Jan. 13, 2005. 01:00 AM
`Soldier's soldier' to lead military
BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA—An army veteran described as a "soldier's soldier" is poised to become Canada's top general.
Lt.-Gen. Rick Hillier, the 49-year-old commander of the army, is the government's choice to be the next chief of defence staff, replacing Gen. Ray Henault, who is leaving to take up the top military posting with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
It's expected the announcement will be made tomorrow with Hillier assuming the new post on Feb. 4, sources confirmed yesterday.
Hillier, who has commanded Canadian soldiers in Bosnia and last year led the international security assistance force in Afghanistan, is a popular leader among the rank-and-file troops.
"He's a folksy kind of guy. ... He's the kind of general who can speak to the private as easily as he can to the general and to the minister (of defence)," one senior officer told the Star.
Hillier's self-deprecating style comes through in his official biography where he says he "runs slowly, plays hockey poorly and golfs not well at all."
But as a general who also commanded American troops during an exchange with the U.S. Army, he's equally well-liked by Canada's biggest ally — the United States, said Alain Pellerin, of the Conference of Defence Associations.
That's a significant factor for a Liberal government trying to demonstrate to the United States administration that it's serious about security and defence issues.
"What is very positive about Hillier is his international experience, which has brought him on more than one occasion in contact with senior American military personnel," Pellerin said. "They like what they see."
Officials say the handover, sooner than expected, will allow Hillier to put his own stamp on the defence review, now underway, which will shape Canada's military policy for years.

PM will name Hillier to top defence post, sources say
Ex-commander of international forces outspoken on need to modernize military
Thursday, Jan 13, 2005
UPDATED AT 12:45 PM EST
By PAUL KORING
With a report from Daniel Leblanc
Rick Hillier, a Canadian general with unparalleled command experience of international forces in Bosnia and Afghanistan, will be named chief of defence staff by Prime Minister Paul Martin, senior political and military officials confirmed yesterday.
Picking Lieutenant-General Hillier will signal that Mr. Martin is serious about reshaping Canada's overstretched military. The army officer has been outspoken about the need to make Canada's modest military capacity more mobile and modern, a strong hint that the ongoing defence-policy review will focus on international expeditionary forces, likely by downgrading the navy and air force.
"This is a bold choice; it's going to shake things up a bit," said a senior military official, who confirmed that Defence Minister Bill Graham recommended Gen. Hillier, and that the Prime Minister discussed the general's vision for the military before confirming the appointment. "He had a leg up over other candidates because of all his operational experience overseas," the official said.
Gen. Hillier, a gregarious Newfoundlander who is on a first-name basis with most of the U.S. Army high command, led the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan until last summer. Although, he can be self-deprecating, saying in his official biography that he "runs slowly, plays hockey poorly and golfs not well at all," Gen. Hillier has also proved adept politically.
But his selection may not resolve the increasing tension inside the cabinet over whether Canada's military should remain a combat force that also does peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance, or whether non-combat roles should take precedence.
"The government is looking to design a military force that's relevant and responsive," said a senior official familiar with the process by which Gen. Hillier was chosen.
Although senior Canadian officers -- unlike their British and U.S. counterparts -- rarely take public positions, Gen. Hillier has occasionally been outspoken.
He has said Canada doesn't need new tanks to replace its obsolete Cold War-era Leopards. He wants Canadian soldiers to train for jungle warfare because they need to be ready to deploy anywhere.
"We know we're going to operate around the world," Gen. Hillier said recently. Armed with a slick PowerPoint presentation, the general was a passionate advocate for major and continuing international commitments to rebuild Afghanistan. But he has also admitted that Canada's army is so overcommitted that it can't currently undertake significant deployments.
Gen. Hillier has lambasted, albeit gently, Canadians who ignore the military. "They need to pay attention to their army," he has said. "They need to visibly support you, and they need to ensure that you are set up for success."
But in Afghanistan, Gen. Hillier refused to allow the Canadian media to accompany troops pursuing al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects, thus denying his soldiers the kind of public profile that British and U.S. generals allow.
The chief of defence staff, Canada's top military position, became vacant after air force General Ray Henault was picked to lead the NATO military committee.
Although the tradition of rotating the defence chief job among the army, navy and air force has been broken in the past, Gen. Hillier's selection will be especially bitter for the navy, which had hoped an admiral would be appointed. The general has also openly called for the army to get a bigger slice of defence spending.
"That the Prime Minister chose him is very significant in that the general has not spent much time in Ottawa recently and therefore is not considered to be a member of the defence bureaucracy which has often been criticized as being too willing to acquiesce to bad defence-policy choices," David Rudd, executive director of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies, said yesterday.
Gen. Hillier, who took a leading role in coping with the 1998 ice storm that paralyzed parts of Quebec, also held the coveted position of deputy commander of the U.S. Army's III Corps in Fort Hood, Tex.

