[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

The C-17 is a long overdue acquisition — and I’m glad our armed forces have it.

However, it wasn’t needed in this instance. It’s not as if ordinary items; such as tarps, jerry cans, and buckets needed to be air freighted all the way from Canada to Jamaica. There’s no war zone involved, nor was specialized disaster relief equipment (such as the DART) being shipped (according to the article). It would have been far more efficient to load planes in Miami, with goods acquired from local commercial outlets, for the short hop to Jamaica.

Using the C-17 was for show. It’s good PR (which is good for the military & therefore a good thing), and it shows the red maple leaf — but, it didn’t make a lot of logistical sense.

[Tallguy]

I think you could chalk this up to a “training flight”. New aircraft coming online & all that. I’m sure the RCAF wanted to get some miles under their wings.

[Candor7]

Using the C-17 was for show. It’s good PR (which is good for the military & therefore a good thing), and it shows the red maple leaf — but, it didn’t make a lot of logistical sense.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You are right on, it does not make logical sense, but its a moral booster for the CAF, and a perk for the crews who went down there ( Limbo Mahn! Regge!).

PM Harper is now beginning to beat the drum to justify allocating mucho dinero towards expanding and updating the Canadian Armed Forces. He needs to ramp things up in order to acquire enough hardware and new enlistments to counter the coming Russian initiative in the North, which will be a land/territory grab.

I hope he gets it done.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Sometimes you have to do things like this. Yes, getting the stuff in Miami and hiring a commercial carrier is more efficient. However having a Canadian Armed Forces (It really should be the RCAF...) C-17 show up with supplies and showing the flag (roundel?) of Canada in a fellow Commonwealth country builds a lot of good will.