OTTAWA — Canada’s new fleet of 65 F-35 stealth fighter jets will likely be based in Quebec and Alberta.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay is expected to announce the details Thursday at CFB Bagotville, Que. His parliamentary secretary, Laurie Hawn, is making a similar announcement at CFB Cold Lake, Alta.

In July, MacKay announced Canada would buy 65 of the Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter fifth-generation stealth jets being made by Lockheed Martin for $9 billion, with the total cost expected to hit around $16 billion once maintenance costs are included.

The first of the new jets is scheduled to arrive in 2016 and will replace Canada’s ageing fleet of CF-18s.

Opposition parties have criticized the jet purchase, the largest military procurement in Canadian history, as a sole source deal that is too rich for Canada’s needs.

The government maintains there was competition for Canada’s new plane in the 1990s under the previous Liberal government, who agreed to pay around $150 million to help develop the F-35.

The United States, by comparison, is buying more than 2,000 F-35s and interoperability with the U.S. is one reason, according to military analysts, why Canada should buy them, too.

Last month, the government defended the purchase of the new jets when Russian bombers were intercepted by CF-18s flying close to Canadian airspace in the Arctic.

COMOX, B.C. – The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, today announced defence infrastructure projects that will help modernize facilities at 19 Wing Comox, including a new health services centre and work on existing facilities. Improvements to this base, which is home to two operational squadrons for Long Range Patrol and Search and Rescue, represent an investment of approximately $30 million and will generate economic benefits and significant employment opportunities throughout the course of the work.

“I am proud to announce that our government is continuing to invest in our men and women in uniform,” said Minister MacKay. “This important infrastructure investment embodies our government’s commitment to the health and well-being of our Canadian Forces, and to the creation of economic opportunities for Canadians across the country.”

Within the next year, 19 Wing Comox will see the completion of the new health services centre.  The 4,066 m2 health care facility will provide comprehensive medical and dental services for the military members at the base, which currently has a population of almost 1,000 military and 300 civilian personnel.

Minister MacKay also announced the completed construction of an addition to an existing base building for the Wing Auxiliary Security Force (WASF) operations centre and the Small Arms Trainer (SAT) facility. This facility provides the additional space required to continue ongoing training at 19 Wing Comox of Military Police (MP), Wing Auxiliary Security Force (WASF) personnel, and deployed personnel through the Readiness Training Flight (RTF).

The Government of Canada conducted open, fair, transparent and competitive processes in order to award the contracts for the projects at 19 Wing Comox.

The Department of National Defence holds a large number of properties all across the country to support the Canadian Forces, including some 21,000 buildings, 2.25 million hectares of land, 5,500 km of roads, and 3,000 km of water, storm, and sewer pipes.

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Notes to editor / news director: For further information please see the fact sheets on defence infrastructure at 19 Wing Comox at http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?cat=18.

Constructing new defence infrastructure is in line with the Canada First Defence Strategy, which sets a detailed road map for the modernization of the Canadian Forces. New infrastructure will help replace dated defence infrastructure and support a first-class, modern military that is ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century.

Projects announced September 7 are:

Construction of a new Health Services Centre

This project will see the construction of a single, purpose-built, 4,066 m2 Health Services Centre at 19 Wing Comox. The project also includes the demolition of the existing health care facility at the wing. The overall project value, inclusive of taxes, is approximately $27 million. Construction began in summer 2010 and is anticipated to be completed in late 2011.

Wing Auxiliary Security Force Addition to Building 194

The project moved the Wing Auxiliary Security Force (WASF) operations centre and the Small Arms Trainer (SAT) facility, to a new addition to the Military Police (MP) Operations Centre, B194. The addition is a one-storey wood frame structure with a facility for the SAT, a classroom/training area, and lockers and storage for WASF equipment. The project also provides necessary structural and electrical/controls upgrades to the existing facility to provide for this and future expansions. The overall project value, inclusive of taxes, is approximately

$2.8 million. This project began in August 2009 and was completed in May 2010.

The construction of a new health services centre will provide comprehensive medical and dental services for the 19 Wing Comox military members.

