An Ancient, Epic Battle

"Within the context of Roman acts of war, there are no comparable finds of fighters."

"There are huge battlefields in Germany where weapons were found. But finding the dead, that is unique for the entire Roman history."

Michaela Binder, leader of archeological dig 

"They have various different battle wounds, which rules out execution. It is truly a battlefield."

"The most likely theory at the moment is that this is connected to the Danube campaigns of Emperor Domitian -- that's 86 to 96 AD."

"In the Roman Empire, there were strict burial rituals and precise rules had to be observed even for the time after death."

"Since cremations were common in the European parts of the Roman Empire at the time around 100 AD, body burials are an absolute exception. Finds of Roman skeletons from this period are therefore extremely rare."

Kristina Adler-Wolfl, head, Vienna City Archeological Department 

 

"In Vienna, you are always prepared to encounter Roman traces as soon as you open pavement or soil: after all, Vindobona [the ancient Roman-era name for what would later become Vienna] laid the foundation stone of our city."

"Thanks to numerous archaeological excavations in the area of today's Vienna, a great deal of knowledge is already available, and yet finds always lead to new and surprising findings."

Vienna’s Councillor for Culture and Science, Veronica Kaup-Hasler

People work on the excavation of a Roman mass grave from the end of the 1st century AD, in the Simmering district of Vienna, Austria, Nov. 7, 2024. A. Slonek/Novetus / AP

This archaeological find dating back to the 1st Century, will take its place alongside spectacular archaeological findings of ancient Troy, thanks to the 19th Century perseverance of German businessman-turned-archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann who succeeded in uncovering the presence of Troy, Mycenae, and Tiryns in Turkey and Greece, against all odds when he was determined to prove that the poet Homer knew of what he wrote and those minutely-described sites existed. 

In Vienna, Austria, construction crews were busy renovating a soccer field in October of 2024, when they came upon an unexpected and quite unprecedented discovery through their excavations. There, before them, lay a pile of intertwined skeletal remains. They had uncovered a mass grave that dated to the 1st-century Roman Empire.

 

Following archaeological analysis, experts from the Vienna Museum offered a public presentation of the gravesite -- that they linked to "a catastrophic event in a military context", amidst evidence of the first known conflict that occurred in the region. 

Archaeological analysis of the remains determined the men were killed in battle

The site in the Vienna neighbourhood of Simmering, revealed the skeletal remains of 129 people. Excavation teams as well, found many dislocated bones. The total number of victims is over 150 individuals, representing a discovery of a type never before found in central Europe.

 

Typically, soldiers during the Roman Empire would be cremated. It was only during the 3rd century that this practise deviated. Each of the skeletons revealed under examination signs of injury. Leading the researchers to the conclusion that the bodies lying in the pit were deposited there hastily. 

All of the victims of deadly warfare found in the pit were male, mostly men aged between 20 to 30 years of age. Surveys indicated robust health prevailed by virtue of finding that signs of good dental health was prevalent among them.

Finding the buried bodies of early Roman soldiers is soldiers is extremely rare

Analysis by Carbon-14 was used to date the skeletal remains to between AD 80 and 130. Those dates, cross-checked against the known history of relics also discovered in the grave, consisting of armour, helmet cheek protectors, and studded nails that distinguished Roman military boots known as caligae.

The archaeological investigations revealed that injuries sustained by swords, spears, daggers and projectile bolts were identified as the causes of death. The expert team of investigators were led to the conclusion that that those who died had been part of an epic battle, an engaged military operation that ended in catastrophe for many.

Broader view of the site at the soccer field where the Roman burial was discovered. (Reiner Riedler/Wien Museum).

All for One -- and One For All

"We stand in grief with the families and loved ones of these extraordinary 'Dogface Soldiers' during this unimaginable time."

"But the search isn't finished until everyone is home. Words cannot express our gratitude to those still working around the clock during these extensive search and recovery efforts and  your unwavering commitment not to rest until all are found."

"This past week has been devastating. Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them."

“This loss is simply devastating. We are wrapping our arms around the families and loved ones of our Soldiers [during this difficult time]."

