http://canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060322/CPA/34665023Military could arm coast guard ships for Arctic sovereignty mission: admiral
ALISON AULD
HALIFAX (CP) - The best way to safely and quickly dispatch armed icebreakers to the Arctic would be to equip existing vessels with 50-calibre weapons, the commander of Joint Task Force Atlantic said Wednesday.
Rear Admiral Dan McNeil said Canada could assert its presence and sovereignty in the north by placing naval personnel on coast guard icebreakers that could patrol the frozen archipelago that has caused jurisdictional rifts with the United States.
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McNeil was responding to questions about the federal Tories' plan to build three heavy, armed icebreakers that would be stationed in the far North along with remote-controlled aerial drones and troops.
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Canada's dominion over the frozen north has been routinely challenged over the years, but it has happened with increasing frequency as global warming has made the once ice-clogged passageways easier to traverse.
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