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The Royal Canadian Navy's plans to acquire six to eight ice-capableArctic/Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) are facing yet anotherobstacle. On Tuesday in the Canadian House of Commons, the 2012-13 Reports on Plans and Priorities were tabled. The reports sum up the expected revenue, expenditures, and projectsof each government agency and department in Canada. National Defence's plans and priorities show that the AOPS will be delayed another three years, withdelivery now scheduled for 2018. The first ship will not be operational until 2019, and that fulloperational capability of all of the ships will not be reacheduntil 2023. The Treasury Board gave preliminary approval to theproject in May 2007, so by the time the project is finallycompleted, over fifteen years will have elapsed. This is a very lengthy timeframe and reveals the difficulty thatCanada (like most Arctic countries) is having in quickly adaptingto the Arctic, where both the operating environment and militaryneeds are changing. During the 2006 election, Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed topurchase three armed icebreakers. Those plans were shunted aside in2008 in favor of the cheaper AOPS, which will cost CAN $3.1 billionto acquire. Another CAN $4.3 billion is budgeted for the ships' maintenance andoperation. In addition to the ships, jetty infrastructures areslated to be constructed in Esquimalt, British Columbia andHalifax, Nova Scotia. The naval refueling station in Nanisivik,Nunavut, which has already been scaled back considerably as Idiscussed here , will also support the AOPS. 'A dumb idea' Liberal Senator Colin Kenny, former chair of the senate defence andsecurity committee, spoke out against the AOPS, saying, "They'rejust a dumb idea." He believes that the AOPS project is one of thefirst places the government should look to make cuts to the defensebudget. Kenny continued, "They don't break ice and they go 16 knotsand that's slower than a fishing boat." The ships will be able to break through medium, first-year ice, andwill not be nearly as powerful as a heavy icebreaker. However, oneicebreaker is still in the works for Canada, the CCGS John G. Diefenbaker , which is scheduled for delivery in 2017. All of these ships, andmore, are part of Canada's National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy , in which the country will significantly rebuild its navy andcoast guard fleets. Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison,wrote in an editorial in Vanguard, "AOPS will not be a complexcombatant. It will be armed and equipped for a constabulary role insupport of other government departments a role, however, thatwill require it to operate effectively, safely and reliably withinthe Arctic Archipelago during the navigable season, and not merelyin the low Arctic, as well as in Canada's other two oceans at othertimes of the year." Thus, AOPS will mostly be responsible for surveillance in Canada'sthree oceans, providing situational awareness, and cooperating withother agencies to enforce Canadian sovereignty. In terms of theiroffensive and ice capabilities, they are a far cry from an armedheavy icebreaker, but will at the same time have moremaneuverability and flexibility. Whether this is what the Conservatives really want in the Arctic isdoubtful: were the economy better, they likely would have tried tostick with the original plan for three icebreakers to betterproject Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. AOPS, however, isprobably more practical for the time being, especially given thenon-combative nature of the Arctic and general spirit of militarycooperation. This analysis is posted on Alaska Dispatch as part of Eye on the Arctic , a collaborative partnership between public and privatecircumpolar media organizations. I am an expert from lipolaser-machines.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Cryolipolysis Machine , China Vacuum Slimming Machine, Diode Hair Removal Laser,and more.
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