OTTAWA –

Force is developing for Canada to mail some of its Leopard 2 struggle tanks to Ukraine immediately after Germany made the decision to present the significant weapons and allow other nations around the world to do the same.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced his government’s decision on Wednesday adhering to months of hesitation that created impatience among the his country’s allies, expressing Berlin will mail 14 of its Leopard 2A6 tanks.

Scholz’s announcement came shortly prior to U.S. President Joe Biden disclosed plans to mail 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opening a probable floodgate next weeks of pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The aim is for Germany and its allies to offer Ukraine with 88 of the German-manufactured Leopards, which would make up two battalions, and get the job done along with the U.S.-manufactured Abrams in launching counteroffensives in opposition to Russian forces.

However when Poland has by now promised to send out Leopards if Germany agreed, and other European nations this kind of as Finland and Spain have indicated a willingness to do the exact, Canada’s Primary Minister Justin Trudeau was a lot more circumspect on Wednesday.

“Canada has stepped up substantially and with no hesitation to help the Ukrainian men and women, and Ukraine itself,” he stated at a news meeting marking the conclusion of a three-working day cupboard retreat in Hamilton.

“We will carry on to be there to give what ever assistance we can to Ukraine. I is not going to be producing an announcement now. But I can notify you we are seeking really, quite intently at what extra we can do to assist Ukraine.”

The Canadian Armed Forces has 112 Leopard 2s in its stock in a range of unique variations. These incorporate 82 intended for battle and 30 that are utilised for engineering purposes and recovering disabled vehicles.

Retired lieutenant-standard and former Canadian Military commander Jean-Marc Lanthier mentioned in an job interview that any donation will nearly undoubtedly have to have to harmony the requires and rewards to Ukraine from the likely effect on Canada’s army.

“Having rid of any tanks — due to the fact we have so couple, and so couple of that are actively doing the job — would have an immediate affect on the level of readiness of the Army,” reported Lanthier, who served as an armoured officer.

“Is that one thing that should really prevent us from sending tanks? I believe we have a moral accountability in phrases of the immediacy of the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian men and women. They are fighting a war. We are not.”

Canada acquired its Leopards from Germany during the war in Afghanistan. They are notionally divided into squadrons of 19 tanks every single, with two squadrons in Edmonton and a third at CFB Gagetown, N.B. Most of the relaxation are at the armoured teaching faculty in Gagetown.

“And generally you keep a bunch of them at a depot completely ready to be deployed, but that is not anything we are undertaking automatically because we never have the figures,” explained Lanthier.

Including to the pressure is the actuality only about 50 percent of Canada’s Leopards are operational on any presented day owing to upkeep and maintenance demands for the remarkably complex motor vehicles, he added.

Department of Countrywide Defence spokesman Andrew McKelvey would not remark Wednesday on what share of the military’s Leopard 2s are at the moment operational, and how lots of are out of provider for servicing and other explanations.

“Tank maintenance is comparable to plane maintenance, and the position of the fleet at any offered moment is dependent on a extensive servicing, fix, and overhaul plan, which is tied to certain specifications for schooling or operational employment,” he stated.

“For operational security factors we simply cannot specify how many Leopard 2s are getting preserved at any supplied time or give indicator of their maintenance plan.”

The query struggling with the government will ultimately be whether the benefit of sending tanks to Ukraine outweighs the affect on the military services, Lanthier claimed. If it does, one more problem will be no matter if those people tanks would be changed — and if so, how immediately.

“If we deem that we want to retain that capacity that tanks give us in phrases of a contemporary, battle-able army, we need to have tanks,” he mentioned. “If we accept that, then anything we give has to be changed.”

This report by The Canadian Press was to start with released Jan. 25, 2023.

— With documents from The Involved Push.
