DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay Goes Defensive Account F-35 Costs

DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay Goes Defensive Account F-35 Costs
*Defence minister goes on the defensive 
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Kristy Kirkup ,Parliamentary Bureau
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 8, 2012: Defence Minister Peter MacKay stood up for himself and his department Sunday, insisting the F-35 fiscal flub outlined in a recent auditor general's report was a miscommunication matter.

Auditor general Michael Ferguson published his debut report last week, indicated the stealth fighter jets would cost $25 billion -- not $15 billion as indicated by the federal government.

But in an interview with CTV's Question Period, MacKay blamed accounting issues for a $10 billion gap between the government's account of F-35 costs and the auditor general's projections.

"The $10 billion is money we are paying right now," MacKay said. "That is the money that goes to pay the pilots of the F-18 program and fuel, oil, upkeep of the existing fleet."

MacKay said he knew the full estimated cost of the jets in 2010 but insists Canadians were not misled.

"We have included that figure in estimates and information provided to the auditor general and that information goes back to 2010. Those figures are there for all to see," he said. "I don't agree that there was a manipulation of information."

Opposition parties disagree.

"We're talking about mismanagement here as well as dishonesty," NDP defence critic Jack Harris said on the same Sunday broadcast.

MacKay said the government and the auditor general worked from different timelines, causing the confusion.

The auditor general and a parliamentary budget officer used a 36-year model for their evaluations of the fighter jet program, but the Department of National Defence used a 20-year period.

The F-35s are expected to have a 36-year lifespan.

The government hasn't signed a contract with F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, but it has penned a memorandum of understanding (MOU). If the government decided to change course, penalties would be attached.

"There are obligations under the MOU and by that I mean there would be consequences for withdrawing from it," MacKay said.

The minister indicated the government has accepted the auditor general's conclusions but he doesn't plan to offer his resignation over the controversy.

Kristy.Kirkup@sunmedia.ca

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Kristy Kirkup - Parliamentary Bureau
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: China Troubled By North Korean Rocket Launch Plans

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: China Troubled By North Korean Rocket Launch Plans

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 8, 2012: China's foreign minister said Sunday that Beijing is troubled by North Korea's plan to launch a long-range rocket and has urged more diplomacy to handle the situation, a measured response to a provocation that has unsettled the region.

Yang Jiechi said he discussed North Korea's launch plan during trilateral talks with his counterparts from Seoul and Tokyo in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo.

The foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea both said that a launch by North Korea would violate UN Security Council resolutions -- indicating their belief that the North should face sanctions if it goes through with the plan.

But China, the North's closest ally, didn't echo that view and instead urged further dialogue and communication.

"The Chinese side is troubled by the developments, and strongly encourages everyone involved on all sides, at high and low levels, to remain calm and reasonable," Yang told reporters. "These issues need to be worked out in a diplomatic and peaceful manner."
North Korea says the rocket will carry a satellite into orbit to study crops and natural resources. Washington and others call the launch a cover to test missile systems that could target parts of the United States.

There have been fears in Japan and South Korea that debris could fall from the rocket, expected to be launched in the coming week. Japan's defence minister has ordered missile units to intercept the rocket if it or its fragments threaten to hit Japan. Seoul has also warned it might shoot down any parts of the rocket heading for its territory.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said the key result of the talks was a plan to continue to work together to stop the launch.

However, Japan's Kyodo News service quoted Gemba as saying that the three sides failed to reach consensus on the launch, an apparent reference to China's softer approach.

"We were able to increase our common views," Kyodo quoted Gemba as saying. "But frankly speaking, I would not say the three countries completely shared the same view."

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Saturday that South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan told Yang during bilateral talks that Beijing should play a larger role in mediating international concerns over the launch.

The North Korean launch is meant as a showcase of national power and technology during celebrations of the centennial of the April 15 birth of national founder Kim Il Sung. While North Korea has conducted tests of two nuclear devices, analysts don't believe it has yet mastered the technology needed to shrink a nuclear weapon and mount it on a missile.

North Korea has conducted three such launches since 1998. The last launch, in 2009, led to UN condemnation. The North then walked away from six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, and weeks later carried out its second nuclear test.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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