TECHNOLOGY - Should Canada make Snoopy the head of its Air Force?

The cartoon character Snoopy was a World War 1 ace pilot who overcame the great German Red Baron. Snoopy flew a Sopwith Camel fighter bi-plane while the baron had a Fokker Dr1 Dreidecker, triplane. 

Their great aerial confrontations were immortalized in comics, TV specials and the hit song “Snoopy vs the Red Baron”.

So maybe the Government of Canada and Ministry of Defense should somehow contact Snoopy to lead our air force into the future.

This may sound ludicrous and a joke, but so too is the ongoing incompetence of the current government regarding the needs and obligations of our air force and soldiers-in-the air.

The very title of the report released today says it all: “Canada’s jets don’t meet international obligations: Auditor-General”  (G&M online, Nov, 20, 2018).

 

According to the report, our ancient fleet of F18 Hornets (first flight =1978)  has the following operational problems:

 

1.      Shortage of pilots

2.      Shortage of technicians

3.      Shortage of airplanes to meet our current NORAD and NATO obligations.

 

4.      And, finally, our fleet of F18 have ”NOT HAD ANY MAJOR UPGRADES TO COMBAT CAPABILITIES SINCE 2008”…. “LAGGING FAR BEHIND FOREIGN FLEETS” …and “WILL BE   DISADVANTAGED AGAINST POTENTIAL ADVERSARIES …”.

According to the Auditor General, these antiques were originally scheduled to be decommissioned (and put out to pasture as scrap) no later than 2020, but will now be expected to fly and carry out missions until 2032!!!!

This is insanity and gross incompetence!!!

*****  Oh, sorry. Snoopy cannot help as he is American. 

         Maybe we can get the ghost of Canadian Billy Bishop instead.