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Conservatives wasting defense dollars on 'cold war' tactics, warns report

The federal government is about to spend $2 billion on combat vehicles the army says it doesn't need, warns a new report sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Rideau Institute.

The report, "Stuck in a Rut," comes at a time when the federal government is deliberating whether to proceed with purchasing up to 138 new Close Combat Vehicles (CCVs) that would accompany Canadian tanks into battle. Critics of the procurement argue that the CCVs are an unnecessary luxury in a time of tight military budgets. The expenditure, they say, may mean less funds for training and equipment needed to update the military to the demands of 21st century warfare.

"These vehicles reflect a cold war kind of thinking with regards to military procurement. It's a direction that other NATO countries have rejected, but Canada seems content to maintain," said report co-author Michael Byers, Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia.

"It's not about tanks, it's not about heavy armor, it's about getting out of your vehicles and engaging with local people, supporting their needs, winning hearts and minds," he said.

Byers said the money would be better directed towards improved training for soldiers "for the complex, diverse range of skills required" for those counterinsurgency missions the Canadian Forces are most likely to embark on today.

Instead, the Conservative government has so far been intent on pressing ahead with the CCV procurement, despite a 22 per cent cut to the Defense Department's budget.

"As a result of those choices," Byers continued, "we may end up with a military well equipped to fight the cold war," meaning we'd have armies of Soviet tanks, but would be still vulnerable to the Improvised Explosive Devices deployed by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The federal decision to buy CCVs stirred controversy in May when the Canadian Forces tried but were unable to cancel the project.

The final decision on the CCVs has not been made, added Byers, but could come as early as Thursday morning when the procurement may be before a federal treasury board for approval.

Adam Pez is completing a practicum at The Tyee.

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