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Feb. 12, 2005. 08:23 AM
Forces set for a major overhaul
Shake-up involves integrating army, navy, air force
Aims to enable military to react faster to disaster
BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA—A dramatic shake-up of the armed forces is in the works to enable the military to respond faster and more effectively to a major disaster or terror attack in Canada, the Toronto Star has learned.
But the change, which involves integrating the air force, navy, army and special forces into combined commands, would also allow the armed forces to respond more quickly when dispatched abroad, defence officials say.
Gen. Rick Hillier hinted at the looming change when he took over as chief of defence staff a week ago and said the forces would soon be treating Canada "as an operational theatre for probably the first time in our history.
"I have my very precise view on the way ahead — this army, navy and air force working as one team in the Canadian Forces," Hillier said.
"We need to be much more effective at responding when our government and Canadians need us," he said.
This week, defence officials said the changes afoot at defence headquarters are an attempt to put a "Canada Command" focus on the armed forces.
Right now there are nine operational headquarters across the country — two for the navy, four for the army, one for the air force, a northern command in Yellowknife and a joint command in Kingston.
The goal is to combine the air force, navy and army in the same commands to speed decision making and in the end, free up personnel for other duties. Under one possible scenario, the commands would be established based on geography, with a single joint headquarters for each region.
"The bottom line is we've got too many ... We're going to look to reduce them and integrate them," said one defence department official, describing the change as the biggest shake-up to hit the forces in years.
In talking about how Canadian troops responded to the Red River floods in 1997 and the ice storm that hit Eastern Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes in 1998, defence officials described a "Byzantine" structure of decision-making as requests for gear and personnel bounced from one headquarters to another.
"You say, `I need this aircraft'. That person probably has to check up through his air force chain of command ... it happens quickly but it's not decisive and immediate," the official said. "In an integrated headquarters, it's all right there so you more quickly (generate forces) and deploy your assets."
The military's Joint Task Force 2 commando team will have a high profile in the coming changes "because of the ongoing security environment," the official said.
Hillier will outline the thrust of the plan when he meets with top officers next week. Officials admit the changes will be "disconcerting for some.
"The sacred cows had better take cover ... You're going to see a lot less talking about it and a very early move to implement," the official said.
The move to a leaner command structure is one example of the kind of changes coming with Hillier's leadership and the long-awaited review of Canada's defence policy.
Defence Minister Bill Graham, frustrated by the timid review proposed by senior brass last fall, has asked Hillier to deliver "something different and creative and bold," the official said.
Officials said the review will confirm the "bread-and-butter" roles for the armed forces — the defence of Canada, co-operation with the United States in defending North America and a role for Canada in bringing stability to failing states around the world.
But it's in how those goals are achieved that the review will make its mark. It's expected to propose a more nimble force, bolstered by 5,000 new recruits, which can have a greater impact in global hotspots as well as at home.
"How do we get to where it is we need to go faster, deliver more capability and make it more focussed?" one official asked.
Long-time defence staff say a "perfect storm" of change is poised to hit the defence department, an institution known more around Ottawa for being stuck in its ways.
The shift started last summer with Graham's appointment as defence minister. Graham, the former foreign affairs minister, had a clear idea for the role of Canada's armed forces in the world. Ward Elcock, the former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, was named deputy minister in the fall.
Further changes atop the military will be announced within the week. Sources say that Maj.-Gen. Marc Dumais, now assistant chief of the air staff, will be named Hillier's number two, as vice-chief of the defence staff.
Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, an army officer who served as deputy commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, will be placed in charge of strategic planning.
Hand-in-hand with that vision is the need for more money for the military, officials say. Both Prime Minister Paul Martin and Graham have vowed more cash for the military in the Feb. 23 budget. Defence officials are confident the financial commitment will go beyond funding the 5,000 additional troops promised by the Liberals during last year's election.
"There will be the expansion of the troops, there will be the strong words of commitment and the importance of defence and there will be an initial investment beyond the expansion and could even be a significant one," one official said.

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Feb. 14, 2005. 06:51 AM

Top general plots bold new mission
Hillier envisions nimble task forces
Vision for helping failing states

BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA—Go big and hit hard.

As Canada considers how to tackle "failed and failing states," that's the advice from the country's new top general.

Gen. Rick Hillier has his own vision of how it should happen — Canadian soldiers hitting the beach at some global hot spot from new troop-carrying vessels while helicopters and fighter jets keep vigil overhead.

In his first interviews since becoming Canada's chief of defence staff, Hillier is advocating a dramatic new vision for the Forces, one that promises to bolster the profile of the military when it's deployed abroad.

To do it, he wants to create joint task forces — combined groups of air, naval and army personnel and equipment — that can take charge of a hot spot in numbers big enough to give Canada some clout.

"I think the world does need more Canada; it needs more of Canada in a leadership role. But you only get those leadership roles and the chance to influence things when you have a big enough commitment into a specific mission," he said.

