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Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Air Force celebrates JSF arrival, rolls out nation's airpower future
Republic RC-3 Seabee
 Seabee Production Line
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Republic RC-3 Seabee
Manufacturer: Republic Aviation Corporation, Farmingdale, Long Island, New York, USA.
Model: Republic RC-3 Seabee
Type Certificate No: A-769
Serial Number: 71 Manufacturing Date: 1946-10-??
Engine: (1) Franklin 6A8-215-B9F (215 HP at 2500 RPM)
(2) Robinson LS-6 V8 engine conversion.
(2) Robinson LS-6 V8 engine conversion.
CF-EJE Photo: Grant Stephens
CF-EJE Photo: Grant Stephens
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Tuesday, August 30, 2011
MinistUK's most powerful submarine joins the Navy
Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Equipment and Logistics | UK's most powerful submarine joins the Navy
UK's most powerful submarine joins the Navy
An Equipment and Logistics news article
27 Aug 10
The UK's most powerful attack submarine, HMS Astute, has been welcomed into the Royal Navy today in a commissioning ceremony overseen by the boat's patron, the Duchess of Cornwall.
The commissioning pennant is raised on HMS Astute
[Picture: LA(Phot) A J MacLeod, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
HMS Astute, which officially becomes 'Her Majesty's Ship' today, is quieter than any of her predecessors, meaning she has the ability to operate covertly and remain undetected in almost all circumstances despite being fifty per cent bigger than any attack submarine in the Royal Navy's current fleet.
The latest nuclear-powered technology means she will never need to be refuelled and can circumnavigate the world submerged, manufacturing the crew's oxygen from seawater as she goes.
The submarine has the capacity to carry a mix of up to 38 Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes and Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, and can target enemy submarines, surface ships and land targets with pinpoint accuracy, while her world-beating sonar system has a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,500km).
The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, said:
"The Astute Class is truly next generation - a highly versatile platform, she is capable of contributing across a broad spectrum of maritime operations around the globe, and will play an important role in delivering the fighting power of the Royal Navy for decades to come.
Astute arriving at her home base on the Clyde in November 2009
[Picture: LA(Phot) J J Massey, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
"A highly complex feat of naval engineering, she is at the very cutting-edge of technology, with a suite of sensors and weapons required to pack a powerful punch.
"Today is an important milestone along the road to full operational capability which will follow after a further series of demanding seagoing trials testing the full range of the submarine's capabilities."
Following the successful completion of her first rigorous set of sea trials, which began at the end of 2009, HMS Astute has also now achieved her in-service date, signalling that she has proven her ability to dive, surface and operate across the full range of depth and speed independently of other assets, thereby providing an initial level of capability.
Rear Admiral Simon Lister, Director of Submarines, who oversees the build programme of the class for the MOD, said:
"To my mind Astute is a 7,000-tonne Swiss watch. There is an extraordinary amount of expertise that goes into putting one of these submarines together. There are stages when it's like blacksmithing and there are stages when it's like brain surgery.
"So to see Astute commissioned is momentous not only for the Royal Navy, who have been eagerly anticipating this quantum leap forward in capability, but for the thousands of people around the country who have been involved in the most challenging of engineering projects."
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall is escorted by Commander Andy Coles, the Commanding Officer of HMS Astute, at the commissioning ceremony for HMS Astute
[Picture: LA(Phot) Stuart Hill, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
Following the commissioning, HMS Astute will return to sea for further trials before she is declared as operational.
As the base port of all the Royal Navy's submarines from 2016, Faslane will be home to the whole Astute Class, including Ambush, Artful and Audacious which are already under construction.
Astute was built by BAE Systems at Barrow-in-Furness, with hundreds of suppliers around the country contributing component parts, including Rolls-Royce, Derby (nuclear plant); Thales UK, Bristol (visual system and Sonar 2076); and Babcock, Strachan & Henshaw, Bristol (weapon handling and discharge system). Astute is affiliated to the Wirral in the North West.
About HMS Astute
- She is 97 metres from bow to stern.
- She has a beam of 11.2 metres.
- She displaces 7,400 tonnes of seawater.
- Her cabling and pipework would stretch from Glasgow to Dundee.
- She is the first Royal Navy submarine not to have a traditional periscope, instead using electro-optics to capture a 360-degree image of the surface for subsequent analysis by the commanding officer.