Commander Maj.-Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division  

 

"It has been truly amazing and very humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together and give everything to recover our Soldiers."

"Thank you, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers."

"We are forever grateful."

 Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general, V Corps

Military personnel work at the site of a rescue operation for missing US soldiers at Pabrade training ground, in Lithuania, on March 28.  Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images

 

"Lithuania mourns together with the American nation."

"Please accept my heartfelt condolences, as well as those of the Lithuanian people, to you, the loved ones of those who lost their lives, and all the people of the United States of America. "

"During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with you."

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda 

Under NATO, to give reassurance to Eastern Europe, member-countries of the military alliance were assigned to establish a Rapid Reaction Force as a deterrent and a defence against Russian designs on its neighbours. With a very real and demonstrated willingness to invade the borders of neighbouring nations, the Russian Federation's ambitions of territorial aggression and expansion gave birth to a renewed move by NATO to offer protection to its members under duress of potential invasion.

 

Among other member-nations the United States established a unit in Lithuania. On March 25, an American armoured vehicle with four U.S. soldiers aboard went astray in a marshy peat bog located at the huge General Silvestras Zukauskas training ground nearby the town of Pabrade. A search was undertaken and the location of the missing vehicle was found, though no vehicle was in sight. The almost-70-ton behemoth had sunk straight down, along with its personnel. 

 

The U.S. Army search for four soldiers who went missing during a scheduled training exercise near Pabradė, Lithuania.  U.S. Army

 

It took six days in a massive effort by American, Polish and Lithuanian armed forces to locate and dig the M88 Hercules vehicle out of the peat bog. The search was widened when three of the missing men of the 1st Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division were found dead, and a fourth body of the missing soldiers evaded the search teams. On a tactical training exercise, the soldiers were reported, along with their vehicle to be missing early on Tuesday. 

The thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabrade, some ten kilometres west of the border with Belarus saw hundreds of Lithuanian and American soldiers and other rescuers searching, engaged in a rescue mission. On Wednesday the armoured vehicle's whereabouts was finally discovered, submerged in 4-1/2 metres of swamp water. 

Military helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and search and rescue personnel were provided by the Lithuanian armed forces. Excavators, sluice and slurry pumps were brought to the site, along with other heavy construction equipment along with technical experts and several hundred tons of gravel and earth, all to help with the recovery mission.

 

American navy divers manoeuvred through thick layers of mud, clay and sediment "with zero visibility" to finally reach the 63-ton vehicle on Sunday evening. There they established several points where steel cables could be attached to enable the work involved in lifting the vehicle. During the effort of dragging the vehicle out of its submerged position, they began to lose traction, requiring more heavy dozers to provide additional grip. Two hours later the vehicle was pulled free of its ghastly grave.

 

Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California, Sgt. Jose Duenez, Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.  U.S. Army

The navy dive team's work was not over. They then turned to searching the area with the use of radar for the presence of the still-missing fourth soldier. And his body was ultimately found, to join that of his other three comrades, to be returned to the United States and to their families, for burial. 

 

An undated photo of Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Michigan, who died in a training mission in Lithuania.  U.S. Army

"I can’t say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies — and our own Sailors, Airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers — have enabled us to find and bring home our Soldiers."

"This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends."

Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa

Charming Beijing Captivates Liberal Loyalty

"[These comments] deeply offended, [demonstrating a] terrible lapse in judgement [however, the episode could serve as a] teachable moment."

"This is a person of integrity who served his community as a senior police officer for ... more than a quarter of [a] century. He's made a terrible lapse in judgement."

"He's made his apology. He's made it to the public, he's made it to the individual concerned, he's made it directly to me, and he's going to continue with his candidacy."

"He has my confidence." 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney

 

"[The response by Mr. Carney is indeed a] teachable moment."

"It teaches us that Mark Carney will never stand up for Canada."

"If Mark Carney won't stand up for a Canadian against this foreign hostile regime now, how could we ever expect  him to stand up for Canada after the election?"

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre

 

"He is a police officer, and he ought to know that when the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] went out and put a bounty on anybody, including Canadians, that cannot be acceptable."

"That is intimidation at its worst."

