There is a fundamental
disconnect at the heart of the Fixed Wing Search and Rescue program which may
explain some of the problems the government and Armed Forces are experiencing
as they try to procure new aircraft.
It is the self described role
of the Royal Canadian Air Force
to “support the Government of Canada in
fulfilling the Canadian Armed Forces’ three key defence roles: defending Canada
by delivering excellence at home, defending North America by being a strong,
reliable and credible defence partner with the United States in the defence of
the continent, and contributing to international peace and security by
projecting leadership abroad.”
The RCAF further describes
its mission as “providing the Canadian Forces with
relevant, responsive and effective airpower to meet the defence challenges of
today and into the future” and its vision as “An agile and integrated air force with the reach and power essential
for Canadian Forces operations.”
In short, the RCAF is a
military organization whose job it is to provide military forces for the use of
the Canadian people. The traditional military roles of an Air Force are
reconnaissance (often referred to as ISR-Intelligence, Surveillance, and
Reconnaissance), dropping or threatening to drop, bombs on people who don’t do
what we want, deterring others from dropping bombs on us and moving militarily
useful articles by air.
Most other Air Force jobs are
subsets of the above or support for them. None of these strictly military roles
include a National Search and Rescue function.
In Canada search and rescue was not
considered to be a military responsibility until 1949 when both the Royal
Canadian Air Force and aircraft of the Royal Canadian Navy began to task
resources for SAR operations. Unification in 1968 formed the Canadian Forces,
at which time SAR operations were divided between Maritime Command and Force
Mobile Command. After the Canadian Forces Air Command (now RCAF) was created in
1975 that SAR responsibility was transferred to that command.
Created in 1986 the National Search andRescue Secretariat is responsible for the management and coordination of the National Search and Rescue Program and works with all levels of government, police and emergency services to manage and improve search and rescue activities throughout Canada. It is in theory an autonomous arm’s length organization within the Department of National Defence; however it is accountable to the Lead Minister for Search and Rescue, who just happens to be the Minister of National Defence.
The primary SAR responsibility of the
Canadian Armed Forces is the provision of aeronautical SAR and the coordination
of the aeronautical and maritime SAR system. The CAF have the primary
responsibility for the provision of aeronautical SAR services. It is also
responsible for the effective operation of this coordinated aeronautical and
maritime SAR system, which means the control and conduct of aeronautical SAR
and coordination of maritime SAR operations in the Canadian area of
responsibility, liaison with other SAR operating departments and agencies,
nationally and internationally and the oversight of annual coordinating
activities between the CAF and CCG, and regional SAR staffs.
Currently the RCAF devotes
significant resources to the Search and Rescue role. As well as providing personal
for the three Joint Rescue Coordination Centres, RCAF wings, based across Canada,
provide military air resources in response to approximately 1,000 annual SAR
taskings.
Canadian Forces Search and Rescue
resources are mostly in the form of squadrons of dedicated SAR aircraft located
at bases across the country supported by 750 personnel, which includes ground
crew, air crew, and 150 Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR Techs). Dedicated
aircraft include CH-149 Cormorants, CH-146 Griffons, CC-130 Hercules and CC-115
Buffalos. They can be joined by almost any other aircraft in the Air Force
inventory as needed.
When the Armed Forces were
first tasked to provide SAR assets they had a lot of assets. It was not a great
stretch for an organization with a large number of aircraft to use some of them
for SAR. This is no longer the case.
As it stands now, in the near
future after the retirement of our ‘legacy’ Hercules aircraft and the DHC-5
Buffalos Canada’s fixed wing military transport fleet will essentially consist
of five CC-150 Polaris transports, four CC-177 Globemaster III strategic
transports, seventeen C-130J-30s Hercules tactical transports and of course
four CC-138 Twin Otters. Does anyone really believe that this is sufficient
transport to provide “an agile and
integrated air force with the reach and power essential for Canadian Forces
operations.”?
The kinds of aircraft used
for SAR have been in the past the same kind of aircraft used for transport
functions. Aircraft whose primary purpose is moving military goods can be used
for Search and Rescue. Contrarily aircraft primarily designed for SAR are not
necessarily as good at moving military supplies.
While it makes sense for the
RCAF to increase its’ budget and the number of aircraft it can devote to
military activities by taking on a Search and Rescue function, it makes no
sense for the service to spend money and acquire assets for non military
purposes.
The Department of National
Defence has indicated that new SAR aircraft will be primarily for that task,
with only secondary use as transports. At some point it would appear that the
tail has started to wag the dog.
Canadian Defence Matters has commented at length on the issue
of Search and Rescue procurement and has in the past advocated the direct
purchase of suitably modified Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft to meet the need. This
is the correct answer to the problem of increasing Search and Rescue
capabilities.
However the problem is that Canada also needs
more military airlift, it is the role of the Air Force to provide it and Dash
8s, or some other kind of similar aircraft, will not do it. When Search and Rescue begins to detract from, rather then add to, Air Force capabilities it is time to reassess priorities and roles.
We are now being asked to make a choice between having adequate Search and Rescue and having an adequate Air Force. If Canada wishes to have a comprehensive Search and Rescue service they should pay for it. If they wish to have useful and efficient Armed Forces they will have to pay for that as well.
We are now being asked to make a choice between having adequate Search and Rescue and having an adequate Air Force. If Canada wishes to have a comprehensive Search and Rescue service they should pay for it. If they wish to have useful and efficient Armed Forces they will have to pay for that as well.
Royal Canadian Air Force
Mission and Vision
National Search and Rescue
Secretariat
Search and Rescue Canada
FWSAR
