In terms of implementing our national security objectives, the government directed the Canadian forces to provide a joint task force headquarters and one or more of the following: a naval task group of four major surface combatants, one support ship and maritime air support; three separate battle groups or a brigade group; a fighter wing; and a transport squadron, for a grand total of 10,000 personnel who could be deployed abroad from our current Canadian resources at any one time.

Along with other announcements made over the past year, the government has undertaken now to renew all of Canada's maritime forces over the next 20-plus years: investing industry with the capacity for long-term in-service support of the 4 Victoria class submarines in the years to come; modernizing the 12 Halifax-class ships, truly the bridge to our future fleet, ensuring that these ``workhorses'' remain as combat capable in the second half of their service lives as they have been in the first half; introducing the Cyclone maritime helicopter — when these aircraft are introduced to the modernized Halifax-class frigates, that team of ship and helicopter will be among the most tactically capable combination in any navy; modernizing the exis ...[+++]ting Aurora fleet and providing for its eventual replacement; acquiring new capabilities and added capacities that we have not had before for operations both at home and abroad through the acquisition of six to eight Arctic offshore patrol ships and three joint support ships; and finally, acquisition of 15 new Canadian surface combatants, initially to replace the Iroquois class destroyers that quarterback the Canadian task group and eventually to replace the Halifax class when these ships reach the end of their service life in the 2020s and well beyond.