- Astute is the first submarine to have an individual bunk for each crew member.
- She manufactures her own oxygen from seawater as well as her own drinking water.
- She could theoretically remain submerged for her 25-year life, if it were not for the need to restock the crew's food supplies.
- She is faster under the water than she is on the surface - capable of speeds in excess of 20 knots (37km/h), although her top speed is classified.
Ministry of DHMS Edinburgh passes her missile test
Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Training and Adventure | HMS Edinburgh passes her missile test
HMS Edinburgh passes her missile test
A Training and Adventure news article
21 Apr 11
Type-42 destroyer HMS Edinburgh and her ship's company have proved she is ready to fight and take down fast-moving air targets, after successfully firing three Sea Darts.
A Sea Dart missile races away from HMS EDINBURGH off the coast of the Outer Hebrides
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
The Portsmouth-based warship fired her principle armaments off the coast of the Outer Hebrides in almost 3,750 sq nautical miles of ocean cleared for the occasion.
In addition to their air defence role, the Type 42 destroyers operate independently carrying out patrol and boarding operations, recently carrying out anti-narcotics and anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf, Caribbean, and the South Atlantic as well as providing humanitarian assistance when required.
Commanding Officer Commander Paul Russell said:
"The shooting down of live targets is the pinnacle of HMS Edinburgh's regeneration. We now stand ready to deploy as a fully operational warship."
The firing comes shortly after the destroyer finished more than four months of basic operational sea training (BOST) in Plymouth.
That training saw the staff of Flag Officer Sea Training tested Edinburgh and her ship's company in every environment and across the spectrum from minor fires and floods to high-intensity modern warfare and coping with extensive battle damage.
A Sea Dart missile in mid-flight towards its target
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
Following this, she took part in Exercise Joint Warrior - a twice-yearly, multi-national exercise held off the north and west coasts of Scotland.
For this, air, sea, sub-surface and land forces from NATO and allied nations work together in task-groups, learning how to work together effectively for joint operations around the world.
As a Type 42 destroyer, HMS Edinburgh provides the backbone of the Royal Navy's anti-air capability, and her role in the exercise was to protect the rest of the task force from air attack and her skills learnt at BOST were put to the test in a high-intensity air-defence environment.
Now back in Portsmouth and on a well-deserved period of Easter leave, the operational tempo will ramp up once again for HMS Edinburgh in May 2011.
HMS Edinburgh on patrol in Southern Ocean
Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Military Operations | HMS Edinburgh on patrol in Southern Ocean
HMS Edinburgh on patrol in Southern Ocean
A Military Operations news article
25 Aug 11
HMS Edinburgh is currently on a six-month stint in the Southern Ocean, providing reassurance to the people of the Falkland Islands and flying the flag for the UK in this remote part of the world.
HMS Edinburgh anchored off King Edward Point on South Georgia
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
The Portsmouth-based destroyer, in the company of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Black Rover, recently made the three-day passage from East Cove Military Port in the Falklands to King Edward Point on South Georgia, in sight of the island's capital, Grytviken.
The trip south had a three-fold aim: to remind the sparse population of the UK's continued interest in the island; to allow soldiers to train in a cold weather environment; and to give Edinburgh's sailors the chance to operate a warship in a challenging environment.
The journey to South Georgia took the ship into the Antarctic Convergence Zone, where the warmer waters of the Atlantic meet those of the frozen continent, and meant that the ship's company had to keep a constant watch for icebergs.
Once in the confined waters of King Edward Cove, there was a chance to offload troops from A Company, 2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, known as 'The Tigers'.
A King Penguin on South Georgia with HMS Edinburgh in the distance anchored off King Edward Point
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
Also glad to get ashore was journalist Liz Roberts, who joined the destroyer for the trip south to record programmes for Falkland Islands television and radio about the day-to-day life of a warship patrolling this part of the world.
While she was off gathering material and The Tigers were conducting cold weather training, the ship's company were getting to know the local human and wildlife populace - the former in the shape of the British Antarctic Survey scientists who operate a research base at King Edward Point.
All returned to the ship awestruck by the beauty of the island - and conscious that it should not be spoiled by visitors.
HMS Edinburgh's Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Russell, said:
HMS Edinburgh anchored off King Edward Point on South Georgia
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
"South Georgia is a unique - and fragile - environment. It needs protection in every sense of the word.
