Colonel Leif Dahl, commander of 8 Wing at Trenton, Ontario, has been fired by the head of the RCAF, Lieutenant-General Eric Kenny. The terse announcement followed Dahl’s September 28 civilian court appearance on firearms charges arising from an off-base incident in August. He has been replaced by Colonel Leighton James, a former commander of 424 Transport 7 Rescue Squadron at Trenton. [node:read-more:link]
Commander Martin Pelletier, presiding over the court martial of Lieutenant-General Steven Whelan, was “annoyed” by a delay September 26 while lawyers argued for hours about the relevance of “embarrassing” emails. Whelan is alleged to have made “improper considerations” in evaluating a subordinate in 2011. [node:read-more:link]
A 98-year-old Ontario resident is at the heart of a domestic and international political outcry about his Second World War involvement in Nazi Germany’s battle with Russia. The core of the debate is whether Yaroslav Hunka was a patriot or a war criminal who could be extradited. [node:read-more:link]
The court martial of Lieutenant-General Steven Whelan, who pled not guilty to a charge of “conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline”, began today after prosecutors dropped another charge. The charges arose from allegations about an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate in June 2011 while they were in Israel where the Army officer, who has stepped aside as head of military human relations, commanded Task Force Jerusalem. [node:read-more:link]
Public Sector Integrity Comissioner Joe Friday said today that DND broke the federal whistleblower law by not being transparent about the results of investigations into wrongdoing. He said his “disturbing” findings were part of a pattern of keeping Canadians in the dark for years. [node:read-more:link]
As part of an ongoing campaign against apparently systemic corruption, six Ukrainian deputy defence ministers were fired today. It follows the ouster of Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov two weeks earlier. Announcing the latest dismissals, cabinet spokesman offered no explanation. [node:read-more:link]
An Ontario judge recently stayed a charge of sexual assault in the Canadian Armed Forces, saying it had taken too long for the case to come to trial even though the charge was laid only 18 months ago. The alleged incident occurred in April 2020 and the plaintiff, a corporal who retired from the military after serving seven years, has lost faith in a process her attorney says is a “travesty” of justice. [node:read-more:link]
Russia continues to deny that its invading forces are targetting civilians in Ukraine but at least 16 people were killed today by a missile attack in the eastern Donetsk region. “Prosecutors are taking all possible and appropriate measures to record war crimes committed by the Russian Federation,” Ukrainian officials said. [node:read-more:link]
Several weeks after defecting to Ukraine in his Mi-8 transport helicopter, a Russian pilot disclose today how he was supported by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency. Captain Maksim Kuzminov, 28, who had flown troops and materiel within Russia and into occupied Ukraine, also said he had long considered the invasion a crime. [node:read-more:link]
Colonel Leif Dahl, commander of RCAF 8 Wing and CFB Trenton since July 2022, faces a barrage of firearms-related charges near the Ontario base, where he has been temporarily relieved of command. Lieutenant-Colonel Matt Lederle is the acting wing and base commander. [node:read-more:link]
An unidentified Canadian Army captain from Toronto has been released from service without charge after going absent without leave while in Poland. He had been helping to train Ukrainian troops but when scheduled to rotate home in February, he went AWOL after telling his commanders that he wanted to stay to help Ukrainian relatives. [node:read-more:link]
The civil trial of Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson on sexual assault charges was delayed today when the Ontario Superior Court judge was not able to preside. Formerly the head of Canadian Armed Forces personnel command, Edmundson has pleaded not guilty to charges of indecency and assault in an incident that allegedly happened in 1991. [node:read-more:link]
Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson, former head of Military Personnel Command, pleaded not guilty in Ottawa August 8 to charges of sexual assault and indecency dating to November 1991. He opted for trial by judge only in the Ontario Court of Justice. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Coast Guard’s commander, Admiral Linda Fagan, has announced a review of the agency’s policies, culture and practices in response to reports of sexual assault and harassment at its Connecticut training academy. “As we don't paint over rust on a ship, we will not paint over the rust stain of assault, harassment, bullying, hazing and retaliation,” she said in a statement with Master Chief Petty Officer Heath Jones, the USCG’s senior enlisted member. [node:read-more:link]
A number of Canadian military officers have been “counselled” for using federal resources without permission to help with the creation of a charity which supported Ukrainian troops. They also had briefings with other agencies and U.S. politicians about aid for Ukraine. [node:read-more:link]
