HARPER: $15 BILLION IN NEW MILITARY SPENDING - 2006

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[b]HARPER ANNOUNCES $15 BILLION IN NEW MILITARY SPENDING

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CBC News Online | June 22, 2006

For military buffs, all next week should be like Saturday morning at Canadian Tire. That's because, with Parliament having risen, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to announce the Conservatives' much-trumpeted plan to buy new transport aircraft, helicopters, ships and trucks for the Armed Forces.

In all, the purchase is expected to total roughly $15 billion, to be spread out over several years. And according to the CBC's French-language service Radio-Canada, Harper will unveil the plans in a series of announcements from Quebec to central Ontario to Alberta in a bid to underline the local benefits from such a massive procurement.

According to news reports and what the military has said to date about its requirements, the purchases are expected to fall into five categories:

- Up to four heavy-lift long-range transport planes to move troops, tanks and entire hospital units halfway around the globe in one shot. Estimated cost: $3 billion.

- Up to 17 heavy-lift, mid-range transport planes to replace Canada's aging fleet of Hercules aircraft. Estimated cost: $4.6 billion

- A fleet of between 12 and 15 heavy-lift helicopters to move troops and supplies quickly around war zones. Estimated cost: $4.2 billion.

- Three new troop carrier ships. Estimated cost: $2 billion.

- Up to 1,000 new trucks for the army, likely to be built in Quebec. Estimated cost: $1.1 billion.

Of the five, the three involving planes and helicopters have so far created the most controversy.

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