NDP MP Jenny Kwan

 

"What we saw was the news of the bounty was sort of re-upped, but we're just watching the open space for anything related to that." 

"That alone, I think, is a form of coercion."

"Spreading, again, the information about the bounty is precisely how malign foreign states seek to silence, harass and coerce."

Rapid Response Mechanism head Larisa Galadza, Global Affairs Canada

Paul Chiang is seeking re-election in Markham-Unionville, a riding he took from the Conservatives in 2021 by a margin of fewer than 2,500 votes. Justin Tang The Canadian Press file photo

"If  you can take him to the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, you can get the million-dollar reward", advised Liberal electoral candidate Paul Chiang to an news conference comprised of Chinese-language media, in reference to Conservative candidate Joe Tay who had been charged under the Hong Kong national security law as a threat to Beijing for his Canada-based YouTube channel critical of the Beijing-dominated CCP government.

 

When the comment hit headlines in the legacy media in Canada, calls for the Liberal party to disown Mr. Chiang and remove him as a Liberal candidate for the April 28 federal election expressed the disgust of most Canadians. Derisory statements by opposing political party candidates are not uncommon during election campaigns, but seldom do they cross the line into currying to foreign interference in Canada's affairs and certainly never to the extent that one candidate incites to violence against another.

 

Pressure came fast and furious even within the Liberal party for Mr. Chaing to be removed as a candidate in view of his comments last week. The bounty in  question, in Hong Kong dollars $1 million, transcribes to $183,000 in Canadian currency. Any taker could be assured of earning themselves a reward for luring the Conservative candidate to appear at the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto where he would be spirited to China and imprisoned as a traitor to Beijing -- but certainly not to China.

 

Mr. Chaing informed the Chinese-language media that given Mr. Tay's position on China and Beijing's response, should Mr. Tay be elected to Parliament, the Hong King criminal charge would be a cause of "great controversy", according to the Ming Pao newspaper. And no doubt it would, since the Liberal Party goes out of its way to pacify Beijing, and continues to build on its relationship through trade, despite the assaults on Canadian sovereignty where Canadians have been falsely imprisoned, Canadians have received the death penalty in China, and Chinese interference in Canadian affairs is deeply troubling.

 

Liberal Leader Mark Carney says Paul Chiang will remain a candidate under his banner, despite calls to drop the Markham-Unionville incumbent for suggesting people turn in a Conservative candidate to the Chinese consulate and collect a bounty.   CBC News

Even so, even when Canadian Intelligence has warned government on many occasions through updated reports that China is among those countries -- foremost among those countries -- that have used their expatriate Chinese-Canadian community originally from Mainland China to act as agents for Beijing, as well as instructing all expats that it is their ancestral patriotic duty to infiltrate and capture whatever advances in technology, science, medicine, and military news helpful to be conveyed to China's possession.

 

Mr. Chiang himself saw fit to apologize soon after  his comments were publicized:

"The comments I made were deplorable and a complete lapse of judgement on the seriousness of the matter. I sincerely apologize and deeply regret my comments."

"I will always continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Hong Kong in their fight to safeguard their human rights and freedoms."

 

And while unelected PM-incumbent Mark Carney is satisfied to let the matter lie there and continue to approve Mr. Chiang as a Liberal candidate, the man himself took the initiative to resign from the Liberal candidacy. Whether his apology is sincere is debatable. He still took the right course in apologizing and taking himself out of the election. There is no debate that Mr. Carney, on the other hand, has often engaged in dishonourable conduct. He has bent the truth to suit his fabricated explanations.

 

And on this occasion he has spectacularly failed to act with conscience and integrity. Canadians should hold him to account for this, yet another lapse in judgement on his part. On the other hand, government officials tasked with identifying and responding to foreign threats during the election period acknowledge they are monitoring the situation closely. Moreover, the RCMP has opened an investigation in the matter. While the man aspiring to be elected Prime Minister of Canada succumbed to his own lack of moral integrity.

