It's my understanding that because we didn't have a large enough pool of helicopter pilots in theatre in Afghanistan, the pilots were going back into theatre every third rotation. They never had a chance to have a real rest, because as soon as they got back, they were in training to prepare to go back in the next rotation. Anything we can do to expedite the process would be advantageous.
When we had the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Defence from Norway here, he talked about the requirement for F-35s. We talk about fifth-generation fighters, and it's my understanding that the only fifth-generation fighter on the market to consider is the F-35. Everybody talks about the F-18, but it's still a 4.5.
He raised concerns about the capabilities of Russia, and their investment in their military in the upcoming years. With the complexities of Arctic sovereignty in the past, particularly with Russia, is that one of the reasons we're going to an F-35, that is, from the standpoint of surveillance in the north?