March 19, 2007:
Many people question whether Canada
is carrying its weight in the war on terrorism. These same people may want to
take a closer look at some of the equipment American troops takes to war. They
will find a "Made in Canada" tag on lots
of stuff.
Take the Stryker
Armored, for example. This is the
Army's most advanced armored vehicle, and it's assembled in London, Ontario by
General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-Canada). GDLS-Canada is however,
owned by the American company, General Dynamics (the sixth largest U. S defense
contractor). The Army currently plans to equip 7 Stryker Brigade Combat Teams
with more than 2,000 of these 19 ton vehicles in 10 different variants. If this
vehicle continues to perform well in combat, it's likely that more variants and
improved models will be developed, meaning Canadian production could continue
for many years. The Stryker is not the first "American" armored vehicle made in
Canada. The Marine Corps' own long serving LAV family of vehicles, on which the
Styker is based, entered service in the early 1980's and was built by a
Canadian division of General Motors (now owned by GDLS-Canada). The Marine
Corps has over 700 LAVs in eight variants and they plan on keeping in service
until at least 2015. It is interesting to note that the Marine LAV is itself
based on the Swiss designed Piranha armored vehicle.
Another piece of equipment from north of the border
is the Zodiac inflatable boat used by the Marines, Navy SEALs and other Special
Operation types. These boats are mainly used to clandestinely land and retrieve
small raiding/reconnaissance units and board suspicious vessels. The most
popular model is the Zodiac FC 470 or Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC). This
15½ foot long boat is normally powered by a 40 HP outboard engine and can
transport up to 10 men or a total of 2,756 lbs. more than 80 kilometers. It's
manufactured in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Canadians also make something that all our troops
find particularly useful, namely bullets. Due to the inability of American
manufacturers to keep up with demand, the Montreal base company SNC
Technologies is providing the U. S. military with several million 5.56 mm and
7.62 mm rounds per year. The 5.56 mm round is used in the M-16 rifle and the
M-4 carbine, while the 7.62 mm is used by several types of medium machine guns.
SNC was recently bought by General Dynamics Ordinance and Tactical Systems, yet
another division of General Dynamics.
Because of the global economy and multinational
companies, it's not surprising that some U. S. military equipment is made
wholly or in part in foreign countries (think outsourcing). These countries may
or may not share our commitment to the war on terrorism, but if you question
Canada's overall commitment to the war, remember that they are proving it every
day on the factory floor. Of course, they are getting well paid for it.-- Tim
Spencer