Latest news with #Berlingske
National Post
05-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Spare parts for Canada's F-35 fleet will be controlled by the U.S.
Spare parts for Canada's new F-35 fighter jets will be stored at bases in Quebec and Alberta but such components will be owned and controlled by the U.S. government. Article content The little-known arrangement illustrates the extent of the control the U.S. retains over F-35s even when they are purchased by other nations. Article content Lawmakers in Denmark faced the spare parts issue in March when the U.S. government took components stored in that country for Danish F-35s and shipped them to Israel, reported Berlingske, a Danish national newspaper. The Danish government acknowledged it had no way to block the U.S. decision, which violated the country's foreign policy for the region. Article content At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump was talking about seizing Greenland from Denmark, sparking concern about the vulnerability of the F-35. Article content Article content But a U.S. Government Accountability Office report in 2023 revealed the rules governing the F-35 parts. The report noted that the parts are the property of the U.S. government until they are installed on another nation's aircraft. Article content Department of National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin noted in an email that F-35 spare parts are centrally managed by the U.S. 'for the benefit of all customers.' Article content Canada will own the parts but only once they are installed on Canadian F-35s, she confirmed. Article content 'When pooled sustainment spares are incorporated into an F-35 air vehicle or other end item, title to the spare transfers to the participant who has title to the air vehicle or end item,' she added in an email. Article content Spare parts will be stored principally at bases in Cold Lake, Alta., and Bagotville, Que., in dedicated warehouses, Poulin said. Article content DND and the Canadian Forces did not answer whether it has examined if the spare parts issue compromises Canadian national security or operational effectiveness. Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney has ordered a review of Canada's $19-billion F-35 purchase in the wake of threats against Canadian sovereignty by Trump. The U.S. has become increasingly hostile to Canada, with the American president threatening to damage the economy and make this country into the 51st state. Article content Article content At this point, Canada has only financially committed to purchasing the first 16 jets. The entire order was for 88 F-35s, which are manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Article content The Canadian Forces and DND are examining whether the remaining 72 F-35s should be bought but it is expected they will recommend to Carney that the acquisition proceed as planned. Article content Carney's government hopes to bring in a policy which emphasizes defence purchases from Canadian firms as well as European countries. European defence firms say they could offer Canada fighter jets to replace the F-35. At least one has proposed previously to build the planes in Canada. Article content A number of Canadian defence industry executives have complained that Canadian military leaders appear tone deaf to the threat that Trump poses to the country. They have called for the Canadian Forces to acquire more equipment from Canadian sources.
Ottawa Citizen
05-05-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Spare parts for Canada's F-35 fleet will be controlled by the U.S.
Spare parts for Canada's new F-35 fighter jets will be stored at bases in Quebec and Alberta but such components will be owned and controlled by the U.S. government. Article content Article content The little-known arrangement illustrates the extent of the control the U.S. retains over F-35s even when they are purchased by other nations. Article content Lawmakers in Denmark faced the spare parts issue in March when the U.S. government took components stored in that country for Danish F-35s and shipped them to Israel, reported Berlingske, a Danish national newspaper. The Danish government acknowledged it had no way to block the U.S. decision, which violated the country's foreign policy for the region. Article content Article content At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump was talking about seizing Greenland from Denmark, sparking concern about the vulnerability of the F-35. Article content Article content Canadian Forces leadership hasn't made details of the spare parts provision public. Article content But a U.S. Government Accountability Office report in 2023 revealed the rules governing the F-35 parts. The report noted that the parts are the property of the U.S. government until they are installed on another nation's aircraft. Article content Department of National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin noted in an email that F-35 spare parts are centrally managed by the U.S. 