Specifications
Building Size:  4,066 m2 .
Construction Start Date: Construction began in summer 2010.
Construction Completion Date:  Construction is expected to be completed in late 2011.
Construction Contract:  The Government of Canada has awarded a $12 million contract to Island West Coast Developments of Nanaimo, B.C., through an open, fair, and transparent competitive process.

A navy planner says the Canadian Forces must be ready to be called to the front lines in the battle against the effects of climate change.

A recently published article by Lieutenant-Commander Ray Snook of the Defence Department's directorate of maritime strategy says the military may have to step in if conflicts flare over dwindling supplies of food and water.

“There will be a clear need for peace support operations too, and being called upon to intervene overseas and to help prevent or to resolve conflicts may occur more frequently,” he wrote in the summer issue of the Canadian Naval Review.

“Canada has a proud history of responding to these demands and in guaranteeing the physical security required to stabilize and reconstruct.”

Some people – including U.S. President Barack Obama – have warned climate change could lead to violence if essential supplies run low. They see access to fresh water as one likely trigger.

Countries struck by natural disasters or extreme weather events may also seek military help, Lt.-Cmdr. Snook says, just as Haiti did after a powerful earthquake in January.

“Several reputable think-tanks and senior military officials have drawn the conclusion that increasingly Western armed forces will be called upon to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief missions,” he wrote.

“As the only government organization with the ability to undertake such missions on a significant scale, the public will expect nothing less.”

But he warns more than one call for help at a time could strain military resources.

Meanwhile, Lt.-Cmdr. Snook considers Britain's military and the U.S. Navy to be the top thinkers when it comes to the ways in which climate change will affect national security. Canada's Defence Department is trying to catch up to its American and British counterparts, he says.

“Within DND, although the discussion, debate and action are embryonic, there is growing recognition that the threat is real and more needs to be done,” he wrote.

“Climate change has the potential to be a global threat of unparalleled magnitude and requires early, aggressive action in order to overcome its effects.”

The department declined further comment on Lt.-Cmdr. Snook's article.

Douglas Bland, a retired lieutenant-colonel who chairs defence management studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., says the military has been doing climate-related work on a smaller scale for some time.

Troops helped during the Red River floods in Manitoba in 1997 and when a major ice storm hit parts of eastern Ontario and Quebec in 1998. They once memorably traded their weapons for shovels to help dig out parts of snowed-in Toronto.

Mr. Bland says the military is probably more concerned about protecting the northern borders as melting sea ice opens up Arctic waterways than it is about deploying to other areas hard hit by climate change.

“In many respects, our national sea boundaries are changing before our eyes,” he said.

“And that calls up needs for the armed forces to be re-oriented and re-built in some ways, and expanded perhaps to take over the fact that they now have to guard and protect larger pieces of property.

“And people are working on those areas. Whether they're very interested on the effects of global warming on wheat farming in Saskatchewan, I don't think so.”

Besides being asked to deploy more often, Lt.-Cmdr. Snook's article touches on other areas in which climate change might affect the military – including some potential opportunities for improvement.

Going green could keep troops in hot spots out of harm's way. Using less energy could make it safer for troops in places like Afghanistan, Lt.-Cmdr. Snook says. Convoys that haul fuel to soldiers in the field are big targets for insurgents, so fewer trips could cut the risk.

The article reveals the military is looking at how well its bases can hold up to changes in the climate.

A rise in the sea level would swamp most of Halifax's waterfront, and Lt.-Cmdr. Snook says the flooding would probably affect the naval facilities north of the city's downtown core.

The officer also lays out how the military can help reduce greenhouse gases.

The Defence Department owns more buildings than any other government department. He says those buildings use a lot of energy and the department should determine if they can be made more efficient.

A new laser technology aims to protect helicopters in combat operations from heat-seeking missiles.

The laser-based defense system, under development by the University of Michigan (UM) and Omni Sciences, Inc., a UM spin-off company, could essentially "blind" self-guiding ordinance as it nears its flying target.

"Our lasers give off a signal that's like throwing sand in the eyes of the missile," said Mohammed Islam, a professor in the department of electrical engineering and computer science at UM.