National Defence committee  Hubs is a concept. In fact what we are running today.... I mentioned the Spangdahlem hub. That is a trial hub that we are running, a very minimal level of activity based on the level of sustainment required for Afghanistan, which is more focused on retrograde operations. In the context of hub-like activities, Kuwait kindly agreed to support that.

National Defence committee  Again, strategic line of communication, at this point, is a CANOSCOM responsibility. The requirements or the activities—again, I'm a supporting commander to CEFCOM, for instance, with the Afghan mission. As they conduct the retrograde of materiel, people, and equipment out of Afghanistan, I do the supporting plan.

National Defence committee  Sir, that's an excellent question. How active, how intense, how busy, how far, how complex, how difficult.... We have six mission sets that we all understand the government has given us that we will respond to. Fortunately, to this point, every time we have been tasked, we have been able to respond.

National Defence committee  In simple principles, we will go when and if required. Haiti is a good example. It wasn't an ideal place. It wasn't an ideal time, because of other CF operations. But we can and will respond. The idea behind pre-planning a strategic line of communication is just increasing flexibility.

National Defence committee  Thanks for the question. Afghanistan, as you can understand, is a challenging mission. I don't think we could pick any more demanding from a logistics perspective in terms of how you sustain a force that is in combat, or it was up until the summer and now we're transitioning to a training missing, so the sustainment of peace is real.

National Defence committee  That's a great question. It allows me to talk a little more about hubs. In developing the concept of the hub, what we did at the front end was consider the dynamics of the world. When Canada asks a military force to go somewhere, whether it's for humanitarian assistance or for security operations, normally it means that you're going to go some distance, and that you're going to an area that is devastated in some way or other.

National Defence committee  Sir, thank you for the question. The amplification of the strategic line of communication, in simplistic terms, is essentially the sustainment route that we use to maintain and support a force. So it is primarily based on materiel movement, equipment movement, and personnel movement.

National Defence committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide you with a briefing on the Canadian Operational Support Command, in particular on the role pertaining to force readiness. I'm Major-General Mark McQuillan, commander of Canadian Operational Support Command, or CANOSCOM.

National Defence committee  I can. Sir, it's quite simple. At the end of operations, we will start in full tempo in terms of withdrawing equipment. You're quite right, it's time and space based on the magnitude. The chief has already highlighted that our intent in doing the detailed planning now is to do the planning on what materiel can potentially be thinned out while at the same time acknowledging that operations will continue.

National Defence committee  Ma'am, we will go through a very pragmatic process of identifying equipment that is identified as surplus and/or disposal and/or to be brought back to Canada. We have already set up what we call a mission materiel infrastructure board. That is sort of co-chaired right now between CEFCOM and my command.

National Defence committee  Sir, thank you very much for the comment. It allows me the chance to provide some comments. Very clearly, the sustainment of operations will be the focal point up until 2011 when we cease operations. What we will do is exactly as the generals have indicated. In terms of our mission drawdown, and in terms of materiel, equipment, and priorities set, once we know what the operational plan is for the relief in place, and then once we understand the priorities for reset or reconstitution of the Canadian Forces for a be-prepared mission, that will set the conditions under which we will start the mission drawdown.