The first problem is that there really is a lack of consensus as to what we want the Canadian Forces to be and what being “well equipped” really means. Do we want to have an army that is domestically postured and able to do constabulary duties, or do we want the complete war-fighting capability?
The electorate will say, well, yes, the Canadian Forces should be well equipped, but then when it comes time to pay for it, when they see the bill, they say, well, sorry, I'm not interested in paying that. The politicians then have to try to steer the ship down the middle, and we have not been doing a very good job.
Overall, overarchingly, we do not have a very well-structured strategy for the armed forces as a whole. If we go in multiple directions with it, hoping to satisfy everything, we generally fail. We don't do a very good job.
Now, are there other countries that do better? I'm not so sure. I'm not so sure that I would hold Australia up as a really great example—