Angry in the Great White North

From the Ottawa Citizen:

Canada's special forces unit has gone on a multimillion-dollar spending spree, outfitting itself with high-tech weaponry that is the envy of units throughout the military.

But some members of parliament are questioning why there appears to be a double-standard in equipping regular and elite soldiers.

Flush with federal government cash, the Ottawa-based Joint Task Force 2 has purchased everything from the futuristic P-90 submachine-gun to the Heckler and Koch automatic grenade launcher.

As an example, here's a picture of the P-90, from the Belgium weapons manufacturer Fabrique Nationale:

Notice the compact design (achieved by moving the trigger forward). This is a weapon for close-in work, in cities and jungles, where a longish rifle or even a smaller carbine would be clumsy to handle.

The article is not specific, but I think the grenade launcher would be the H&K HK69A1:

Lightweight, able to lob any standard 40mm grenade currently on the market up to 400m, with one of these in the hands of a specialist, who needs artillery?

Now how is it that the anyone in the Canadian Armed Forces can get there hands on any equipment (including anti-tank weapons and armoured trucks, which the article states are also on the shopping list for JTF2)?

Unlike the regular forces, which obtain their equipment through the ponderously slow federal procurement system, JTF2 is able to cut through much of the red tape and quickly get approvals for gear from the military and political leadership. The unit also does not have to deal with the usual rules on government accountability and its purchases are considered secret.

On a practical level, it leads to these sorts of situations:

When regular troops were driving around in unarmoured Iltis vehicles in Afghanistan several years ago, the JTF2 commandos were outfitted with the latest armoured Humvee vehicles equipped with heavy machine-guns. While JTF2 quickly received approval for its new automatic grenade launchers and anti-tank weapons, the army has been waiting for years to buy similar gear. That equipment is not expected to be acquired by regular units for at least another year or two.

The Opposition is right to complain. Different elements of the Armed Forces have different needs, but one thing that is not needed in low morale derived from inter-service rivalry of an unhealthy kind. Jealousy derived from this:

In 2001, the government gave JTF2 $119 million, in addition to its ongoing annual budget, to significantly expand the size of the special forces unit and acquire new equipment. This spring, the federal government announced another infusion of cash. It earmarked $2.7 billion for new JTF2 training facilities, as well as equipment for the unit and new helicopters and trucks for the Canadian Forces overall. Military officials have declined to detail how much of that $2.7 billion would go to JTF2.

Inequities aside, here's my nagging worry. With all the other Third-World nonsense that takes place in Canada -- a government that is a democracy in name only, an institutionalized governing party, a government that uses important cabinet positions as bribes, a party that uses tax money as its own -- to hear about a group within the miltary that gets special treatment, all the best equipment, and all the glory makes me wonder.

A Republican Guard in the making?

Particularly distressing is that JTF2 gets this equipment not because the procurement system is designed to expedite JTF2 requests, but because JTF2 can get direct approvals from political figures.

Personal approvals.

A personal favour begats another personal favour. Is JTF2 becoming a unit beholden to the Liberal Party, instead of to Parliament?

Paranoid ravings, I know. Certainly the quality of character of the Canadian soldier makes this nightmare scenario most unlikely.

Still, bestowing an embarrassment of riches on anyone, no matter how dedicated or noble that person is, can't help but have a corrupting effect.

Just to be clear. My problem is not that JTF2 is being given the tools to do its job. My problem is that it seems like JTF2 is the only unit being given the tools to do its job. And the way those purchases are approved...that can't be right.