National Defence Committee on Oct. 4th, 2006

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Could you explain more about the three-D approach that you started to talk about? Is it carried on simultaneously with the military side? How much planning goes into that? For example, for Operation Medusa, when you're planning the military side, is another group coordinating the development side at the same time? When do you implement that part of the operation?

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

I wish I could explain, but obviously I'm supporting the theatre from here and I'm not much involved in the three-D aspects in that theatre.

When Michel Gauthier from the Expeditionary Force Command comes here, he could detail all the work he's doing with CIDA, DFAIT, and other government agencies that have an impact as a three-D entity in that theatre. It's his theatre.

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

You don't involve yourself in that theatre.

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

At my level, no, sir, I'm not involved. If they want key pieces of kit brought into the theatre and they ask us to bring it there, then it would be part of our pipeline to bring it there.

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Do you think you're getting all the support from the government that you need for operations?

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

Thus far, we're getting tremendous support from the whole of government. I'm getting great support from the Canadian Forces perspective, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Expeditionary Force Command.

Operations are number one. It's not a financial issue. It's making sure that our people have the best kits and that we are making it happen. We're working the best we can with our command to make sure the kits get there in a timely fashion to meet the operational requirements.

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

If you were going to improve your kit, what would you ask for?

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

Pardon me?

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

If you wanted to improve your kit or the supplies, what part of the operation would you improve on, if you had your druthers?

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

From a support perspective, obviously, the key one is strategic lift. To me, it is really fundamental to have freedom of action and much more autonomy, not only for Afghanistan.

A good example is the disaster assistance response team that we are sending. It's making quite a difference. We were always relying on the Antonov, and everybody asks for those planes when you have a disaster. It's never guaranteed that you will get this type of aircraft.

Having our own autonomy in terms of strategic lift, not to cater to all but at least for the basics, to respond very rapidly to a crisis and to respond very rapidly to a need in a theatre such as Afghanistan is fundamental to me.

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

The decision made by Minister Hellyer forty years ago is now coming into play in a positive way as far as coordinating the three forces.

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

Looking at the integration back then and looking at what the Chief of Defence Staff is doing with the new command-and-control structure, it's again building on that. I think it's a great enhancement.

I've been in operations for a long time, both as an army officer and now as commander of the Operational Support Command. I'm very proud of what we are doing right now in Afghanistan and of the outstanding work of our soldiers. We are learning a great deal from this. It's key to learn and adapt and not to fight the last war.

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

We're proud of you too.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

You still have a minute and a half.

[Joe McGuire, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

That's fine.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

Thanks.

We'll move to Mr. Hawn.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Thanks again, Mr. Chair.

Again, I have a point. There was Hellyer integration and there's Hillier integration. Having lived through the Hellyer integration, the first part of his name spelled it out, and it was entirely different from the Hillier integration.

I'm sorry if I confused anybody.

On hospital facilities, we're obviously taking casualties in greater numbers, which we knew we would, because of the area we're operating in, which we believe is necessary. What are we doing to upgrade the hospital facilities? You have to get the stuff there, but are you aware of any plans to upgrade our hospital facilities in Kandahar, in theatre, to process our own folks locally?

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

We have a world-class facility in Kandahar right now, which is a multinational role three medical facility. It is multinational but Canadian led, and I have visited it. It's really outstanding. It's really great.

We're able to stabilize the patients, and it's not only Canadians; it's Afghan national police, our allies, and so on. It's really multinational. They are really stabilizing the patients, and if they need to be brought back, then we go to Landstuhl. In Landstuhl, again, that's a great hospital and we are getting great care out of it. And if they have to be brought back to Canada, then obviously we go into our own system here.

So we are learning a great deal out of this. I think we have a great facility in the role three and the advanced surgical centre that we have here in our own capability and inventory. We need more of these, and that was going to be my point to the chief. If we are to have two theatres, we need more of these and we need more specialists to be able to sustain that. That is really a cornerstone to our capabilities, from the Canadian Forces perspective.

But the whole process of repatriating both the remains and the casualties is really fundamental, and we are learning a great deal out of this. We've had doctrine in the past--I think that emanated from the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War--but things we have not practised to that extent. So we are learning the lessons.

I want to establish a personnel support group that really focuses on what we are learning from a personnel perspective: how can we best support our people in theatre? And it's not only military; it's also, as I said, the CFPSA civilians, CANCAP civilians, and others who are in that theatre. How can we best support them, and when they come back to Canada, how can we best reintegrate those people into Canada? That's quite a shock. They left as young soldiers and they're coming back as veterans, and the reintegration is something very fundamental.

So I want to make sure, from an operational level, strategic level, lessons learned on how we best support our people, that I'm quite involved in the process. I will be working with chief military personnel to establish something that is really learning from what we're seeing now.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

You're talking about establishing a new personnel support group. Obviously those functions are being done, but you're talking about establishing a separate group that's obviously identified with those functions. Is that correct?

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

Yes, exactly.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Okay.

On missing links, every operation has missing links. We've touched on some of them. But in terms of equipment, personnel, and plans, do you have any missing links right now that you need help with?

We've talked a little bit about equipment, plans, and personnel. Where do you need help?

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

The equipment piece is going really well. It's the personnel piece now, especially with the number of casualties--quite a big toll on the infantrymen especially. This is changing the way we are sustaining the operations. We lost a lot of people. We lost almost half a platoon in one event. So how can you bring them, a whole platoon, from here in Canada to that theatre? I will facilitate the flow, but this is what we are looking at and the sustainment ratio of all those different MOCs or occupations to support the theatre.

So the personnel piece is the critical one. I think it's our most important asset, and that's the one we have to focus on right now. It's quite demanding to sustain such a level of activity in Afghanistan at the same time as we're trying to beef up the ranks and increase the establishment here in Canada with all the instructors that are required. This is more of a strategic issue that the Chief of the Defence Staff is leading with his strategic advisers, but it is a difficult issue because it's the same people; it's the same senior people who basically have to do both: perform in operations, and at the same time be asked to come back and be an instructor at the school. So it's a big challenge.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

I'm afraid that's right on the money.

We'll go over to Mr. Bouchard, and then back to the government.

[Robert Bouchard, Bloc, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you for your presentation, Major General Benjamin. You have given us an overview of your responsibilities at the Canadian Operational Support Command, and it is clear that this is a major operation involving a vast organization.

My question is twofold. First, could you quantify your staff resources? Second, what is the major challenge you have had to meet in supporting the mission in Afghanistan?

[MGen Daniel Benjamin]

Could you clarify what you mean by staff resources? In what area?