"We had to be very conscious of 'bio-security measures' when landing personnel.
"It was a great privilege to be able to experience one of the most naturally-stunning and remote places on the planet."
Edinburgh's been away from the Solent since May 2011 and will remain in the South Atlantic until the tail end of the year. In a varied deployment so far she's visited Angola and Cape Town before a rough crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to begin her Falklands patrol.
She's due to return to South Africa imminently for her mid-deployment maintenance period before resuming her duties.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
DND/CF | Backgrounder | Restoring the Historic Designations of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force
DND/CF | Backgrounder | Restoring the Historic Designations of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force
The Canadian Forces (CF) are restoring the historic names the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), the Canadian Army (CA), and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Since February 1, 1968, the names for the sea, air, and land elements of the CF have been known as Maritime Command, Land Force Command, and Air Command.
By restoring the historic identities of the three former services, the CF are also restoring an important and recognizable part of military heritage. These were the names under which Canadians fought and emerged victorious from the First World War, the Second World War, and from Korea, under which they contributed to deterrence and defence of Europe and North America from the early days of the Cold War. These were also the names under which Canadians served on the first international peacekeeping missions.
The renaming of these former services will not impact the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act established in 1968. The CF will remain a unified military; in no way will the change to the names diminish capabilities or compromise operational effectiveness.
The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act (1968)
On February 1, 1968, the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act (Bill C-243, informally referred to as the “Unification Act”) came into effect, and amended the National Defence Act to unify the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force as part of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). As of that day, the historic names of the three branches of the CAF disappeared. The abolition of the historic identities of the three branches of the CAF was unnecessary in terms of the integration and unification of the Armed Forces. Indeed, the restoration of these historic identities, as is now being undertaken, is in keeping with the terms of the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act.
The History of CF Environmental Names
Sea:
The Naval Service Act was proposed in the House of Commons in January 1910, and became law on May 4, 1910, establishing the Naval Service of Canada. On January 30th, 1911, the Government of Canada, under Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, officially requested the designation of “Royal” for the Canadian navy from the United Kingdom. The decision took place during the Imperial Defence Conference (a conference that settled the issue of jurisdiction of the Dominion Navies) which coincided with the Coronation of His Majesty King George V in June 1911.
The letter announcing the bestowing of the “Royal” designation was dispatched from the Colonial Office in London, and dated August 16, 1911. It was received by His Excellency Albert Henry George Grey, Governor-General to the Government of Canada on August 29, 1911. The awarding of the “Royal Canadian Navy” title was accepted as a great honour by Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, as he believed it was a major step in Canada’s growing autonomy.
With the passing of the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act on February 1, 1968, which unified all commands of the CF, the RCN ceased to exist. The naval component of the CF was renamed the “Canadian Forces Maritime Command.”
Land:
Although the term “Canadian Army” had been used informally for years, the CA was only officially called by that name from 1940. Before that time, the militia included full-time regular and part-time units, and were the land forces acting in Canada’s defence. The Militia Act of 1855 was an attempt to professionalize these forces and rely less on British Regulars for continental defence, although this did not change significantly until after Confederation in 1867.
In 1914, the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was created and deployed to fight overseas in the First World War. In 1917, following its victory at Vimy Ridge, the Canadian Corps of four divisions came to be commanded by a Canadian general, Sir Arthur Currie, until it was demobilized upon the cessation of the conflict. In the Second World War, after Canada had independently declared war in September of 1939, the nation’s land forces underwent a significant reorganization, culminating in the 1940 titling of the Canadian Army (Overseas), the Canadian Army (Active) the Canadian Army (Reserve). Canada again demobilized its expeditionary force when the war ended, but the Regular Force and Reserve Force were known as army units until The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act came into effect.
In February of 1968, Force Mobile Command (FMC) was stood up and the Canadian Army ceased to exist. Although their official title is now Land Force Command (LFC), and has been for quite some time, the “army” has always been the colloquial term referring to Canada’s land forces. The Army was never given the prefix “Royal” as this honour is bestowed on individual Army units.
Air:
His Majesty King George V bestowed the “Royal” designation on the Canadian Air Force in 1923 but the title only became official when “The King’s Regulations and Orders” were promulgated on April 1, 1924.
