.Canadian pilots flew U.S. transports into Iraq as part of training plan
OTTAWA - Canadian Forces personnel learned to operate Canada's newest military plane, the giant Boeing C-17, by training on American jets, including flying those planes into Iraq in support of the U.S. war, according to a memo written by Canada's top general and obtained by Canwest News Service.
Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of Canada's defence staff, wrote to Gordon O'Connor, then-minister of national defence, in May 2007 that in the summer and fall of that year, Canadian military aircrew would fly into Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. That decision was taken without informing Parliament.
"Canadians have been very clear from the beginning that they wanted no part of George Bush's war on Iraq," said NDP MP Dawn Black, her party's defence critic, "and they certainly don't want to see Canadians getting involved through a back door."
The flights into Iraq were part of the second phase of training for Canadian crews, a phase referred to by the military as "seasoning."
The Defence Department was not able Monday to say how many personnel were involved or how many missions were flown in Iraq.
Canadian crews also were "seasoned" on U.S. C-17s flying into Afghanistan through Operation Enduring Freedom.
"To ensure flexibility, as well as obtain maximum exposure to the roles and missions of the C-17, deployment approval on Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom has been requested," Hillier wrote. "The overall risk associated with allowing CF aircrew to operate on USAF_C-17 missions to Iraq is low."
It's the latest revelation that Canadian military personnel served with U.S. forces in Iraq without parliamentary approval. In 2004, for example, Lt.-Gen. Walt Natynczyk - the vice-chief of defence staff and one of the leading contenders to replace Hillier when he retires this summer - was deployed to Iraq for one year with U.S. troops and served as the deputy commander of the Multinational Corps there.
"My concern is that this really undermines the democratic process," said Steve Staples, an analyst with the Rideau Institute, a think-tank which often has been critical of Canadian defence policy. "Our military is so integrated with the U.S. that those democratic decisions are undermined, if not rendered meaningless, and I think that's really alarming for most Canadians."
Dan Dugas, a spokesman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay, said the Canadians on exchange can end up in Iraq, as they did in this case, when the U.S. unit they have been assigned to is sent by U.S. authorities to Iraq. Under the terms of the Canada-U.S. officer exchange program, the participating officers essentially become part of the other country's military.
Canada took delivery of the first of its four Boeing C-17s in August 2007.
The C-17s are among the biggest planes in the world. They are used by the U.S., British, Australian and other air forces for strategic airlift, the long-haul transport of military equipment and personnel. The C-17s, for example, are used to rapidly deploy Canada's Disaster Response Team (DART). U.S. C-17s delivered Canadian tanks, one at a time, to Afghanistan.
In anticipation of the delivery of the airplanes, Canada sent a first crew, consisting of at least one pilot, co-pilot and a loadmaster to U.S. air force Base McChord in Washington. That crew trained at McChord until July 2007. A second Canadian C-17 aircrew was then sent to U.S. air force Base Altus in Oklahoma. Altus is the where the U.S. air force does most of its training for its C-17 crews. That second crew was then assigned for "seasoning" with a U.S. unit flying into Iraq, according to Hillier's May 2007 memo.
Hillier wrote that all subsequent Canadian C-17 crews would be trained at Altus, but would return to Canada without undergoing additional "seasoning."
Portions of the memo obtained by Canwest News Service were blacked out.
Canada.com
I think it's like the third time we catch Canadians trying to sneak in to Iraq. I say we build a wall.
Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of Canada's defence staff, wrote to Gordon O'Connor, then-minister of national defence, in May 2007 that in the summer and fall of that year, Canadian military aircrew would fly into Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. That decision was taken without informing Parliament.
"Canadians have been very clear from the beginning that they wanted no part of George Bush's war on Iraq," said NDP MP Dawn Black, her party's defence critic, "and they certainly don't want to see Canadians getting involved through a back door."
The flights into Iraq were part of the second phase of training for Canadian crews, a phase referred to by the military as "seasoning."
The Defence Department was not able Monday to say how many personnel were involved or how many missions were flown in Iraq.
Canadian crews also were "seasoned" on U.S. C-17s flying into Afghanistan through Operation Enduring Freedom.
"To ensure flexibility, as well as obtain maximum exposure to the roles and missions of the C-17, deployment approval on Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom has been requested," Hillier wrote. "The overall risk associated with allowing CF aircrew to operate on USAF_C-17 missions to Iraq is low."
It's the latest revelation that Canadian military personnel served with U.S. forces in Iraq without parliamentary approval. In 2004, for example, Lt.-Gen. Walt Natynczyk - the vice-chief of defence staff and one of the leading contenders to replace Hillier when he retires this summer - was deployed to Iraq for one year with U.S. troops and served as the deputy commander of the Multinational Corps there.
"My concern is that this really undermines the democratic process," said Steve Staples, an analyst with the Rideau Institute, a think-tank which often has been critical of Canadian defence policy. "Our military is so integrated with the U.S. that those democratic decisions are undermined, if not rendered meaningless, and I think that's really alarming for most Canadians."
Dan Dugas, a spokesman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay, said the Canadians on exchange can end up in Iraq, as they did in this case, when the U.S. unit they have been assigned to is sent by U.S. authorities to Iraq. Under the terms of the Canada-U.S. officer exchange program, the participating officers essentially become part of the other country's military.
Canada took delivery of the first of its four Boeing C-17s in August 2007.
The C-17s are among the biggest planes in the world. They are used by the U.S., British, Australian and other air forces for strategic airlift, the long-haul transport of military equipment and personnel. The C-17s, for example, are used to rapidly deploy Canada's Disaster Response Team (DART). U.S. C-17s delivered Canadian tanks, one at a time, to Afghanistan.
In anticipation of the delivery of the airplanes, Canada sent a first crew, consisting of at least one pilot, co-pilot and a loadmaster to U.S. air force Base McChord in Washington. That crew trained at McChord until July 2007. A second Canadian C-17 aircrew was then sent to U.S. air force Base Altus in Oklahoma. Altus is the where the U.S. air force does most of its training for its C-17 crews. That second crew was then assigned for "seasoning" with a U.S. unit flying into Iraq, according to Hillier's May 2007 memo.
Hillier wrote that all subsequent Canadian C-17 crews would be trained at Altus, but would return to Canada without undergoing additional "seasoning."
Portions of the memo obtained by Canwest News Service were blacked out.
Canada.com
I think it's like the third time we catch Canadians trying to sneak in to Iraq. I say we build a wall.
posted by madtom at 7:16 PM
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