F-35 buy could trigger Arctic arms race: expert

I doubt 65 J-35's will start a artic arms race with Russia. That buy would be like Canada's largest military purchase in a long time. In which another won't be seen for probally another couple years. I mean this is Canada we are talking about. You don't go from what Canada's military use to be to a competiting military with Russia in a couple years thanks to 65 new jets purchases. That would bankrupt Canada all that military spending.

Russia probally has like 10x that many jets alone near the artic side of russia. Let alone all the ones they actually own entirely, not including bombers, AA weapons, etc. There is no competiting with Russia, if Russia actually tries to get into a arms race with Canada by buying more military gear all because Canada bought some new jets. I'd seriously wonder about Russia's ego and sanity.

Michael Byers is with Rideau Institute which is a left-wing, anti-military and union funded 'think tank'.

Lmao! What a silly idea. The main competitors in the north would be us, USA, Russia, and Denmark. Denmark would lose an arms race even worse than we would and their voters wouldn't stand for it anyways. WE couldn't compete without going broke. Which leaves USA and Russia. Russia could compete with us but not with USA, they wouldn't admit it but they'd go broke too. Or broker, as the case may be.

Sovreignty in the north will be establilshed by treaty, scientific research, and PR. Planes are just window dressing.

True, Treaties and laws will be passed, but the Russians respect force and stregnth. You don't need to be able to defeat Russia. You just need enough capaility to give it a bloody nose and knock out a few teeth to get them to reason. Once that is done the Russians will listen to reason.

I agree about the Russians, but that's where the window dressing comes in. They know, and we know that there's no way we could keep up but this shows that we're serious about putting up a front atleast. And fronting is as integral a part of international diplomacy as drunk driving diplomats and scandalous office parties.

If we upgraded the WW2 Lee Enfield rifles the Canadian Rangers have or buy them an extra ski-doo the Rideau Institute 'experts' would class that as an Arctic arms race.

Oh hell, 3 ppl planning a hunting trip up there would be considered an arms race by those dimwits.

On my other political board they call them "stink tanks".

Ok, let's invade Russia.

Next, the world !!

I think this expert needs to hang up his credentials.

Sounds like they are running out of arguments against the '35 purchase.

Perhaps we could send this 'expert' up the Arctic Circle with some sticks and rocks. That should better any Russian forces than the F-35s.

-J.

Can we actually do that to Byers CP?

Nope.

Why post it then? It's a tad silly to say this kind of stuff when nobody can actually do it.

A more realistic option to the media using these clueless plonkers is to e-mail the media orgs that give them a podium.

Leave the "we could send this 'expert' up the Arctic Circle with some sticks and rocks..." out though eh?

I had figured that course of action would fall on deaf ears, so to speak. I'm guessing the media orgs won't give a crap what we think, short of a massive public outcry of somesort.

-J.