Article content continued

That leaves the Air Force, then. With the Army and Navy both clearly in need of as much new equipment as we can provide, the cuts — sorry, the “reprofiling” — must be intended for the Air Force, which, presumably, the government believes has all it needs. But wait! What of the Liberals’ insistence that our fighter squadrons are in such dire shape that only an urgent purchase of 18 “interim” F-18 Super Hornets, at a cost of as much as $7 billion, can save them? This is in fact so urgent a priority, say the Liberals, that there isn’t even time to hold a proper competition to choose our next full-time fighter. The Super Hornets must be rushed into service, whatever the cost. So, maybe we’ll just wait until the 2030s to acquire those fancy new search-and-rescue aircraft we just announced. Try not to get lost, everyone.

You see the problem here, then. The government recognizes the urgent need for new Army weapons and refitted vehicles. It admits the Navy has rusted out and needs dozens of new ships and support vessels. It insists the Air Force is in such crisis that only a rush-buy of fighter jets can keep it flying. And yet it also proposes to cut billions from the equipment budget.

On the face of it, it doesn’t seem to make much sense. But it can’t be that the government hasn’t thought this through, or is daring to talk a good game on supporting the military while starving it for funds. Perish the thought! Some clarity from the Liberals on these matters would certainly put our minds at ease.

National Post