Tanks part of 'discreet' 2010 Games security

[Canadian4206]

David Akin, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, May 21, 2008

OTTAWA - Canadian security agencies are planning to use planes, tanks, ships and thousands of military and police personnel to secure the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games and will consider their job a success if the public hardly notices their presence.

"It must be understood that the V2010 Games are a sporting event, not a security one," wrote Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier in his Initiating Directive, a document prepared in June, 2006, that formally authorized the Canadian Forces to begin assisting the RCMP with that agency's Olympic plans.

The directive and other Canadian Forces documents indicate the Canadian Forces are taking great pains not to "take over" planning for the Olympics and to ensure that during the event, Canadian Forces personnel and equipment will be visible only during ceremonial events.

Military planners say it will be the largest security operation in Canadian history and, if they do it right, Canadians will hardly notice.

"CF support to this aspect of the V2010 Games will need to be discreet to the general public. CF ceremonial support to [the federal government] will be in the public eye to the extent desired by the [government]," Gen. Hillier wrote. "In both cases, it must be understood that the CF shall remain in a supporting role and at no time should staff at any levels attempt to take the lead."

Security agencies believe they will be able to stay out of sight by using an array of surveillance technologies, including closed-circuit cameras, electronic sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles flying high over the Olympic venues in Vancouver and Whistler. In fact, one researcher, sociologist David Lyon of Queen's University, has dubbed Vancouver 2010 "the Surveillance Games." Mr. Lyon, the director of The Surveillance Project, a research initiative partly funded with a $2.5-million federal government grant, plans to organize an academic conference on that theme in Vancouver just ahead of the 2010 Games.

A discrete and quiet role would be a marked contrast to approaches taken by the CF and police forces to secure other high-profile events.

For example, at the 2007 summit in Montebello, Que., where Prime Minister Stephen Harper hosted meetings with U. S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon, police in riot gear backed up by camouflaged Canadian Forces soldiers patrolled the area around the meeting site. Canadian Forces helicopters, with armed soldiers hanging out the sides, deterred canoes and motorboats along the Ottawa River.

Armed soldiers and helicopters will be present in Vancouver, but military and police planners are hopeful of keeping them in the background. Nearly 13,000 RCMP, military and other security personnel are expected in Vancouver as part of the 2010 security effort.

The RCMP is also planning to install hundreds of cameras throughout the Olympic venues, each of which will use face-recognition technology to help officers keep tabs on the nearly half a million visitors expected in Vancouver for the Games.

Gen. Hillier, in his initializing orders, said the CF has two goals for Vancouver: secure the Games and do so while upholding the Olympic spirit.

"Forces and other dangerous individuals or organizations may seize this moment to further their aims using violence," Gen. Hillier wrote. "Canadian security forces, and the CF, must therefore be poised to detect, deter, prevent, pre-empt and defeat threats and aggression during the period of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics while respecting, as much as possible, the spirit of the Olympic Truce."

The documents also indicate military planners will use the Vancouver Olympics as a template for securing other events in Canada, such as meetings of the G8 leaders or future sporting events.

Security agencies, led and coordinated by the RCMP, are planning to be able to secure the 2010 Games against a number of threats, including natural disasters, terrorists, organized crime activity, cyber-threats to information systems and protests.

"There are a number of terrorist groups that maintain a presence within Canada," Lieutenant-General Marc Dumais wrote in a planning guidance directive issued on Oct. 26, 2006. "While much of their activity is related to fundraising, some of these groups are assessed as having the capacity to undertake terrorist acts."

Lt.-Gen. Dumais is the Commander of Canada Command, one of the four operational divisions of the Canadian Forces. Canada Command is responsible for all routine and emergency military operations within Canada.

You'd think this was a war, but it's a sporting event

That's a overkill on security.

[rangedReCon]

He[Lt.-Cmdr. Mark MacIntyre, spokesman for Joint Task Force Games] said light armoured vehicles such as the Coyote and LAV-3 will be used to transport troops, "but we won't use Leopard tanks like we have in Afghanistan."

Link: Massive security planned for Games

I'm not to sure about the tanks, as it has been stated there will be none. However there will be LAV-III's and Coyote's. Anyways it seems like a strong military presence would be good for Canada, as it is a very common joke for people to believe the military is almost non-existent. This may change peoples minds.

[Canadian4206]

Originally Posted by rangedReCon

Link: Massive security planned for Games

I'm not to sure about the tanks, as it has been stated there will be none. However there will be LAV-III's and Coyote's. Anyways it seems like a strong military presence would be good for Canada, as it is a very common joke for people to believe the military is almost non-existent. This may change peoples minds.

Will hopefully help Canada's Artic claims.

[Viper5]

No offense Canadian, but buying a few tanks and showing them at the games wont help arctic claims. If the nations who are very interested in them (IE Russia, US, perhaps China) wanted them, a few extra tanks or C17s or destroyers wont be the difference.

[Canadian4206]

Actually it makes all the difference, it is publicity for Canadian Forces. Russia flys bombers on training runs over our waters, they plant russian flags in the artic where our claim is, and they have been sending in ice breaker ships into our waters without our clearance.

Russia is being really agressive on this, and they are just calling us out on it. Making a statement that Canada is not ready to defend it's waters, due to them doing shit like that.

If Canada can't defend it, then we won't ever get that claim to it and it will be turned into international waters.

Having publicity on how Canada is upgrading its military will help our Artic claims.

[PFunk]

You don't need a huge navy to maintain your claim to the arctic, just the presence to show that you're defending it as your own territory so that international law can't take it away from you.

Also increasing the spending directly in reaction to such challenges is a sign that should follow with some similarly important political challenges back at our would be aggressors.

[HughJass]

Maybe a little show can be put on by the candian military? :P