Under the new organization, the RCAF was to be administered by a director responsible to the Chief of the General Staff. The RCAF was separated into three components: an Active (permanent) Air Force, an Auxiliary (part-time) Air Force and a non-active Reserve. The authorized establishment of the active air force on the day of the RCAF’s birth was a modest 68 officers and 307 airmen; the actual strength was 61 officers and 262 airmen. The dark blue uniform and insignia of the CAF was now replaced by the sky blue RCAF uniform patterned after the RAF uniform. The insignia, ensign and badges were similar to those of the Royal Air Force. “Sic Itur Ad Astra” gave way to the RCAF motto “Per Ardua Ad Astra” (through adversity to the stars).
In February 1968, the 45,000 officers, men and women of the RCAF, including 19 types of aircraft and support material, were incorporated into the single Canadian Armed Forces. This transformation initially fragmented the RCAF and the change from the air force blue to the CAF green uniform and to different rank titles was viewed with dismay by many personnel. RCAF headquarters was disbanded and air activities were carried out by a number of functional components. For example, support to land forces was performed by tactical air units under Land Force Command (Army). Maritime Command (Navy) took over functional control of coastal and embarked aircraft. Although the Army and the Navy retained their headquarters, the Air Force was left without a central authority until the establishment of Air Command in 1975.
The “Royal” Designation
Many Commonwealth nations use the “Royal” designation for their military forces. These include Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Lucia and, of course, the United Kingdom.
Restoring the historical titles of the three former commands is an important way to recognize the CF’s history and aligns Canada with other key Commonwealth countries, whose militaries continue to use the “Royal” designation.
The Royal designation is used for many units of the CF, including:
Throughout the First World War, the Union Jack was flown by the Canadian Army. During the Second World War, the Canadian Active Service Force flag, commonly referred to as the “battle flag,” was authorized to indicate the Headquarters of the senior Canadian combatant formation overseas. However, by the summer of 1943, Army Council recommended the Red Ensign with the Canadian coat of arms in the fly become the official flag of the Canadian Army. Following the Second World War there was no distinctive flag for the Army, but the Red Ensign was to be the main flag for all components of the Canadian Army. As a whole, the Canadian Army did not have its own flag or Ensign; it simply used the Canadian National Flag when required.
Canadian Active Service Force (1939 – 1943)
Red Ensign (1944 – 1965)
In 1989, Mobile Command requested and received a command flag. It was granted a standard command flag pattern flag with the Canadian Flag in upper canton and the badge of Mobile Command in the fly. When Mobile Command was re-designated Land Force Command (LFC) in 1992, it continued to use the device of Mobile Command for some time. In 1998, the LFC badge was issued. This badge was based on the previous Canadian Army badge of the post war era. The current command flag uses the standard command flag design with a white field and the LFC badge in the fly.
Land Force Command Flag (1998 – Present)
There are three main positions for flags on a ship; the stern, masthead (top center of ship) and jack staff (bow), with the most senior position being the stern. In 1911, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was granted permission to fly the White Ensign at the stern of the ship as its principal identifying flag. By the same order, the Blue Ensign was permitted to be flown at the jack staff as the distinctive flag of the Dominion of Canada. During the First and Second World Wars, both of these flags would have been flown by His Majesty’s Canadian Ships. The White Ensign and the Blue Ensign were retired from use after the adoption of the Canadian National Flag. Since then, the Canadian Flag has been the Ensign on all Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships.
White Ensign (1910 – 1965) 
Canadian Blue Ensign (1910 – 1965)
The Maritime Command flag was authorized as the Canadian Armed Forces Naval Jack in 1968. It is a white flag in the Ensign style with Canadian Flag in the upper Canton and centered on the fly was a “fouled anchor, surmounted by an eagle volant affrontee with head lowered to the sinister; all ensigned with a naval crown.”
Canadian Naval Jack and Maritime Command Flag
(1968 – Present)
In 1921, the Canadian Air Force was authorized to fly the Ensign adopted by the Royal Air Force. It was not until July 1940 that a Canadian version was authorized by altering the original red centre of the roundel with a maple leaf. This continued to be the Ensign of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) until the adoption of the Canadian National Flag in 1965.
