Imperious, Inept, Incongruous and Incompetent

"As much as I would love a contract with the Canadian military, I don't believe they need to change [their camouflage uniform acquisition]. Half a billion dollars can be used in many other areas other than trying to improve on something that doesn't need improvement right now." 
"The problem is, when you get someone at the top who sees something, that to them might look effective, that doesn't mean it is effective."
"It's going to be hard to change that perception. Once the people at the top get their minds set on something, everything becomes very difficult at that point to modify."
Guy Cramer, president, HyperStealth Biotechnology Corp., Maple Ridge, British Columbia

Canadian soldiers from India Company, enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia, move toward the woods during Exercise SABER STRIKE 2018, near Skrunda, Latvia on June 11, 2018.   Cpl Jean-Roch Chabot, eFP BG LATVIA Public Affairs

As Chief of the Defence Staff anyone appointed to that position in Canada has a lot of clout. They have, generally speaking, earned that position through their professional demeanour, experience, seniority and political connections. The current office-holder has integrated and ingratiated himself very nicely with the current Prime Minister of Canada and the Liberal government. When Justin Trudeau felt himself embarrassed that one of his executive decisions around the procurement of critical military ships was being discreetly undermined, mostly because his decision was stupidly wrong-headed, he needed a scapegoat.

And he found that scapegoat in the persona of Canada's second-highest military position holder, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman who also acted as vice chief of defence. Nothing would satisfy Justin Trudeau but the removal of this highly respected, efficiently reliable professional naval command officer. And he found a willing enough accomplice in the person of General Jon Vance, Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff. Vance could have supported his colleague, but chose not to. Vice-Admiral Norman was committed to his post and committed to ensuring that the best decisions for the Canadian Navy take place, but he was not guilty of underhanded involvement to upset Justin Trudeau's plans.

Suspended Vice-Admiral Mark Norman is being shuffled out of his position as the military's second-in-command 18 months after being relieved of his duties as vice chief of defence staff for allegedly leaking government secrets to a Quebec shipyard. (CBC )

He was given no opportunity to defend himself, simply summarily dismissed from his post, with the Prime Minister smirking in public that Mr. Norman would be put on trial in an engineered injustice. He has been denied customary legal defence expenses through the military; left dangling in an untenable position, chosen to assuage Trudeau's humiliation at his plans gone awry, claiming that Vice-Admiral Norman had leaked critical information of collusion on the part of the Prime Minister to achieve his end goal. When his plan failed, he was furious and looked for a victim, and Norman was it. Many politicians and members of the military are furious at Mr. Norman's professional crucifixion and have contributed funds to his legal defence in an impending court case.

Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) General Vance informed personnel while on a visit to Nova Scotia that the CADPAT uniforms Canadian soldiers were wearing as they arrived to take up their UN-assigned peacekeeping posts in Mali appeared worn, that the uniforms would "likely have to be disposed of". A subsequent briefing note was then circulated dated July 11 signed by the Defence Staff's senior staff officer, Lt.Col.Geoffrey Mundy and special adviser Col.Jamie Speiser-Blanchet that the CDS is intent on having the entire Canadian Forces adopt special forces' "MultiCam" pattern uniforms.

A Canadian soldier looks on as the first Canadian troops arrive at a UN base in Gao, Mali, on Sunday, June 24, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

This is a U.S.-style pattern in use by over twenty countries, including Russian special forces. During the Syrian war, both Russian and American special forces were outfitted with virtually similar uniforms on the battlefield. That could conceivably lead to some interesting times in a conflict situation, should one ever arise between the two. General Vance's plan to replace the Canadian-designed and -manufactured CADPAT (Canadian Disruptive Pattern) pattern uniforms with the U.S.-designed and -manufactured MultiCam at a cost of $500-million, represents an astonishingly bad decision.

The seven-page briefing note following the Halifax visit by General Vance read in part: "The CDS stated his desire to replace" current uniforms with the "MultiCam" pattern now being used by the U.S. military and Canada's special forces. The MultiCam design is a brand patented by Crye Precision of New York which is paid substantial royalties by the militaries using it, for the use of the pattern. Now, an expert on military uniforms, Guy Cramer, has pointed out that NATO testing verified the CADPAT pattern developed decades ago, to continue to represent a highly effective camouflage.

"What he likes is the colour pattern, the mix of colours, the predominance of brown",  Canadian Army commander Lt.-Gen.Jean Marc Lanthier explained of General Vance's preference for the MultiCam. How intelligent is all of this? The Canadian camouflage pattern is owned by the federal government, obviating any necessity to pay royalties related to its use. The material itself is controlled with the view of preventing its use by any other forces, noted Mr. Cramer, emphasizing what a colossal waste of money acquiring new uniforms would represent.

The CADPAT camouflage is a digital camouflage print available in several varieties, developed in Canada, and which the Canadian government has a copyright and trademark for. Moreover, the uniforms are manufactured by a number of Canadian companies. This is sheer, unadulterated idiocy on the part of General Vance. Defence Department's procurement chief Patt Finn cautions it is yet too soon to know how procurement will proceed on the issue of uniforms. He acknowledged the lack of security controls over MultiCam, that numerous militaries, including the Russians, wear the same or similar uniforms. "We would have to consider those factors, absolutely."