Latest news with #DefenceProcurementAgency
Ottawa Citizen
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Five challenges Canada's new defence minister will need to navigate
Article content One of McGuinty's jobs will be to help set the stage for Carney's promise to speed up military equipment purchases by creating a new Defence Procurement Agency. Article content But is this another empty pledge? In the early days of his government Trudeau also vowed to improve defence procurement but little was accomplished. In the 2019 election the Liberals also pledged to create a separate defence procurement agency but that was never done. Article content New equipment Article content The Liberal defence platform outlines specific military equipment purchases and it will be up to McGuinty to help shepherd those through cabinet. Those include new submarines, self-propelled artillery and made-in-Canada airborne early warning and control aircraft. Article content That last specific promise would help placate Canada's aerospace industry who were critical of the Trudeau government's decision in November 2023 to award a sole source $8 billion contract to Boeing in the U.S. for new military surveillance planes. Article content Article content Canadian-made solutions were passed over for the American-made one and the supposed goodwill that such a deal might create with the U.S. government. Article content Carney's defence platform also included the promise to purchase a new ground based air defence system. If that sounds familiar, it's because the same promise was originally outlined in the 2018 Liberal defence capability plan. Article content Recruitment and retention Article content The Liberals have promised to modernize the military recruitment process to get applicants into the Canadian Forces at a much faster rate. That process has already been underway so McGuinty will inherit a file on which much work has been done. Article content Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan said at a Feb. 19, 2025, briefing for journalists that the military was on track to meet its recruitment goal of enrolling 6,496 members this fiscal year. The Liberal government and military leadership has talked about rebuilding the Canadian Forces in what has been called a reconstitution effort. The goal is to at least rebuild the ranks to 71,500 in the regular force and 30,000 in the primary reserves, according to a DND results report released in 2024. Article content Article content What wasn't mentioned in the Liberal policy was the need to retain those skilled military personnel already in the ranks. Article content In April 2024, a top advisor to the chief of the defence staff warned that Canada's soldiers were leaving the ranks because of toxic military leadership. Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer Bob McCann flagged his concerns during an April 23 meeting in which he appealed for changes in how leaders dealt with lower ranks. Job dissatisfaction, a lack of housing and repeated moves to new locations across the country have been cited in past military reports as the top reasons that Canadian Forces personnel leave. Article content A retention bonus was proposed in October 2024 to try to convince military personnel not to leave but that was shot down by the defence leadership.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Visliuk fibre-optic tracked robot approved for use in Ukrainian Armed Forces
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has approved and codified the use of the Ukrainian-made Visliuk (Donkey) ground robotic system in Ukrainian defence forces. Source: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine Details: The system is compact enough to fit inside a van or a trailer. It is equipped with two silent electric motors and metal tracks, which provide high cross-country capability on difficult terrain. "The system moves confidently off-road, through sand and mud. At the same time, the robot can transport up to 200 kilogrammes of payload. The traction force of the electric motors also enables evacuation functions. It is sufficient to pull out an SUV stuck in the mud," the ministry stated. The ministry added that Visliuk is manufactured in various configurations: for logistics, evacuation, mine-laying and installation of engineering barriers. It can also serve as a mobile platform for transporting communications relay towers, combat modules, or day and night surveillance systems. "It has jam-resistant control channels. This ground robotic system can optionally be equipped with a fibre-optic module," the ministry noted. The robotic systems are operable in all weather conditions. The battery capacity allows for several hours of continuous movement at maximum speed. Background: It was previously reported that Ukraine's Defence Procurement Agency had already ordered about 8,000 ground robotic systems in 2025. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine orders about 8,000 military robots
Ukraine's Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) has ordered about 8,000 ground robotic systems in 2025. Source: Mezha Media, a technology and IT news platform within Ukrainska Pravda's holding company; Militarnyi, a Ukrainian military news outlet, citing Serhii Prolubshchykov, Head of the DPA's Ground Equipment Office, during a briefing Quote from Prolubshchykov: "Last year we supplied about 600 ground robotic systems [to the Ukrainian Armed Forces], while this year we've ordered about 8,000. This work continues." Details: Prolubshchykov added that DPA working groups are currently inspecting private companies under contract, assessing technological processes, quality of manufactured and delivered products, production capacity, etc. "We're currently focusing our efforts on small private businesses as they're not well established, they're new to this path and in need of assistance," he explained. Prolubshchykov noted that the primary focus is on cooperating with private companies contracted by the state for the first time, as their number has grown significantly. Background: Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has recently presented the Droid TW ground robotic system, designed to provide fire support to the Ukrainian defence forces. Unlike many similar platforms, it was initially developed specifically for reconnaissance and strike missions. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Defence Ministry to reorganise State Logistics Operator to merge with Defence Procurement Agency
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has set up a commission to oversee the reorganisation of the State Logistics Operator in preparation for its merger with the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA). The commission will be headed by Arsen Zhumadilov, Director of the DPA. Source: Defence Minister Rustem Umierov on Telegram Quote: "Today, in order to scale the reforms already underway, I signed a decree to create a commission to reorganise the State Logistics Operator. It will be led by Arsen Zhumadilov, Director of the Defence Procurement Agency. The commission will operate on the DPA's premises." Details: Umierov stated that the groundwork is being laid to merge the DPA and the State Logistics Operator before martial law ends, aiming to remove duplicated functions, optimise management and improve the speed of logistical support to the Armed Forces. Quote: "We are aligning our approaches, adapting legislation and preparing a new operating model so that immediately after victory, we can move to a highly efficient logistics support system. This is part of a broader plan to build a modern armed forces and we are implementing it already." More details: The minister also reminded the public that the State Logistics Operator, launched in December 2023 as a key element of Ukraine's defence procurement reform, has already ensured transparency, saved over UAH 26 billion (approx. US$624m), attracted new suppliers and introduced the modern IT system DOT-Chain. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's first deputy defence minister to resign
Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk is stepping down as Ukraine's First Deputy Minister of Defence at his own request. Source: Havryliuk in a comment to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Details: Havryliuk has not explained the reasons for this decision, nor has he provided any other details. Suspilne reported that on 7 March, the Ukrainian government approved two new members of the Supervisory Board of the Defence Procurement Agency: Ivan Havryliuk and Stanislav Haider. Haider, a former deputy defence minister, was responsible for the ministry's institutional development and has experience in combating corruption. Havryliuk was in charge of procurement at Ukraine's Ministry of Defence. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