'for the benefit of all customers.' Article content Canada will own the parts but only once they are installed on Canadian F-35s, she confirmed. Article content 'When pooled sustainment spares are incorporated into an F-35 air vehicle or other end item, title to the spare transfers to the participant who has title to the air vehicle or end item,' she added in an email. Article content Spare parts will be stored principally at bases in Cold Lake, Alta., and Bagotville, Que., in dedicated warehouses, Poulin said. Article content Article content DND and the Canadian Forces did not answer whether it has examined if the spare parts issue compromises Canadian national security or operational effectiveness. Article content Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney has ordered a review of Canada's $19-billion F-35 purchase in the wake of threats against Canadian sovereignty by Trump. The U.S. has become increasingly hostile to Canada, with the American president threatening to damage the economy and make this country into the 51st state. Article content At this point, Canada has only financially committed to purchasing the first 16 jets. The entire order was for 88 F-35s, which are manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Article content The Canadian Forces and DND are examining whether the remaining 72 F-35s should be bought but it is expected they will recommend to Carney that the acquisition proceed as planned. Article content Carney's government hopes to bring in a policy which emphasizes defence purchases from Canadian firms as well as European countries. European defence firms say they could offer Canada fighter jets to replace the F-35. At least one has proposed previously to build the planes in Canada.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: Why Fallen Hero Shows What's Rotten About JD Vance's Denmark Smear
Second lady Usha Vance and one of her sons were supposed to attend Greenland's big dogsled race this weekend in what some called a 'charm offensive' to further President Donald Trump's ambition to pry the territory from Denmark. But charm turned to smarm when the White House announced that she would instead be joining her husband in visiting an American military facility there on Friday. 'The Vice President and Second Lady are embarking on a historic expedition with their visit to Greenland, where the Vice President will emphasize the importance of bolstering [Arctic] security in places like Pituffik Space Base,' a senior White House official told the New York Post. The official added, 'Unfortunately, Danish leaders have spent decades mistreating the Greenlandic people, treating them like second class citizens and allowing infrastructure on the island to fall into disrepair. Expect the Vice President to emphasize these points as well.' However true or false that may be, a recent poll commissioned by the Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic daily Sermitsiaq, according to Reuters, showed that 85 percent of Greenlanders do not wish their semi-autonomous territory to become part of the United States. Only 6 percent did. Just under half said they view Trump as a threat, an opinion that could only have been reinforced by something Vance said two months ago on Fox News Sunday regarding the same facility he is visiting Friday. 'We don't have to use military force,' he said. 'The thing that people always ignore is we already have troops in Greenland. He added, 'Greenland is really important for America strategically.' On top of that, Vance arrives with Usha at the U.S. Space Force Base in Pituffik on Friday having recently called Denmark a 'bad ally.' He has also complained that our European friends are mooching off America. And he further affirmed that view in the Signal chat that famously included Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic. 'I just hate bailing Europe out again,' Vance messaged to the group discussing a pending attack on the Houthis to secure shipping lanes. 'I fully share your loathing of European freeloading. It's PATHETIC,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth replied. The now-infamous chat was started by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who is expected to also join what started out as just a trip to Greenland for Usha and her child. Whoever goes, there is another woman who should be remembered when it comes to anything involving the U.S. and Denmark, most particularly when it comes to questions of who is a good ally and which country is in the other's debt. Private Sophia 'Bellis' Bruun was one of 18,000 Danish soldiers deployed to Afghanistan between 2002 and 2021, arriving shortly after the Americans went in and leaving shortly before they withdrew. She was 12 on 9/11 and 22 in 2010, when she arrived in Afghanistan. She and her fellow Danes asked nothing of America other than to join 32 other nations in what they viewed as a fight against terrorism and for freedom. Her former commanding officer, Roni Holm Hansen, later posted in Danish that Bruun had 'a big smile, a twinkle in her eye and a will to make a difference.' 'That's what made her go to Afghanistan…what made her train hard and fight bravely,' Hansen wrote. 