Trainee sailors join the Royal Canadian Navy program
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES
Speaking in a nearly six-minute video clip posted on YouTube, Commander Topshee gave a candid assessment of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) situation.
The vice admiral said the RCN has been unable to meet its recruitment targets for more than a decade, according to Reuters on November 29.
"My colleagues and sailors, the RCN is facing some very serious challenges, and this means we are unable to meet our force's capabilities and our readiness commitments in 2024 and beyond," Vice Admiral Topshee said, adding that this is a common situation for other branches of the Canadian military.
The RCN commander said the force's West Coast Fleet suffered from a quality technology shortage, meaning its ships were not meeting operational and maintenance targets.
The Canadian Navy is relying on 12 Halifax-class frigates, which are nearing the end of their 30-year service life but are forced to continue for another 15 years because there is no replacement ship yet.
"This is a very significant challenge… I don't want it to be that way, but I'm afraid we have no choice," said Commander Topshee.
The above comments by the head of the Canadian navy are considered a rare expression of dissatisfaction from the Canadian military leadership regarding the state of the forces.
Canada currently spends about 1.3% of its annual GDP on defense, well below the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) threshold of 2%.
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