I'll comment on what I know, and I won't comment on why or how it got there.
For the first time in over 30 years of service I've stood in a place and watched American officers and British officers essentially drooling over the equipment the Canadian Forces have brought to the table in Afghanistan.
That battle group in Kandahar is the most capable unit-size organization in Afghanistan, bar none. It delivers far more firepower, far more mobility, and better yet—I don't want to insult any allies—far better-trained soldiers and leaders than anyone else has on the ground. For the first time in my career I can say that.
I commanded in Bosnia in 1997 when a British general stood up and said that the Canadian army had lost its right to call itself a real army. I can assure you that not one member of the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment of the British army, which was the first regiment of Brits into Helmand province, would agree with now-retired General Sir Hew Pike and his comment.
So we have the stuff and we have the troops. Canadians should be proud of the way those troops have stepped up, because we haven't done this in my time in the army, and it's amazing to watch the adaptation on the ground.