He says Canada's deployment to bring peace to Haiti almost a year ago is one example of where a joint task force would have produced more bang for the buck. "We could have produced a joint task force to move to Haiti — joint land, sea and air elements that would have been part of projecting power into that centre of population in a much more high-profile Canadian manner than what we have done," he said.

The Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Dec. 26 is another "perfect case" where a task force, equipped with helicopters, medical facilities and personnel could have been parked offshore near the nations that needed help, he said.

"When you've exhausted your value in one area ... you pick up and move," he said in an interview at national defence headquarters in Ottawa yesterday afternoon. "There's tremendous flexibility that you can do from humanitarian disasters to full-out combat operations."

But to have an impact, Hillier says Canada has to focus on one or two nations where it can do the most good. He expressed frustration that over the last decade, soldiers went on many missions in such small numbers they've had little profile.

"Let's pile on in a significant way. Afghanistan is a perfect case in point where we had the opportunity to have real effect and we did," he said, referring to Canada's ongoing mission in Kabul, where Canadian troop numbers once topped 2,000.

Hillier has been charged with infusing a long-delayed defence review with bold and creative ideas but refused to talk about what the document will say. However, he said Canada's role in Afghanistan gives a "glimpse of the future.

"Afghanistan is a case in point, where the threat that can develop in a fertile garden of a failed state can come home to a country like Canada and our society and have dramatic effect," said Hillier, a 30-year army veteran who led the NATO force in Afghanistan for six months.

Defence Minister Bill Graham has announced Canada will almost double its current presence in Afghanistan to 1,100 troops this summer when it deploys a team to Kandahar to assist with reconstruction.

Hillier did say he supports the government's decision to send money rather than troops to Iraq to help with the training of soldiers. "We cannot be everywhere," he said.

Hillier declined to pass judgment on another controversial issue — whether the Liberals should sign on to the U.S.-led missile defence program. But he said saying no to the Americans shouldn't hurt long-term relations as long as Canada pulls its weight in other areas of defence.

Hillier, who scolded the Liberals for shortchanging the armed forces on his first day as military chief, said the Feb. 23 budget must go beyond just meeting the Liberal election pledge of adding 5,000 regular troops and 3,000 reservists.

More money is need to repair base housing, buy spare parts for aircraft and vehicles, and even for ammunition, Hillier said. And he said money is needed to modernize an armed forces hobbled by aging equipment.

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Combat role of troops is vital, Hillier says

<script type=text/javascript>if(typeof sIFR == "function"){ runSIFR(); }</script>By PAUL KORING

Monday, February 14, 2005 Updated at 5:20 PM EST

General Rick Hillier, Canada's new top soldier, has a sweeping vision of a dramatically transformed military, as capable of full-blown combat in foreign fields as purifying water in the wake of tsunamis.

"We've got to be able to do the entire spectrum of operations, from the humanitarian assistance like the DART in the tsunami disaster, through to nation-building and stabilization operations . . . through to being able to fight and win in combat operations," Gen. Hiller said yesterday in an interview.

Less than a month after being named Canada's chief of defence staff, and on the eve of delivering a long-awaited review of defence policy to the federal government, Gen. Hillier made no effort to play down the combat role of troops. Such a view may not sit well with either the government or the public, which over the past decade or so has come to regard the Canadian Forces as primarily a humanitarian and peacekeeping outfit.

Gen. Hillier, who commanded the North Atlantic Treaty Organization contingent in Afghanistan last year, insists that a military incapable of full-fledged combat can't deliver on nation-building and humanitarian missions.

"If we are incapable of dealing [with combat] we will fail in other missions as well."

Canada's top brass has been saying that for years, even as Canadian troops have deployed on frequent peacekeeping missions while successive governments have sidestepped serious combat roles during both the 1991 Persian Gulf war and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. However, Canada's military did play a major role in the NATO stabilization force in Kabul and is expected to increase its commitment again this year in Afghanistan.

Although next week's federal budget is expected to give the military at least $1-billion to shop for new weapons, along with a promised 5,000 more soldiers, both defence spending and military personnel will remain modest by NATO standards. More importantly, decades of underfunding, neglect and decaying weapons systems have left all three of Canada's armed forces seriously depleted.

Gen. Hillier's vision for the three branches of the military stretches beyond going on a weapons-buying binge and adding more soldiers capable of combat. "I see beyond jointness, to an integrated Canadian Forces entity," he said. "We need to be working together much more much more effectively for Canada."

He envisions a mobile, combat-ready Canadian military, deploying anywhere around the world. Picture this: "A thousand or 1,500 soldiers. . . . Combine that with a naval task group of between two and five ships, including a ship that can take most of those soldiers. . . . Combine that with a variety of air-force assets, including helicopters and surveillance aircraft like the Aurora, through to tactical airlift to move the stuff in and out, through to and including a package of CF-18s that can deliver precision guided munitions, and train them together to come ashore in a place."