Your Navy Today: Friday, 10 February 2012
Your Navy Today is intended to enhance understanding & awareness across the RCN and among our Friends of the Navy. It does not constitute policy, orders or direction. This bi-weekly summary of events in the RCN and elsewhere is a personal assessment, and any errors in interpretation are solely mine.
— RAdm Mark Norman, Deputy Commander, Royal Canadian Navy
Global Strategic & Maritime Context
As described in this Council on Foreign Relations analysis brief, analysts remain deeply divided over the question of international intervention in Syria, even as the country continues to descend into civil war and the pressure mounts upon the international community to act.
Notwithstanding the drama of events in Egypt and Syria, this article appearing in the New York Times editorial pages argues that the centre of gravity in the Middle East has shifted to the Persian Gulf.
Allies and Partners
Comd MARPAC, RAdm Nigel Greenwood, represented the RCN at the Seapower Symposium in Sydney, Australia from 31 Jan – 2 Feb. The RAN's Seapower Symposium 2012 boasted more than 1,000 delegates representing 35 countries. The RAN Chief of Navy, VAdm Ray Giggs, hosted nearly 50 Flag-rank officers of Chief of Navy level or their representatives for discussions of the role the sea plays in a nation's economic and social prosperity.
Comd MARPAC hosted the RIMPAC Commander's Conference 7 – 10 Feb, attended by senior officers from the U.S., Chile, Japan, Australia, and Canada. Joining RAdm Greenwood were Flag and General Officers designated to command appointments during the exercise, including Canada's Chief of Force Development, RAdm Ron Lloyd, who will assume the duties of Deputy Commander of the world's largest international maritime exercise.
Media
International. Events in Syria figured prominently in international and national coverage of defence and security issues, especially in light of this past Saturday's veto by Russia and China of a U.N. Security Council resolution, drawn up by the Arab League, calling for an end to violence and urging Syrian President Assad to step down.
National. The Prime Minister's official visit to China this week, the first since 2009, was covered extensively in the domestic mainstream media. This Globe and Mail piece, written prior to the Prime Minister's departure, provides a good overview of the visit itself, while reflecting on the significant evolution of Canada's relationship with China at the political and economic levels. This second article by Maureen Boyd and Colin Robertson, also appearing in the G&M, suggests that our geography, history and resources are strong cards to be played in that evolving relationship.
Canadian Forces & RCN Business
Navy Transformation. As a follow-up to the third Strategic Planning Meeting (SPM3) that I reported upon in the last edition of Your Navy Today, work continues on "Navy Transformation Bound 2". Leads have been identified for each of the transformation thrusts discussed at SPM3, with development of related implementation plans ongoing.
RCN Speakers' Bureau. The RCN has launched a national Speakers' Bureau to expand our outreach efforts with Canadians across the country. The Speakers' Bureau will act as the mechanism to connect the interested / engaged public (the demand) with sailors from across the RCN that are volunteering to be part of the program (our supply). More details to follow in the coming weeks, as the program matures.
Outreach and Engagement
Comd RCN travelled to Toronto at the beginning of the month to attend the Garrison Ball and the Toronto Board of Trade dinner, as well as to accompany the Chief of Defence Staff for a visit to the Sunnybrook Veteran's Centre.
Credit: DND
NCSM Montcalm participates in the Quebec City Winter Carnival's annual canoe race.
Credit: DND
CBC's Rick Mercer poses with Cmdre David Craig, Comd NAVRES, and Bonhomme Carnaval in Quebec City.
Research and Development
Driven by a concern regarding the escalating cost of fuel to operate the Halifax Class frigates, Defence R&D Canada – Atlantic was tasked with developing a viable stern flap design that could be fitted to the frigates during their mid-life refit. If properly designed for the ship and operational profile, stern flaps can reduce hydrodynamic resistance and hence fuel usage. DRDC-Atlantic explored a wide range of flap configurations through simulations, narrowing the field to a few candidate designs. These were then tested at model scale at the Institute of Ocean Technology in St. John's, where the final optimal design was selected. The potential fuel savings are estimated to be in the order of 40 tons per ship, per year (based on 100 sea days per year). At current fuel costs, that amounts to $545,000 saved by the fleet per year, and $11M for the remaining life of the fleet.
Credit: DND
Graphics and photos showing the new stern flap developed by Defence R&D Canada – Atlantic to reduce fuel usage on the Halifax class frigates.
Maritime Operations (MARLANT and MARPAC operating areas except where noted)
The RCN this week has 285 personnel deployed on named international operations, and a further 1,063 at sea for force generation and defence diplomacy activities, for a total of 1,348 personnel deployed or 18.6% of its trained effective strength.
HMCS Charlottetown is deployed to the Mediterranean Sea as part of Operation Metric, Canada's commitment to maintaining a forward deployed Canadian Forces presence in the Middle East in 2012. The Halifax Class frigate is conducting operations with the Standing NATO Maritime Group in support of Operation Active Endeavour (OAE), the NATO led counter-terrorism mission.
HMCS Iroquois was at sea conducting helicopter operations and flight crew training.
HMC ships Moncton and Summerside, as well as a dive team from Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic), have returned to Halifax after providing mine counter-measures support to Exercise Bold Alligator 2012, the largest U.S. amphibious exercise in the past decade. The two week exercise included an amphibious task force, a brigade-sized landing force, a carrier strike group, mine-counter-measures forces and support from other US forces. Canada, Great Britain, France and the Netherlands were among the ten Allied nations that took part in Bold Alligator.
HMC ships Goose Bay and Kingston conducted preparations for their upcoming Workups.
HMCS Vancouver continued her homeward transit from the Mediterranean. During a visit to Port of Spain, Trinidad, Vancouver hosted members of the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the Canadian High Commission and their families for tours of the frigate. The Commanding Officer of Vancouver also hosted a luncheon onboard ship for senior members of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Following the port visit in Trinidad, Vancouver transited the Panama Canal and made a brief replenishment stop in Panama City. The ship will make one U.S. port visit prior to her mid-February return to Esquimalt.
HMCS Ottawa sailed for Assisted / Directed Workups.
HMCS Regina was at sea conducting trials and preparations for Workups.
PCTs Caribou, Moose, Orca and Raven are at sea in support of junior officer (MARS IV, Nabob Division) training.
PCTs Cougar and Grizzly sailed in support of sea cadet training.
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