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The Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence, has announced that the Government of Canada will reduce the Royal Canadian Air Force’s fleet of CC-144 Challenger aircraft from six to four effective immediately. Savings from this initiative are estimated at $1.5M per year and will be redirected towards higher operational needs such as search and rescue.
The Government of Canada has directed the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to improve major business processes and maximize operational capabilities and readiness. By 2017-18, the objective of this Defence Renewal initiative is to generate between $750M and $1.2B in annual savings for reinvestment in higher priorities. The reallocation of savings resulting from the Challengers’ retirement represents an additional contribution to this larger effort.
Quick Facts
- Savings from the reduction in the CAF’s Challenger fleet will be redirected towards higher operational needs such as search and rescue.
- The Government of Canada continues to prioritize the allocation of resources and investments towards frontline capabilities and readiness.
- Each year, the Canadian Armed Forces and their Canadian Coast Guard partners respond to over 9,400 incidents, tasking military aircraft for over 1,100 cases.
“The Government takes its role as a steward of public resources very seriously and makes every effort to ensure taxpayers’ money is well invested and the men and women of Canada’s armed forces have the equipment they need to stay safe and perform their duties effectively. . That’s why I’m pleased today to see more responsible measures taken to ensure our defense investments are going into higher priority areas, such as search and rescue,” saidThe Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls and Minister of National Defence.