RCAF Ensign (1940 – 1965)At the introduction of the Canadian National Flag, the Ensign was retired from use but its design was used for the command flag of Air Command, approved in 1982. The only change was the use of the Canadian Flag in the upper Canton and the use of a different style of maple leaf.
Air Command Flag (1982 – Present)
Restoring the Historic Designations of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force
BG 11.016 - August 16, 2011The Canadian Forces (CF) are restoring the historic names the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), the Canadian Army (CA), and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Since February 1, 1968, the names for the sea, air, and land elements of the CF have been known as Maritime Command, Land Force Command, and Air Command.
By restoring the historic identities of the three former services, the CF are also restoring an important and recognizable part of military heritage. These were the names under which Canadians fought and emerged victorious from the First World War, the Second World War, and from Korea, under which they contributed to deterrence and defence of Europe and North America from the early days of the Cold War. These were also the names under which Canadians served on the first international peacekeeping missions.
The renaming of these former services will not impact the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act established in 1968. The CF will remain a unified military; in no way will the change to the names diminish capabilities or compromise operational effectiveness.
The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act (1968)
On February 1, 1968, the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act (Bill C-243, informally referred to as the “Unification Act”) came into effect, and amended the National Defence Act to unify the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force as part of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). As of that day, the historic names of the three branches of the CAF disappeared. The abolition of the historic identities of the three branches of the CAF was unnecessary in terms of the integration and unification of the Armed Forces. Indeed, the restoration of these historic identities, as is now being undertaken, is in keeping with the terms of the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act.
The History of CF Environmental Names
Sea:
The Naval Service Act was proposed in the House of Commons in January 1910, and became law on May 4, 1910, establishing the Naval Service of Canada. On January 30th, 1911, the Government of Canada, under Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, officially requested the designation of “Royal” for the Canadian navy from the United Kingdom. The decision took place during the Imperial Defence Conference (a conference that settled the issue of jurisdiction of the Dominion Navies) which coincided with the Coronation of His Majesty King George V in June 1911.
The letter announcing the bestowing of the “Royal” designation was dispatched from the Colonial Office in London, and dated August 16, 1911. It was received by His Excellency Albert Henry George Grey, Governor-General to the Government of Canada on August 29, 1911. The awarding of the “Royal Canadian Navy” title was accepted as a great honour by Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, as he believed it was a major step in Canada’s growing autonomy.
With the passing of the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act on February 1, 1968, which unified all commands of the CF, the RCN ceased to exist. The naval component of the CF was renamed the “Canadian Forces Maritime Command.”
Land:
Although the term “Canadian Army” had been used informally for years, the CA was only officially called by that name from 1940. Before that time, the militia included full-time regular and part-time units, and were the land forces acting in Canada’s defence. The Militia Act of 1855 was an attempt to professionalize these forces and rely less on British Regulars for continental defence, although this did not change significantly until after Confederation in 1867.
In 1914, the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was created and deployed to fight overseas in the First World War. In 1917, following its victory at Vimy Ridge, the Canadian Corps of four divisions came to be commanded by a Canadian general, Sir Arthur Currie, until it was demobilized upon the cessation of the conflict. In the Second World War, after Canada had independently declared war in September of 1939, the nation’s land forces underwent a significant reorganization, culminating in the 1940 titling of the Canadian Army (Overseas), the Canadian Army (Active) the Canadian Army (Reserve). Canada again demobilized its expeditionary force when the war ended, but the Regular Force and Reserve Force were known as army units until The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act came into effect.
In February of 1968, Force Mobile Command (FMC) was stood up and the Canadian Army ceased to exist. Although their official title is now Land Force Command (LFC), and has been for quite some time, the “army” has always been the colloquial term referring to Canada’s land forces. The Army was never given the prefix “Royal” as this honour is bestowed on individual Army units.
Air:
His Majesty King George V bestowed the “Royal” designation on the Canadian Air Force in 1923 but the title only became official when “The King’s Regulations and Orders” were promulgated on April 1, 1924.
Under the new organization, the RCAF was to be administered by a director responsible to the Chief of the General Staff. The RCAF was separated into three components: an Active (permanent) Air Force, an Auxiliary (part-time) Air Force and a non-active Reserve. The authorized establishment of the active air force on the day of the RCAF’s birth was a modest 68 officers and 307 airmen; the actual strength was 61 officers and 262 airmen. The dark blue uniform and insignia of the CAF was now replaced by the sky blue RCAF uniform patterned after the RAF uniform. The insignia, ensign and badges were similar to those of the Royal Air Force. “Sic Itur Ad Astra” gave way to the RCAF motto “Per Ardua Ad Astra” (through adversity to the stars).