 

Mr. Tay has been left uneasy and concerned over his safety, given the obvious nature of the threats against him posed by a foreign government whose record on human rights is abysmal. He has stated that the situation left him fearing for his safety. Spurring him to get in touch with the RCMP for his personal protection, and demanding that Carney fire Chiang. A demand that thirteen pro-democracy groups in Canada linked to Hong Kong produced a statement urging the Liberal Party to "send a clear message" in removing Chiang's candidacy, making it clear they cannot accept his "insincere apology".  

"I want to be clear: no apology is sufficient."

"Threats like these are the tradecraft of the Chinese Communist Party to interfere in Canada."

"And they are not just aimed at me. They are intended to send a chilling signal to the entire community in order to force compliance to Beijing's political goals."

Conservative federal election candidate Joe Tay 

"[Foreign interference, including instances of transnational repression, continue to be a] pervasive threat in Canada [and the federal police takes all reports and allegations seriously]."

"The RCMP is looking into the matter, however no specific details can be provided at this time."

"To ensure the integrity of our investigations, the RCMP typically does not disclose information relating to investigations unless criminal charges are laid, rendering it a matter of public record."

RCMP spokesperson Kristine Kelly 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking in New Brunswick, says Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s decision to stand by candidate Paul Chiang, who called for people to turn in Conservative candidate Joe Tay for a Chinese bounty, ‘teaches us that Mark Carney will never stand up for Canada.’ Poilievre added that he spoke to Tay and he is ‘very, very rattled.’   CBC

"It is a teachable moment. It teaches us that Mark Carney will never stand up for Canada."

"The Chinese government literally wants to kill Joe Tay because he’s a political dissident. And this candidate said that that should happen."

"I have never in my life seen a prime minister unwilling to protect a Canadian citizen against a foreign government that wants to take his life through a bounty."

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre

Transparently Disingenuous Russia

"Under the auspices of the United Nations, with the United States, even with European countries, and, of course, with our partners and friends, we could discuss the possibility of introduction of temporary governance in Ukraine."

"[It would allow the country to] hold democratic elections, to bring to power a viable government that enjoys the trust of the people, and then begin negotiations with them on a peace treaty." 

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Putin said Russian troops had the "strategic initiative" in Ukraine   Reuters

"He is afraid of negotiating with Ukraine."

"He is afraid of negotiating with me personally, and by excluding Ukraine's [government] he is suggesting that Ukraine is not an independent actor for him."

"Europe definitely knows how to defend itself, and we are working together to ensure greater security for our country and all European nations." 

"Russia continues looking for excuses to drag this war out even further."

"Putin is playing the same game he has since 2014 [unilateral annexation of the Crimean peninsula]."

"This is dangerous for everyone -- and there should be an appropriate response from the United States, Europe, and all our global partners who seek peace."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

 

"You could say that I was very angry, pissed off, when... Putin started getting into Zelensky's credibility, because that's not going in the right location."

"New leadership means you're not gonna have a deal for a long time." 

"If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia's fault - which it might not be... I am going to put secondary tariffs... on all oil coming out of Russia."

"There will be a 25% tariff on oil and other products sold in the United States, secondary tariffs."

U.S. President Donald J. Trump

(Volodymyr Zelenskyy / X)

 

As a brilliant solution to vexing problems, Russian President Putin's Friday proposal for Ukraine to be placed  temporarily under external governance throughout the efforts to reach a peaceful settlement in the conflict that Russia imposed upon Ukraine through its military invasion and subsequent claims of legitimacy in annexing Ukrainian provinces as Russian territory, this one registered as just another form of naked aggression on the part of Russia in its territorial grabs. 

 

Further, calling into dispute Ukrainian democracy and President Zelenskyy's legitimacy reminds one of Vladimir Putin's musical chairs performance when he brought in Dmitry Medvedev as president while he took on Medvedev's prime ministerial role, to enable them to once again reverse the situation ensuring that Russia's two-term presidency limit would not interfere with Putin's designs to remain Russian president in perpetuity to which end he changed the constitution and now sits secure as Russia's legal long-term president. Any challengers have been summarily either murdered or imprisoned.

