GEN Hillier to step down.

[marct]

From CBC.ca

Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of Canada's defence staff, will step down July 1, CBC News has confirmed. The native of Newfoundland and Labrador has been in the job since February 2005.

[Norfolk]

Bad news for the Canadian Armed Forces.

I hope his successor will be someone of exceptional competence and character, otherwise conditions in the CF could head south very quickly.

[Stan]

Good Luck and God Speed General !

Not One to Mince Words

"In this country, we could probably not give enough resources to the men and women to do all the things that we ask them to do," he said, with Prime Minister Paul Martin and Defence Minister Bill Graham looking on. "But we can give them too little, and that is what we are now doing. Remember them in your budgets."

His blunt talk made headlines, for example, when he referred to the Taliban as "detestable murderers and scumbags."

He also raised the ire of some Liberals when he described the period of budget cuts to the military that began in 1994 as the "decade of darkness."

[Rex Brynen]

He also raised the ire of some Liberals when he described the period of budget cuts to the military that began in 1994 as the "decade of darkness."

Actually, I wondered at that comment when I saw it in the press here, given that, in real terms, defence cuts started in the late 1980s (under the Conservatives) and bottomed out under the Chretien Liberals...

[Ken White]

when the Little Guy from Shawinigan was in charge from 94 to 04, thus the decade, I guess.

Given the lessening tension in the late 80s (and the US plusups during that period), Mulroney's minor cuts mirror those in most of the west. Everyone started really deep cutting in 1990 due to the Wall going down in '89 -- even the US took some hefty slices.

P.S.

I'm still gathering the rest of your Attaboys...