Leaked internal documents obtained by CBC News paint an alarming picture of Canada's military readiness, including warnings about personnel challenges and 'unserviceable' equipment.

Nepean

Leaked internal documents obtained by CBC News have revealed significant challenges facing Canada's military readiness. These documents highlight concerns related to personnel challenges and equipment that is described as 'unserviceable'. The disclosure of this information raises questions about the current state of the Canadian armed forces and its ability to respond to potential threats.

The implications of such issues could be far-reaching, impacting Canada's defense capabilities and its position within international military alliances. The particulars of the personnel challenges and the specifics of the 'unserviceable' equipment have not been detailed, but the leak suggests a need for immediate attention to ensure the country's military effectiveness.



Leaked documents show Canada's military faces readiness issues

Canadian troops in Latvia rehearsing for the nightmare scenario, a full-fledged war in Europe. Troops who would be in need of rapid reinforcement and that is the nightmare scenario for leaders back home and detailed in the military's own assessment of its own readiness in documents obtained by CBC News. It begins with a warning in an increasingly dangerous world where demand for the calf is increasing, our readiness is decreasing. As of December 2023 only 58 percent of the military could be counted on to meet NATO's notice to move and 45 percent of its equipment was considered unserviceable. The biggest challenge people shortfalls and funding shortfalls, spare parts and ammo. The military is down 15,780 members. This is borderline atrocious. Experts say it's a crisis brought about by successive liberal and conservative governments kicking tough decisions about equipment down the road. Well guess what it's 2024 now and most of those problems are now here and they're they're literally kicking us in the face. The readiness crisis comes at a time when Canada is under pressure from allies and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump to spend more on defense. It impacts our credibility at NATO for sure but it impacts our security interests too right. It's in our security interest to be a credible contributor to NATO. The Liberal government insists it's trying to fix military recruiting and is investing heavily in new equipment. Even still the Minister of Defense says things aren't quite there yet. My assessment is that we've got some work to do. So Murray it sounds like it's not just the military and the government concerned about this issue. No Adrian we have three separate public opinion polls out this week that are showing Canadians are becoming increasingly worried about the state of the military and Canada's place in the world. Now one of those polls found almost a third of Canadians list it as their top concern. I mean I can add personally that after almost 20 years of covering this beat I've never seen numbers like that before. But keep in mind the upcoming federal budget plans to cut 79 million dollars from readiness for other priorities within the department like buying equipment. All right Murray Brewster with this exclusive reporting from Ottawa. Thank you. You're welcome.

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