 

Yet this is the man who insists that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has no legitimacy to sign a peace agreement since his term expired. A pathetic piece of demagoguery since he would be very well aware that it is illegal in Ukraine for national elections to be held during times of conflict and the nation is under martial law. Still, Putin pressed ahead with the claim that any such agreement to a permanent ceasefire signed by the sitting Ukrainian government could be challenged by a successor government so that new elections should be called for, through external vigilance under temporary guardianship. 

A summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron considered plans for troop deployment to Ukraine in view of an eventual peace deal where Macron announced that 'several' other nations would volunteer to participate in the force along with France and Britain. Mr. Putin, however, made it clear that he would not accept troop involvement from NATO members in a prospective peacekeepng force. So, for Mr. Putin it would be far more appropriate if Belarus, Iran and North Korean troops comprised such a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

 

"They are playing games and they're playing for time", stated U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while Macron and other Paris summit participants accused Russia of insincerity in its offering to participate in negotiations that could lead to a peace agreement to end the bloodshed. 

Both Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to a tentative US.-brokered agreement to pause strikes on energy infrastructure even as both sides hold varying views on when the deal to halt strikes should become effective, accusing one another of violations, making it more than obvious just how fraught any semblance of an agreement would be in the challenge to negotiate a broad peace. 

 

Germany has voted to hugely boost investment in its military   BBC

 

Russia's claims of wanting peace and an end to the conflict -- as long as it is able to hold on to the one-fifth of eastern Ukraine that the Kremlin now considers part of Greater Russia, are viewed with skepticism by its neighbours. Leading Norway, as an example to refurbish its old Cold War Military Bunkers, and leaving Germany convinced it must now begin to rebuild a viable military, the better to confront any future expansionary moves by Moscow.

 

Bunkers like the ones at Bardufoss can keep expensive fighter planes safe from attacks by drones (Credit: Norwegian Armed Forces)

 

 

 

Ramping Up North Korea's Military Technology

"Keeping with the trend of modern warfare in which the competition for using intelligent drones as a major means of military power is being accelerated and the range of their use is steadily expanding in military activities [stressed by North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un]."

Korean Central News Agency report

 

"North Korea is realizing the need for not only nuclear weapons but also modernized capabilities in large-scale warfare, like AI and unmanned systems."

"There is a risk that these could become actual combat capabilities in a relatively short period of time."

Cha Du-hyeogn, former South Korean intelligence adviser

 

"North Korea is completely transforming itself by  upgrading its weapons systems for modern warfare based on its experiences in the war in Ukraine, and by copying military technologies from countries like China and Russia."

Yoo Yong-won, National Defence Committee, North Korea

South Korean TV shows footage of what appears to be an airborne early warning and control aircraft. Getty Images

"Suicide attack drones" powered by artificial intelligence, is now the latest military technology championed by North Korea. Inspired no doubt by the success realized by the Ukrainian military in its existential struggle against North Korea's much-admired Vladimir Putin toward whose bloodthirsty territorial expansion he has dispatched tens of thousands of North Korean soldiers as disposable fodder in the conflict, ostensibly to gain experience in battle-hardened situations.

 

Pyongyang is determined to  update weapons capabilities in lock-step with the front-line experience its soldiers are gaining with modern warfare technologies in Ukraine. Core reconnaissance and attack drones are for the moment Kim Jong Un's preoccupation, believing that development of unmanned control and AI capability to be priorities for North Korea's military.

 

International observers such as North Korea analyst Cha Du-hyeogn at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul states that the hermit kingdom's ambitions should be taken seriously. North Korea has revealed its development of a "new-type strategic reconnaissance drone" capable of tracking and monitoring various targets and troop activity on land and at sea. Photos of Kim inspecting a large reconnaissance drone on a runway and of drones crashing into ground targets were released by State media.

 

According to experts who have viewed the photos, the large drone in the photograph is similar to the U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance aircraft, a type of drone that North Korea introduced in 2023 at a weapons exhibition in Pyongyang. Additionally, North Korea showcased for the first time an airborne early-warning and control aircraft. One which would enable North Korea to manage air and ground operations in real time, simultaneously.

 

Images released from North Korean state media KCNA show what it said were self-detonating drone during a test of the unmanned aerial vehicles. Elements of this image were blurred before its release.

