lenaitch
Senior Member
Governments can announce multi-year spending programs, like the Canadian Surface Combatant spanning a couple of decades, I read the post as actual in-year spending for FY 2022-23. Capital projects can be carried forward, but so-called operating costs typically cannot. Government departments don't get a cheque at the beginning of the fiscal year, they get 'allocations'. If you've ever been around a government agency in the last fiscal quarter when they realize they will have money left over in their allocation that regular spending won't exhaust, it is truly a sight to behold. Drunken sailors on shore leave comes to mind.
Even if they could roust some contracts to upgrade things like housing, etc. I can't see them coming close to the unaccounted $15Bn. The larger the individual procurement, the longer it takes (see helicopters, sidearms, fighters . . . ), and they probably wouldn't move on a lot of the operational stuff because there is apparently a new white paper in the offing.
One billion for over-the-horizon radar doesn't seem like much more than in-year research costs (and not close to the $15Bn the PBO seems curious about). Heck, the Ontario government emergency services radio network upgrade will likely be over a billion when it is done.
I'm curious how a new, Canadian-based over-the-horizon radar will be value-added to the OTH radar that the US already deploys.
Unless it is already determined to be getting long in the tooth with the development of more hypersonic platforms, especially non-ballistics ones.
After the fancy new system detects a threat, then there is the matter of what to do about it. Canada seems to have reservations about that next step.
I agree that a lot of the announcements might be placeholders intended to assuage out partners that we still belong at the grown-ups table, but they will still be watching for concrete action long after the Canadian voter has lost interest.
Even if they could roust some contracts to upgrade things like housing, etc. I can't see them coming close to the unaccounted $15Bn. The larger the individual procurement, the longer it takes (see helicopters, sidearms, fighters . . . ), and they probably wouldn't move on a lot of the operational stuff because there is apparently a new white paper in the offing.
One billion for over-the-horizon radar doesn't seem like much more than in-year research costs (and not close to the $15Bn the PBO seems curious about). Heck, the Ontario government emergency services radio network upgrade will likely be over a billion when it is done.
I'm curious how a new, Canadian-based over-the-horizon radar will be value-added to the OTH radar that the US already deploys.
Solid State Phased Array Radar System - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Unless it is already determined to be getting long in the tooth with the development of more hypersonic platforms, especially non-ballistics ones.
After the fancy new system detects a threat, then there is the matter of what to do about it. Canada seems to have reservations about that next step.
I agree that a lot of the announcements might be placeholders intended to assuage out partners that we still belong at the grown-ups table, but they will still be watching for concrete action long after the Canadian voter has lost interest.