In February 1968, the 45,000 officers, men and women of the RCAF, including 19 types of aircraft and support material, were incorporated into the single Canadian Armed Forces. This transformation initially fragmented the RCAF and the change from the air force blue to the CAF green uniform and to different rank titles was viewed with dismay by many personnel. RCAF headquarters was disbanded and air activities were carried out by a number of functional components. For example, support to land forces was performed by tactical air units under Land Force Command (Army). Maritime Command (Navy) took over functional control of coastal and embarked aircraft. Although the Army and the Navy retained their headquarters, the Air Force was left without a central authority until the establishment of Air Command in 1975.
The “Royal” Designation
Many Commonwealth nations use the “Royal” designation for their military forces. These include Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Lucia and, of course, the United Kingdom.
Restoring the historical titles of the three former commands is an important way to recognize the CF’s history and aligns Canada with other key Commonwealth countries, whose militaries continue to use the “Royal” designation.
The Royal designation is used for many units of the CF, including:
- Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery;
- The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada;
- Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians);
- Royal 22e Régiment;
- The Royal Canadian Dragoons;
- The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal);
- The Royal Canadian Regiment;
- The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment);
- The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada;
- The Royal Montreal Regiment;
- The Royal New Brunswick Regiment;
- The Royal Newfoundland Regiment;
- The Royal Regiment of Canada;
- The Royal Regina Rifles;
- The Royal Westminster Regiment;
- The Royal Winnipeg Rifles;
- Royal Military College of Canada; and
- Royal Military College St-Jean.
-30-
National Defence Act (NDA): http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/N-5/Flags flown by the Canadian Army
August 16, 2011Throughout the First World War, the Union Jack was flown by the Canadian Army. During the Second World War, the Canadian Active Service Force flag, commonly referred to as the “battle flag,” was authorized to indicate the Headquarters of the senior Canadian combatant formation overseas. However, by the summer of 1943, Army Council recommended the Red Ensign with the Canadian coat of arms in the fly become the official flag of the Canadian Army. Following the Second World War there was no distinctive flag for the Army, but the Red Ensign was to be the main flag for all components of the Canadian Army. As a whole, the Canadian Army did not have its own flag or Ensign; it simply used the Canadian National Flag when required.
Canadian Active Service Force (1939 – 1943)
Red Ensign (1944 – 1965)
Land Force Command Flag (1998 – Present)
Flags flown by the Royal Canadian Navy
August 16, 2011There are three main positions for flags on a ship; the stern, masthead (top center of ship) and jack staff (bow), with the most senior position being the stern. In 1911, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was granted permission to fly the White Ensign at the stern of the ship as its principal identifying flag. By the same order, the Blue Ensign was permitted to be flown at the jack staff as the distinctive flag of the Dominion of Canada. During the First and Second World Wars, both of these flags would have been flown by His Majesty’s Canadian Ships. The White Ensign and the Blue Ensign were retired from use after the adoption of the Canadian National Flag. Since then, the Canadian Flag has been the Ensign on all Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships.
White Ensign (1910 – 1965)
Canadian Blue Ensign (1910 – 1965)
Canadian Naval Jack and Maritime Command Flag
(1968 – Present)
Flags flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force
August 16, 2011In 1921, the Canadian Air Force was authorized to fly the Ensign adopted by the Royal Air Force. It was not until July 1940 that a Canadian version was authorized by altering the original red centre of the roundel with a maple leaf. This continued to be the Ensign of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) until the adoption of the Canadian National Flag in 1965.
RCAF Ensign (1940 – 1965)
Air Command Flag (1982 – Present)
DND/CF | Fact Sheet | Flags flown by the Royal Canadian Navy
DND/CF | Fact Sheet | Flags flown by the Royal Canadian Navy
White Ensign (1910 – 1965)
Canadian Blue Ensign (1910 – 1965)
Flags flown by the Royal Canadian Navy
August 16, 2011
There are three main positions for flags on a ship; the stern, masthead (top center of ship) and jack staff (bow), with the most senior position being the stern. In 1911, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was granted permission to fly the White Ensign at the stern of the ship as its principal identifying flag. By the same order, the Blue Ensign was permitted to be flown at the jack staff as the distinctive flag of the Dominion of Canada. During the First and Second World Wars, both of these flags would have been flown by His Majesty’s Canadian Ships. The White Ensign and the Blue Ensign were retired from use after the adoption of the Canadian National Flag. Since then, the Canadian Flag has been the Ensign on all Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships.