'She gave of herself to help others. ' Hansen added, 'She had the principle of respect and truth in her heart… Everyone who knew her or met her could feel that she was a strong woman, and for us a dedicated soldier.' ' He recalled that she was quick with 'a cheeky remark… but also with empathy, a soothing hand on the shoulder and an invitation for deeper conversation.' Bruun volunteered to serve with a battle-battered unit at Patrol Base Clifton in Helmand Province. She proved her mettle in May of that year, simultaneously holding off an attack with a machine gun and delivering first aid to the wounded. On June 1, she offered to help out on a patrol that needed an extra hand. At midday, she was serving as a gunner on a Piranha armored patrol vehicle four miles north-east of Girishk, the site of a major battle between the British and local tribesmen in 1841. Her vehicle was hit by a massive roadside IED and she became the first female Danish soldier ever killed in combat. 'That day, a small part of her many soldier comrades died,' Hansen later wrote. She had already written what she wanted inscribed on her tombstone in the event of her death. 'Sophia - wanted to make the world a better place,' it read in Danish. All told, 43 Danish soldiers died in Afghanistan, 37 in actual combat. At 7.82 deaths per million, it was the highest casualty rate compared to population in the coalition other than the 7.96 per million of the United States. Eight Danish soldiers died in Iraq after the US. invaded there on the pretext of securing non-existent weapons of mass destruction. JD Vance served in Iraq as a U.S. Marine, as did Hegseth with the U.S. Army. Hegseth also served in Afghanistan in 2011, but in relative safety as an instructor at the Counter-insurgency Training Center in Kabul rather than in Helmand Province, where Bruun died the year before. Waltz served multiple tours with the U.S. Army Special Forces in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. He was awarded four Bronze Star, including two for valor. You would think that their roles in what was called the 'War on Terror' would leave Vance, Waltz, and Hegseth some respect for the ally that sacrificed quite nearly as much as America in Afghanistan. The Danes suffered only .14 deaths per million fewer deaths than the U.S. did when they could have just sat it out. But in return, the U.S. vice president has called them a bad ally and part of a group of free-loaders. In flying into Greenland with Usha and Waltz on Friday, JD Vance is treating Denmark as a foe to be pressured into giving up Greenland. He would do better to honor the sacrifice that Denmark made without asking anything in return. The U.S. and Denmark might then be able to join together in the way of good allies and make an agreement that Greenland can welcome. On the remote chance that could happen, Private Sophia Bunn will have continued to make the world a better place. The Vances are expected to have departed Greenland by Saturday, when three dozen entrants and more than 400 pups commence the annual Avannaata Qimussersua ('The Great Race of the North'). Maybe next year Usha and one of the kiddos can attend the start with no smarm, just genuine charm, absent of agenda. But the way things are going, don't count on it.
The Guardian
28-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Greenland braced for JD Vance visit after Trump's claim US will inevitably take over island
In normal times, a visit by a US vice-president would be actively sought by many allied countries as a useful show of close relations with Washington. But these days are gone. When JD Vance touches down at Pituffik space base in Greenland in the afternoon, there will be no Danish representatives to welcome him there, and they were open about the fact that he is, in fact, not welcome there, at least not anywhere outside the US base. People take part in a demonstration in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on 15 March 2025. Photograph: Christian Klindt Soelbeck/EPA But then, these are not normal times, and it is not difficult to see why Danish politicians are not excited about increasingly thinly veiled threats of US plans to take control over Greenland – even against the will of its people. It marks a dramatic shift from the close alliance between Denmark and the US, as Copenhagen now faces what still feels like a surreal scenario of having to defend a part of their country – which repeatedly showed no interest in becoming a part of the US – from the increasingly assertive US administration. Earlier this week, US president Donald Trump said: 'It's an island that from a defensive posture, and even offensive posture, is something we need, especially with the world the way it is, and we're going to have to have it.' 'So, I think we'll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland and the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark.' These words will inevitably frame the way today's visit will be perceived in Europe. A source in the Danish government is quoted in today's Berlingske as worrying that Denmark could face its version of 'the Crimea script,' a reference to the Russian illegal occupation of the Ukrainian territory in 2014. 