-treaty-includes-possible-ship-design-cooperation/comment-page-1/#comment-92
Mark
Ottawa
Sixth Estate
It’s a useful question which anticipates its own answer: the fact that it’s the same number as our existing body of frigates and destroyers, combined, seems to me to suggest that no thought went into picking the number at all, other than “we have 15 warships, we should continue to have 15 warships.”
Mark Collins
Quite.
Mark Collins
See also:
“Canadian National Shipbuilding Strategy (and the Joint Support Ship)
For your background, two comprehensive (and justifiably dyspeptic) pieces at Defense Industry Daily…”
http://cdfai3ds.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/canadian-national-shipbuilding-strategy-and-the-joint-support-ship/
Mark
Ottawa
Sixth Estate
Thanks.
Mark Collins
More:
‘“Joint Support Ship Stupidity”, Part 2′
http://cdfai3ds.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/mark-collins-joint-support-ship-stupidity-part-2/
Mark
Ottawa