White Ensign (1910 – 1965)
Canadian Blue Ensign (1910 – 1965)
The Maritime Command flag was authorized as the Canadian Armed Forces Naval Jack in 1968. It is a white flag in the Ensign style with Canadian Flag in the upper Canton and centered on the fly was a “fouled anchor, surmounted by an eagle volant affrontee with head lowered to the sinister; all ensigned with a naval crown.”
Canadian Naval Jack and Maritime Command Flag
(1968 – Present)
Friday, August 12, 2011
Is China’s Aircraft Carrier a Threat to U.S. Interests? - defence.professionals | defpro.com
defence.professionals | defpro.com
Is China’s Aircraft Carrier a Threat to U.S. Interests?
Is China’s Aircraft Carrier a Threat to U.S. Interests?
CSIS provides answers to key questions on China's new aircraft carrier 08:02 GMT, August 12, 2011 On August 10, 2011, China’s first aircraft carrier set sail from Dalian Port on its maiden voyage. Announcing the sailing, China’s Defense Ministry stated that the inaugural sea trial would be brief; some Hong Kong media have estimated the trial would last 15 days. The Liaoning Provincial Maritime Safety Administration issued a notice restricting vessels from traveling through an area between the northern Yellow Sea and Liaodong Bay from August 10 to 14. The unusually public announcement of the carrier’s sea trial stands in contrast to the secretive test flight of China’s first stealth fighter jet last January and its test of an antisatellite weapon in January 2007, and was welcomed by the Pentagon as a sign of greater transparency by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
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CSIS provides strategic insights and bipartisan policy solutions to decision makers in government, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society. |
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China has the same global interests like any of the former big powers. See involvement in Asia, but more in Africa, South America but also in West Canada and in Europe! The student want to be the leader in his world! China will become in all continents the next Super Power! This Empire is still beginning to grow! Till today there Armed Forces are like a group of mountains and save, if they had to move in the future, it must be with a respectful power demonstration for all the neighbors! The new epoch will be the "Pax Chinese"! Gerardo Señoráns Barcala Politologue Defense Expert - Foreign Affairs
Created: 2011-08-12 18:55:40
Created: 2011-08-12 18:55:40
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Training and Adventure | Royal Navy's Cougar 11 deployment returns
Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Training and Adventure | Royal Navy's Cougar 11 deployment returns
Royal Navy's Cougar 11 deployment returns
A Training and Adventure news article
8 Aug 11
The return home of three of the Royal Navy ships this weekend that were part of the Response Force Task Group tasking in the Mediterranean and Middle East marks the end of the Cougar 11 deployment.
Response Force Task Group flagship, HMS Albion, arrives home at HM Naval Base Devonport in Plymouth, following deployment on Cougar 11
[Picture: Petty Officer Airman (Photographer) Dave Husbands, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
The Task Force flagship, HMS Albion, and her escorting frigate, HMS Sutherland, both arrived back in their home port of Plymouth today, Monday 8 August 2011, while RFA Cardigan Bay and her embarked military force from 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines arrived in Marchwood Military Port on Friday, 5 August 2011.
Cougar 11 was the first deployment of the Response Force Task Group (RFTG) - the UK's maritime quick reaction force, and a new initiative announced in last year's Strategic Defence and Security Review at the heart of the UK's maritime contingent capability to be held at very high readiness to respond to unexpected events worldwide.
Despite the end of the Cougar 11 deployment, other elements of the RFTG remain at sea in support of current operations: helicopter carrier HMS Ocean continues to support NATO maritime operations off Libya, where she is acting as a huge floating airfield for Apache attack helicopter operations; HMS Liverpool is enforcing the blockade in support of sanctions against the Gaddafi former regime; and stores ship RFA Fort Rosalie continues to support Royal Navy operations in the Mediterranean.