KCNA

Left unannounced was what AI technology is used in its new suicide attack drones, much less when North Korea plans to ramp up production. However, according to Cha Du-hyeogn, it is questionable whether these suggested new capabilities could be mass-produced any time soon, in his opinion. Suicide attack drones are typically small and easy to manoeuvre, so they can be undetected and produced in large quantities.

 

Further, there is no evidence as yet that North Korea has mastered such technologies, much less incorporated AI technologies which can detect air defence systems, he said dismissively. Despite which in recent months North Korea has been emphasizing its reconnaissance drone technology, a key component of Kim's military modernization strategy, where he has been pushing the mass-production of suicide drones. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been pictured inspecting new suicide drones, which state media say have been equipped with artificial intelligence (AI).  KCNA

Canada/U.S. Relations Out of Kilter

Then: "Reliance on a US defence umbrella, a critical factor since the end of WW2 for so many countries is no longer guaranteed."

"No affected country can afford to close its eyes and hope that 2026 or 2028 elections in the US will bring everything back to 'normal' ... and not happen again."

"The toothpaste cannot go back in the tube." March 25 LinkedIn post 

Now: "The reality is that, without U.S. consent, no country can hope to operate the F-35 for long. [Building Canada's future fighter force solely on the F-35 would be] irresponsible."

"We may find for example that 36 F-35 and 150 other fighter aircraft such as Rafale or Gripen could be a better strategic, economic, and military posture while investing heavily in 6th gen developments." 

Retired Lt.-Gen. Yvan Blondin

The F-35 program has had a controversial history in Canada. Photo by Errol McGihon /Postmedia

Once the man who was chief of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 2012 to 2015, retired Lt.-Gen. Blondin had insisted the U.S.-built F-35 represented the best fighter jet for Canadian operations given that its allies in democracy gravitated around American leadership, technology and military operations. That is, until the election and ascension of Donald Trump to the American presidency. Much has since then changed.

 

Canada's economy is now under threat by the Trump administration amidst aggressive statements on annexing the country under American hegemony as the 51st U.S. state. And nor is Canada the only nation that finds itself under threat, since seizing Greenland and the Panama Canal have also come under discussion in the U.S. ostensibly to secure American concerns over security issues. 

 

Yet, confoundingly, one of the countries that stands to pose the greatest risk to American security has somehow secured President Trump's confidence.

 

A former fighter pilot, the retired general had years back recommended that Canada take on the F-35 from Lockheed Martin, persuading then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper it would be in Canada's best military operational interests. Which resulted in then-PM Harper's Conservative government locking into the acquisition in 2010, despite delays when increasing costs and technical problems associated with the F-35 began to surface. 

In 2023 the Liberal government under Justin Trudeau, after having for years denied that the F-35 would answer to Canada's needs and skirting the issue of acquisition, changed tack to announce it was prepared to buy 88 F-35s at a cost of $19 billion, although Canada was financially committed only to the purchase of the first 15 jets hearking back to the Conservative government decision.

 

Lt.-Gen. Blondin elaborated, explaining that the problem with the F-35 is the issue of complete control that the United States maintains over all aspects of the plane, not merely the aircraft itself. Time remains before a decision must be made for the purchase of the remaining 72 F-35s, said Lt.-Gen. Blondin after Liberal Leader Mark Carney ordered a F-35 purchase review, taking into account an increasingly hostile America under President Trump. 

 

Saab's Gripen E fighter jet is an alternative being considered to the American-made F-35. Photo by Saab /PST

 

There are options in suggestions the Swedish built Gripen -- second in the Canadian fighter jet competition -- would be considered a solution. There had been a promise by its Swedish manufacturer that the Gripens could be built in Canada. Former defence procurement chief at the Canadian Armed Forces Alan Williams, and other defence analysts have given warning the F-35 represents a strategic vulnerability for Canada, with American total control over software upgrades and aircraft spare parts.

