Ready, Aye... ok not so much

As if this wasn't enough, the Canadian navy is continuing to face problems in operations and maintenance. Now, the Atlantic fleet will be withdrawing from a NATO exercise which involves both the Canadian area of operations and the adjacent area to the south.

This is now getting stupid. The political party that would have had the navy patrol the Arctic with armed ice-breakers can't see fit to make sure the navy has the ability to train in its own Atlantic backyard.

The Canadian navy is pulling three ships out of planned NATO exercises off Nova Scotia next week, citing a lack of funding.

There's no money for the warships to join the U.S. and German ships, navy officials said Friday.

To add to the controversy in comes Steven Staples with a comment that makes little sense.

Defence analyst Steve Staples suggested the navy may be playing politics to get more money in the next budget.

"I think they're playing a dangerous game by trying to embarrass the government," said Staples, with the Ottawa-based Rideau Institute.

Canadians want a military that defends our sovereignty, he said, so the defence minister should tell the navy to get those ships out and "quit playing games."

Staples' comments are not to be misunderstood. He normally appears on the disarmament side of military debates, however, with his statement he finds himself defending Harper's political position by suggesting the navy has enough funding to participate in NATO exercises.

Staples may be a defence analyst but he is no naval planner. When plans to participate in exercises are developed there is often a question as to where the funding will come from. Generally, a number of plans go unfunded while others are over-funded. The shifting of money from over-funded operations and maintenance is regularly shifted into the unfunded programs.

The problem this year is that DND hauled money back from the navy during a review which saw over-funding eliminated and under-funded projects left with too little money. In short, the navy took a budget cut.

Playing politics? Hardly. The upper echelons of the navy are filled with careerists. Such a move is career suicide.

The blame for having a navy which is no longer able to go to sea can be placed squarely on the Afghanistan mission which is sucking up incredible amounts of money.

Gordon O'Connor will deny it, of course.

It will mean nothing.

(h/t Cowboys for Social Responsibility)