A new report written by three retired generals says the Canadian military has been too focused on the war in Afghanistan and not enough on other areas.
The report, leaked to the Ottawa Citizen, reportedly calls for greater balance in the military's focus and distribution of resources.
The Citizen says the report was written for Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier by three retired generals who were to examine the progress of the military's transformation according to Hillier's plans.
CTV's Steve Chao, reporting from Kandahar, Afghanistan, says the report suggests "Canada's military has very much been focused on the Afghan mission, however they have not been so focused on the homefront."
Canada Command was among four new commands created 18 months ago to look at security threats from abroad and to gather intelligence and support local police forces defending against terrorist threats.
However, "Canada Command has not been given the attention, they've been fighting for resources that the Afghan mission has been getting," Chao says. "So this report suggests that there needs to be more of a balance going on here in terms of resources, in terms of focus, and we'll likely see this in the upcoming months."
An emphasis on recruitment and new equipment was also part of Hillier's initial transformation plan, and along with the Afghan mission, it has also drawn resources away from the military's work at home, the newspaper reports.
"But at this point it's very worrisome, considering the fact that while, yes, Canada's military is conducting major missions down here in Afghanistan, the report suggests the military needs to refocus a bit and look at the homefront more," Chao says.
