The Royal Canadian Navy’s Commander Says It Is In a “Critical State”

Early this month, a leaked report characterized Canada’s fighter fleet as “in crisis”. This week, Canada’s naval commander released a video regarding its “critical state”.

Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) commander, Vice Admiral Angus Topshee, affirmed in a video released on the RCN YouTube channel that the service is in a critical state, unable to sufficiently staff its aging surface combatant ships due to recruiting shortfalls.

The staffing issue has forced the RCN to prioritize operating its 12 Canadian-built Halifax-class multi-role patrol frigates at the cost of operating its 12 Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDVs).

“The RCN faces some very serious challenges right now,” Vice Adm. Topshee says in the video, posted on Monday, “that could mean we fail to meet our force posture and readiness commitments in 2024 and beyond.”

Canada’s navy is small. Its Pacific fleet, headquartered in Esquimalt, British Columbia on Vancouver Island is comprised of 15 ships and submarines and employs roughly 4,000 military and 2,000 civilian personnel. Its Atlantic fleet, headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, includes 18 ships and submarines and approximately 5,000 military and 2,000 civilian personnel.

The Halifax-class frigates entered service in the mid-1990s and underwent a modernization/Frigate Life Extension (HCM/FELEX) from 2014-2018. Nearly all of the ships have now reached their 30-year design-life limits.

They are supposed to be replaced by 15 frigate-sized Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) ships designed and produced by Lockheed Martin. However, the first of these will not arrive until the early 2030s and two to three years of tests and sea trials will be necessary before the ships can deploy.

That is why, despite their age and end-of-life, the Halifax-class frigates, “are and will remain our only surface combatants for at least 15 years,” Topshee affirmed. The RCN cannot retire the Halifax frigates until it has at least four CSCs certified for operations. The last of the tired frigates will likely serve until 2040.

“Given that they’ve reached their design life of 30 years and that all 12 are absolutely required to meet Canada’s commitments to NATO and the Indo-Pacific strategy, this is a very considerable challenge and the reason why the RCN consumes such a massive share of national procurement funds,” the vice admiral bluntly explained.

The RCN’s fleet obsolescence may be the lesser its challenges. In the video Topshee reports that Canada’s navy is hamstrung with many occupations experiencing [personnel] shortages at 20 percent and higher.

“Our West Coast fleet is beset with a shortage of qualified techs constraining our ability to maintain and operate our ships… There’s a simple reason for this. Depsite their very best efforts [Canadian recruiters] have not delivered the required intake for the RCN for over ten years.”

While the navy’s overall attrition rate is reasonable, Vice Adm. Topshee says it loses a marine technician “every two days.” The shortage of technical personnel means that the RCN is currently only able to deploy one of its Harry DeWolf arctic and offshore patrol vessels at a time, despite having four in the fleet and two more on the way.

Topshee adds that the RCN has undertaken a thoroughgoing analysis of its manning and specialty ratings to determine the “optimal crewing model” for its ships. It has also launched a Naval Experience recruiting program to begin to make a dent in its requirement for 1,200 new enlistees for this year and every year thereafter.

However, the admiral flatly stated that the RCN will not be able to hold its trained effective strength at its current level this year or next. Tophsee expressed confidence that the Navy will manage its way through the present people and equipment shortfalls and emerge stronger. He also expressly mentioned the similar challenges facing Canada’s army and air force.

I reached out to Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND), asking for its reaction to the video and its assessment of the effectiveness of the RCN with respect to its international commitments. I asked if the DND was aware that the RCN was going to release the video and if it took issue with Vice Adm. Topshee’s comments on the state of the Navy.

I also posed a question as to whether DND sees a correlation between the so-called “critical” state of Canada’s Navy and the reported “in crisis” condition of the RCAF’s fighter fleet.

No response was forthcoming by publication time but I’ll update with DND comments if/when received. Whatever DND may have to say on the subject it is becoming clear to many in the U.S. that Canada’s ability to be an effective, reliable military ally is in jeopardy.