Commodore John Kingwell, Commander UK Task Group, said:
RFA Cardigan Bay with a Landing Craft Air Cushion during Exercise Cypriot Lion
[Picture: Luron Wright, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
"At every stage of Cougar 11 the Response Force Task Group has provided the Government with a range of options in a period of uncertainty on the world stage, demonstrating once again the value and utility of the Royal Navy.
"The Task Group continues to make a major contribution to the Libya campaign in the Mediterranean and has strengthened the UK's relationships in the Middle East. To do both simultaneously - and in addition to the main effort in Afghanistan - is a testament to the versatility of the Royal Navy and the sheer hard work of those involved."
Against the back drop of the 'Arab Spring', both assault ship HMS Albion and Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland sailed from Devonport Naval Base in early April three weeks ahead of schedule.
They were later joined in the Mediterranean by further elements of the Task Group, which at its height consisted of eleven ships, more than a dozen helicopters and over 3,000 sailors and Royal Marines.
At the beginning of June 2011, the Task Group split, with one group led by HMS Albion passing through the Suez Canal to conduct strategic engagements with allies and partners in the Middle East, and the second group, led by HMS Ocean, remaining in the Mediterranean to act in support of ongoing NATO operations off Libya.
Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland arrives home at HM Naval Base Devonport in Plymouth, following deployment on Cougar 11
[Picture: Petty Officer Airman (Photographer) Dave Husbands, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
Captain James Morley, Commanding Officer of HMS Albion, said:
"The Cougar 11 deployment has ended successfully but HMS Albion remains at very high readiness throughout the summer and into the autumn, on call to respond to the demands of an interconnected and unpredictable world.
"The importance of the work undertaken by HMS Albion and the Task Group in the Middle East during Cougar 11 cannot be underestimated. The region contains some of the world's busiest and most important shipping routes, linking Europe and North America with China and the Far East.
"Security and stability here is absolutely critical to the prosperity and well-being of the UK."
Commander Roger Readwin, Commanding Officer of HMS Sutherland, explained the role his ship played during the deployment:
"In the course of Cougar 11, HMS Sutherland was twice diverted to the North African coast, first to protect HMS Albion and HMS Ocean whilst off Libya and later to help enforce the maritime blockade against the Gaddafi regime.
A Viking all-terrain vehicle disembarking from a Landing Craft Utility
[Picture: Luron Wright, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
"In doing so we have demonstrated why the frigate is the backbone of the Royal Navy - fast, agile and capable of a range of missions. However, my biggest asset by far is the ship's company, many of whom have seen action for the first time. They are a credit to their ship and to the Royal Navy."
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Lynch, Royal Marines, directed the planning of the amphibious exercises in the Mediterranean. He explained the value of amphibious capabilities:
"Cougar 11 reinforced a unique national capability, reinvigorating the specialist knowledge and skills of amphibious warfare within the Royal Marines, thereby providing a continued capability within 3 Commando Brigade to conduct complex amphibious operations.
"Notably, this was conducted at the same time as the brigade's ongoing commitment to operations in Afghanistan.
"The worldwide, balanced and expeditionary nature of our amphibious capability allows the Royal Navy and Royal Marines to deliver a landing force ashore at a time and place of our choosing and support them from the sea with little reliance on ports, airfields or host nation support."
A Royal Marine from 40 Commando trains alongside counterparts from the United Arab Emirates during Exercise Sea Khanjar
[Picture: Luron Wright, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
Major achievements of Cougar 11 include:
• demonstrating the UK's ability to contribute to current operations whilst preparing for contingent operations, in a Task Group spread across several oceans; and to achieve both in addition to the defence main effort in Afghanistan.
• supporting NATO operations to protect civilians in Libya, including commanding the first maritime strike missions by Apache attack helicopters launched from the sea against military targets ashore.
• reinforcing the UK's commitment to, and strengthening the UK's relationship with, our partner countries in the Middle East through exercises with Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
• reinvigorating the UK's amphibious capabilities after ten years' focus on land operations through exercises conducted with the Lead Commando Group (40 Commando Royal Marines) whilst the remainder of 3 Commando Brigade are currently in Afghanistan.
• conducting the first ever military exercise between the Royal Navy and Albanian Armed Forces since Albania joined NATO in 2009.
Read more about the Cougar 11 deployment in Related News.
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