 

Canada, pointed out Lt.-Gen. Blondin, must now look to developing a defence strategy taking into account the new realities of changes in its relationship with the United States. Those who are in support of Canada's F-35 purchase point out the hundreds of millions worth of contracts that companies in Canada have been involved in, supplying parts for the U.S. aircraft, creating Canadian aerospace employment.

 

That too changed,  however, when in late February, President Trump informed Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the F-35. that a change was in order; specifically that he wanted those jobs returned to the U.S. when Canadian contracts come up for renewal.

 

Yvan Blondin said building Canada’s future fighter force solely on the F-35 would be “irresponsible.” Photo by Jack Boland /Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

 

U.S. Scuttling Traditional Trade Relations

"The United States will help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions."

"[The statement included ensuring safe navigation in the Black Se, a ban on strikes against energy infrastructure in Russia and Ukraine, and President Donald Trump’s imperative that] the killing on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict must stop."

White House statement

 

WHAT DOES RUSSIA SAY IT WILL GET?

* The lifting of restrictions on state agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank "and other financial organizations involved in ensuring international trade in food (including fish products) and fertilisers, their connection to SWIFT, and the opening of necessary correspondent accounts".

* The removal of curbs on trade finance operations.

* The removal of sanctions and restrictions on companies producing and exporting food (including fish products) and fertilisers.

* The removal of sanctions and restrictions on insurance companies dealing cargoes of food (including fish products) and fertilisers. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov specifically mentioned the Lloyd’s of London insurance market.

Reuters

 

"This is the most disturbing action that I think we've seen from [U.S. President Donald Trump] since his election."

"In essence, what he is doing is funding [Russian President] Vladimir Putin's regime ... and funding the death of Ukrainians."

"We do need to become less dependent, unfortunately, on the United States of America."

"It's a sad thing for us to say."

"[Saskatchewan may change how it responds to Trump's threats]."

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe

Cargo ships are seen from a patrol boat of Ukraine’s coast guard as they sail in the Black Sea, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, February 7, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/

 A plan by the United States to restore the Russian agricultural sector's position is, according to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, a backchannel funding Ukrainian death and suffering. The White House statement carrying news of the United States plan to help Russia expand its markets following talks between American and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia is disturbing in its ramifications. The intention is to also lower maritime insurance costs and according to the Trump administration, enhance Russian access to shipping ports.

 

"This latest announcement from Donald Trump isn't just a betrayal of Ukraine, where people will continue to be killed and occupied under Putin's illegal invasion", added the province's NDP leader Carla Beck, responding to President Trump's threats as they apply to onerous tariffs to be imposed on Canada and Mexico for a full range of products entering the United States, along with extended similar threats to Europe, Japan and South Korea, even as the Trump administration is open to trade dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a stunning reversal of traditional U.S. trade policy and politics.

 

Saskatchewan, the world's largest producer of potash, a mineral in use as a crop-growing fertilizer, foresees consequences with Russian potash -- sanctioned since the 2022 invasion by Russia of Ukraine -- anticipating a scenario where Russian fertilizer will flood the market once sanction measure are lifted. This is all part and parcel of a coming global trade war inspired by the Trump administration where 25 per cent tariffs have been imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum, along with a 10 per cent levy on potash if it doesn't comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The traditional trading partners of the United States are reeling in shock at the warnings and threats emanating from the White House. U.S. allies suddenly find themselves estranged and confused in their relations with the new administration whose pronouncements on stiff tariffs -- while warning of  consequences with retaliatory measures their once-trusting trading partners ruminate on imposing and then reconsidering when the U.S. -- warns further that retaliatory measures will only incur the wrath of the U.S. which will then impose even higher tariffs, upending global integrated trading patterns.

International experts on trade negotiations and investments are attempting to make sense of a sudden turn-about in international relations. What they are all certain of, is the conclusion that in alienating traditional trading partners with explosive accusations and punishing tariffs, the United States and American consumers in general will not come away unscathed. The unsettled situation will penalize the U.S. too, albeit not as stringently as its hapless trading partners. As well, a global recession appears to be waiting in the wings. 

A worker at the Mosaic potash mine near Belle Plaine, Sask., holds a few examples of the white, crystalline substance during a tour on April 26, 2024. (Alexander Quon/CBC)