U.S., Japanese, Australian and Canadian warships are currently staging extensive joint drills in Japanese and international waters, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday. Without mentioning China directly, the 7th Fleet said the two-week biennial “Keen Sword” exercises include scenarios designed to “challenge the critical capabilities required to support the defense of Japan and stability of the…

A naval officer serving as second in command of a Canadian minesweeper deployed to Europe was relieved of her duties over an allegation of “inappropriate conduct of a sexualized nature.” The Department of National Defence announced the move in a statement this afternoon, saying the incident is alleged to have occurred during a port visit in Lisbon,…

The Royal Canadian Navy is struggling with what its commander says is a personnel “crisis” as hundreds of positions sit vacant. Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee says he needs nearly 1,400 sailors to reach full strength, which is about 17 percent of the navy’s total ranks. While the shortfall comes amid a recruiting crisis within the Canadian Armed…

OTTAWA—Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice-Admiral Craig Baines is sounding the alarm over a shortage of sailors to crew Canada’s warships. In an exclusive interview with The Canadian Press, Baines says the navy is short about 1,000 sailors. Baines says the situation isn’t critical yet as the navy is making do with its current complement. But…

OTTAWA—Federal civil servants say COVID-19 is throwing yet another wrench in the construction of new ships for the navy and coast guard—though the full damage won’t be known until after the pandemic. Over the past decade, the federal government has invested billions of dollars into replacing Canada’s aging navy and coast guard fleets with dozens…

OTTAWA—Retired vice-admiral Mark Norman is warning the Royal Canadian Navy to start preparing for some hard discussions as delays and escalating costs continue to buffet the country’s $60-billion plan to build new warships over the coming decades. The Department of National Defence revealed this week that the first of 15 new warships being built to…