There’s no ‘C’ in AUKUS

Vincent J. Curtis

5 Oct 21

RE: Canada should push reset on its China policy.  Hamilton Spectator editorial of 5 Oct 21.

The editorial was remarkably clear-eyed in its assessment of China, and gave a good outline of the need for Canada to reset its policy towards China.  The wonder is that such an assessment was necessary at all.  Have people forgotten that nearly 70 million Chinese died during the Great Leap Forward (1958-62) and the Cultural Revolution (1966-76)?  Was the Tiananmen Square massacre (1979) not recent enough?  The utter ruthlessness of the Chinese Communist Party ought to come as a surprise to no one.

Among the recommendations for a reset was Canada’s joining of the new Australia – United Kingdom-United States alliance for the Indo-Pacific region.  The problem is that Canada has nothing militarily to bring to the table, and Prime Minister Trudeau is fundamentally an unserious person when it comes to matters of war and peace.

Canada isn’t expected to acquire her first replacement fighter jet until 2025, and nor a new surface combatant ship until 2028 at the earliest.  Mr. Trudeau spends most of his time enlarging on Canada’s systemic racism, and on the atrocities committed against indigenous peoples.  Why would anyone want to defend as atrocious a country as Canada anyway?

If Canada does reorient its defence policy towards the Pacific, it will impact the choice of fighter jet and combatant ship she acquires.  Long range will be key.

This means that Canada should consider the F-15-X fighter instead of the F-35 or F/A-18 Super Hornet, on account of the F-15’s greater range.  With 2900 gallons of on-board fuel the Avro Arrow, suitably engine and with modern avionic would be the equivalent of a Russian MiG-31 but with extraordinary range.  The Type 26 Frigate with a 7,000 nmi range is appropriate for the Pacific, but an Arleigh Burke class missile cruiser could be adapted for range also, has greater speed than then Type 26, and has a better developed array of long range weapons.

The last paragraph is just some idle speculation on things that ought to happen, but won’t.  Too many vested interests against all of them.

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