Thoughts from Starlight Cascade

You’ve read about the Canadian Forces F35 fighter jet fiasco over the last two years.

You’ve read about the
Victoria-class_submarine fiasco.
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Although the Canadian government touted the $750 million CAD[1] procurement as a bargain, there have been arguments over the quality of the submarines with some suggestions that the purchase price will be at least spent again putting things right. Canadian opposition parties are demanding that the British government fund any further costs, since it is widely believed that the submarines deteriorated while in storage and the Royal Navy was not completely forthcoming on their condition during the sale.
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You’ve read about the Naval Frigate Helicopter Sea King Replacement fiasco.

From 1983 onward attempts were made to replace the aging Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King helicopters of the Royal Canadian Navy. Due to a series of financial and political issues, the process was hampered by repeated delays.

Final decision The CH-148 Cyclone
In July 2004, it was announced that the Sea Kings will be replaced by the new Sikorsky H-92 Superhawk, carrying a General Dynamics mission package, with the first of 28 CH-148 Cyclones scheduled for delivery in 2008. Problems at Sikorsky have resulted in deliveries being delayed until 2010; allowing time for testing and training, the aircraft is not to enter service until 2013.[15]
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You’ve read about the Search and Rescue fiasco.

You may not have heard about DND HQ wasting at least another 600 million by breaking leases, and moving to new diggs that are inappropriate.

And now, yet another example of incompetence or criminality:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/05/02/pol-milewski-shipbuilding-design-mystery.html
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Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose and Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced
March 7 in Halifax that Ottawa will pay Irving Shipbuilding $288 million just to design — not build — a fleet of new Arctic offshore patrol ships.
Irving will then build the ships under a separate contract.
However, a survey of similar patrol ships bought by other countries shows they paid a fraction of that $288 million to actually build the ships — and paid less than a tenth as much for the design.

In addition, the design of Canada’s new ships is based upon a Norwegian vessel whose design Ottawa has already bought for just $5 million.

The KV Svalbard, an offshore patrol vessel belonging to the Norwegian Coast Guard, is the parent design for Canada’s Arctic offshore patrol ships. It was built for about one-third of what Canada is paying just to design, not build, a similar ship. The KV Svalbard, an offshore patrol vessel belonging to the Norwegian Coast Guard, is the parent design for Canada’s Arctic offshore patrol ships. It was built for about one-third of what Canada is paying just to design, not build, a similar ship. (Marcus Bengtsson/Wikipedia)

The Norwegian ship, the Svalbard, was designed and built for less than $100 million in 2002.
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Adjusting for inflation this still leaves several hundred million dollars going into someones pockets…