"Canuck" wrote in message
...

"Andrew Chaplin" wrote in message


So.... the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Red Arrows, ad infinitum should just
pack it in?

Yes, unless the case can be made for their contribution to the mission of
the service that fields them.

You are taking a very narrow view of things. Perhaps you work for Air
Canada? No frills....pay for your peanuts...pillow...luggage?

The Snowbirds are an extension of the air force. They do not have a combat
purpose. That is self evident.

That's my point. The mission of the CF is combat, or the threat of combat.

They serve a different purpose as do any of the other aerobatic teams out
there. You know that. File it under nationalism/patriotism/recruitment as
well as international goodwill.

You still have not shown how it contributes to the CF's mission.

The Canadian military is out there doing disaster relief.

Disaster missions are (arguably) contributions to international stabilility,
part of the mission of the CF. They go over well with the Canadian public,
while allowing the CF to keep its hand in.

The Canadian military is out there doing peace "keeping" and other missions.
These are not combat missions yet they exist side by side with the combat
role. It goes with the territory.

Peacekeeping is a form of warfare using the avoidance of decisive engagements.
We go in there proclaiming our neutrality, but always aware of our interest.

You do not appear to differentiate between tasks and the overall mission of
the CF. Having done UNEF II, UNFICYP, ONUSAL and UNTSO, I can tell you that
the peacekeeping sold to you as Canada's benign mission are actually a mailed
fist in a velvet glove out there to crush anyone who would interfere with
Canadian interests. If you have done peacekeeping, you know that you are a
tripwire, and that an ally's carrier group, or something like, lurking over
the horizon will back you up past the point where your nose bleeds.

Been there, done that, bought my mum several spoons.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)