Officer of Engineers

It is when you're the biggest motherfreak on the block. Canada has consistently been the 3rd/4th largest force contributor to the missions she goes on. Currently, only the Americans and the Brits have more people in Afghanistan than Canada.

__________________
Chimo

Feanor

Germany

2400 to Middle East German ships will head to Lebanon - International Herald Tribune
3,100 in Afghanistan NATO reports progress in drumming up more troops for Afghanistan - International Herald Tribune
850 troops in Bosnia 2844 in Kosovo and 750 in Congo Germany is planning a Bosnia withdrawal - Europe - International Herald Tribune

Supposedly 9000 overall involved in peacekeeping missions abroad. Hmm. Strange. Somehow I always thought most countries had larger deployments, globally.

What does motherfreak mean?

gunnut

You're probably used to WW2 numbers or the US deployment numbers. Or maybe domestic deployment numbers like Turkey marching 60,000 troops to the border or Pakistan placing 80,000 troops in the tribal region. Not many nations have thousands of troops conducting combat operations on another continent.

__________________
"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

zraver

So overall is my system worthwhile?

physicsmonk

Zraver are you sure about this?i mean we have huge swathes of poverty and illetracy.Add to it strained relationships between two major communities. Add to it an indecisive polity.we have a long long way to go to even achieve developed nation criteria leave alone superpowerdom.This rhetoric of superpowerdom is all fine as long as it leads to greater aspiration and consequent economic growth.Beyond that i really dont see any merit in calling india superpower at the moment.indias time may come in future.and no i am no pinko leftist type to be this pessimistic.

zraver

I said India is an emerging Super Power. No nation is perfect, the US is falling apart to the tune of 250 billion a yea rin needed repairs in order to catch up the Eisenhower Interstate System and Dams to current specs and we have a large percentage of our population who is functionally illiterate in our economic setting.

The 2001 American Management Association Survey on Workplace Testing found the following:

* 34.1% of applicants tested by respondent firms lacked the basic skills necessary to perform the jobs they sought in 2000

China has 40% of all new cancer cases, Russia's population is shrinking and MDR TB is rampant in thier prison systems etc. A nations power is not weighed on the aggregate of the down indicators, but of the up indicators.

Feanor

Something in between all those things. I'm of the opinion that 150 000 isn't enough in Iraq. So when I hear about a deployment of 2 400 I feel like I'm being cheated.

zraver

The price of modern arms precludea large global ground force projection where combat is expected (vs UN peace keeping) except for a Hyper Power.

gunnut

Well, it all depends on what you want your force to do. Our force of 150,000 is not enough to pacify a nation of 30 million without help. However, if that population is cooperative like it is now, 150,000 is enough to maintain order.

It's pretty amazing to think about actually keeping people on another continent supplied with the essentials. Even if you have only light infantry, you will need fuel and parts for your jeeps, ammo for the rifles, grenades, rockets, shells, parts for weapons, parts for electronics, generators to keep lights and communication going, fuel for the generators...the list goes on and on. Things you take for granted need to be brought in. Toilet paper, cots, tents, ration, water, just to provide the essentials. Even batteries for night vision goggles have to be flown in. You don't want to have $4500 paper weight in your tent.

indus creed

...besides Canada has second largest land mass after Russia. Largest Freshwater reserves(or second?), very large Oil reserves, is full of natural gas(not NDP, real gas ), is a tech savy country, has martial traditions, most males grow up playing hockey....me thinks Canada can whup some serious arse.

Adux

lol

Feanor

I see your point. So realistically being able to deploy a brigade to the other side of the globe is more important then being able to deploy a tank army on your border? And one more question, probably for OoE, how large is a Canadian brigade, what does it include?

Ironduke

The brigade that can be deployed on the other side of the world can be felt by any country in the world, whereas the tank army can only be felt by one's immediate neighbors.

__________________
The Buck Stops Here

Officer of Engineers

It's actually a brigade group

3 infantry battalions,
1 guns battalion size regiment,
1 engr battalion size regiment,
1 armoured battalion size regiment,
1 service battalion,
1 ambulance company

The engrs, guns, and arm'd regts are normally division assets. Brigades should only have company size units. At full strength (never happened), it is around 7000 people but normally around 5000 with some battalions (3rd Battalion) having only 2 companies.

Indirect Fire

(In French Accent) We are good at keeping le world safe, and we are quite influential, but we aren't as influential as the US, Germany, Britain, Russia, Japan, India, and the rest of the world!

That line cracks me up whenever I see it.... It's so idiotic, but yet so hilarious.

__________________
I have no idea what I'm doing. Honestly!