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Scott Taylor: The Royal Canadian Navy has an ambitious fleet wish list

Having enough trained personnel is another matter entirely

The Royal Canadian Navy is at a significant juncture, facing a critical shortfall of trained personnel as well as an aged-out fleet that is also lacking in numbers.

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The result led to the astonishing November 2023 public admission by the commander, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, that his organization is unable to meet their present and near-future operational requirements. That is quite the erosion of maritime security for a nation that, at the end of the Second World War, boasted the world’s fourth largest navy.

At present, Canada has 12 Halifax-class frigates in operational service, and these warships are the backbone of the fleet. All these frigates were recently modernized, but the first of the class, HMCS Halifax, entered service way back in 1991.

In other words, they are not new.

In addition to the frigates, there are still four of an original 12 Maritime coastal defence vessels (MCDVs) on the books. As the very name implies, these were meant for coastal water patrols.

However, operational demands meant that for years, particularly as the frigate modernization program was underway, the MCDVs were tasked with a plethora of bluewater operations. Without any integral air defence capability, the MCDVs........

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