Auditor-General Blasts Canadian Readiness (Dec. 5)
OTTAWA---In her Report tabled in the House of Commons today, Auditor General Sheila Fraser says that the Canadian Forces face obstacles in their efforts to manage the readiness of major combat equipment.
They lack basic information about the condition of equipment; there is a shortage of qualified maintenance personnel to staff fully operational units and maintenance depots; and they have difficulty delivering spare parts for urgent repairs.
"The Department has frequently said that the Canadian Forces have never been more capable," said Sheila Fraser. "But until steps are taken to manage equipment readiness more adequately, these claims should be taken with a grain of salt."
The Auditor General's Report presents the first public information on the state of the ships, aircraft, and land combat vehicles of the Canadian Forces. Among the specific findings are the following:
--The Report expresses concern about the Air Force: flying time has declined, important equipment is often unavailable, and the Hercules transport and Aurora maritime patrol aircraft fleets are deteriorating.
--The Navy has been able to maintain the number of days at sea, but appears to be falling behind in the maintenance of its frigates.
--The Army, on the other hand, has increased the use of its wheeled combat vehicles, while meeting most maintenance targets.
The Auditor General urges the Department to take immediate steps to start managing maintenance performance.
"National Defence needs to move from talking about performance management to putting systems on the ground and making sure they work," said Ms. Fraser.
There was a conscious decision to decrease equipment readiness because of budget constraints and because the post-Cold War international situation no longer warranted high levels of readiness. Defence officials have said that these reductions are being carefully controlled. However, the Auditor General says careful control and good planning can only occur with better information about equipment readiness.
This audit was completed before the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. (ends)
Chapter 10 of the Auditor-General's annual report, which covers defense readiness, in available on the Internet. Click here to read this document on the Auditor-General's website (in html format).
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w Canadian Forces Cannot Guarantee Readiness Of Combat Equipment