'For Denmark, this is the biggest foreign policy crisis since the second world war,' Jon Rahbek Clemmensen, Head of Research at the Center for Arctic Security Studies of the Royal Danish Defence College, told TV2. There are still many unknowns about the programme of the visit – there are only so many things you can do in one of the world's most isolated places – but Copenhagen particularly fears that Vance could use the trip to deliver a speech furthering the US claims to Greenland. He has a form with provocative speeches in Europe, after all. Despite earlier reports, the US vice-president could still be joined by senior officials, national security adviser Mike Waltz and energy secretary Chris Wright, highlighting the unusually high profile of the visit. Let's see. But it's perhaps not a coincidence that it's also that today that four of the five parties in the new Greenlandic parliament – all except the most pro-independence, pro-American Naleraq – are planning to announce the formation of a new government, just hours before Vance gets to the island. I will bring you all the key updates on this throughout the day and more stories from France, Germany, and across Europe. It's Friday, 28 March 2025, and this is Europe live. It's Jakub Krupa here. Good morning. Share
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Sends Usha Vance on Charm Offensive to Greenland
President Donald Trump is relying on a new face to win the hearts and minds of Greenlanders he hopes will aid his push for a takeover of the island territory: Second Lady Usha Vance. In a statement Sunday, the White House announced that Vance will voyage to Greenland on Thursday, March 27, with her son and a delegation to 'visit historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage, and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland's national dogsled race.' The popular local event brings around '37 mushers and 444 dogs in a remarkable display of speed, skill, and teamwork' the statement continued, which maintained a more light-hearted tone than most of the president's past statements on the territory. The White House also reiterated that Vance's trip was to 'celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity.' In an Instagram video Sunday, the second lady further reflected on her upcoming trip and said she was particularly excited to watch the dogsled race, 'which our country is proud to support as a sponsor.' National Security Adviser Michael Waltz is also reportedly slated to travel to Greenland this week, though on a separate itinerary than Vance. His visit was first reported by two Danish news outlets, Berlingske and Jyllands-Posten, and was additionally confirmed by an anonymous source to CBS News, who added that Waltz will visit the Pituffik Space Base. A White House official additionally confirmed Waltz's attendance to the Daily Beast. Greenland has long been in Trump's sights—he spoke of acquiring the territory from Denmark during his first administration, but only recently became more serious about the endeavor. He has repeatedly talked of taking it over, and refused to rule out the use of military force to do so. Though the Trump administration refrained from using the president's typical rhetoric when announcing Vance's trip this week, Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Egede described the incoming visits from several senior officials as 'highly aggressive.' In comments to local Greenlandic newspaper, Sermitsiaq, Egede said, 'What is the national security adviser doing in Greenland?' 'The only purpose is to demonstrate power over us,' he continued. 'His mere presence in Greenland will no doubt fuel American belief in Trump's mission—and the pressure will increase.' The comments are the latest in a heated back-and-forth. Trump recently declared during an address to a joint session of Congress earlier this month: 'We need Greenland for national security and even international security. And we're working with everybody involved to try and get it.' 'But we need it really for international world security. And I think we're going to get it. One way or the other, we're going to get it,' the president continued. 'We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before,' he added, simultaneously noting that he believes in the territory's self-determination. In response to Trump's remarks at the time, Egede quipped back in a Facebook post where he reiterated 'Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland in the Greenlandic language) is ours.' 'We don't want to be Americans, nor Danes; We are Kalaallit,' he continued. 'The Americans and their leader must understand that. We are not for sale and cannot simply be taken. Our future will be decided by us in Greenland.' The world's largest island, Greenland is an autonomous Danish dependent territory with self-government and its own parliament. In a February interview with Fox News, Vice President JD Vance slammed Denmark - 'which controls Greenland' - for 'not doing its job' and for 'not being a good ally.' 'How are we going to solve that problem, solve our national security?,' the vice president continued. 'If that means we need to take more territorial interest in Greenland, that is what President Trump is going to do because he doesn't care about what the Europeans scream at us, he cares about putting the interests of America's citizens first.' At the start of the year, the president announced that his son, Donald Trump Jr., would be visiting the island to take in 'some of the most magnificent areas and sights.' Trump Jr.'s subsequent leisurely trip to Greenland's capital, Nuuk, saw him visiting a handful of local spots and posing with some of his dad's supporters.
