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pictured is the canadian navy's harry dewolfe-class polar offshore patrol ship

according to foreign media reports, the canadian navy recently received the fifth harry dewolfe-class polar offshore patrol ship "frederick rowlett". the report said that this move will strengthen the canadian navy's military operations and support capabilities in the arctic region.

it is reported that canada issued the "national shipbuilding strategy" document in 2010, proposing a polar offshore patrol ship procurement project. in 2015, the canadian government signed a contract worth 4.99 billion canadian dollars (about 3.6 billion us dollars) with the irving shipyard to build six harry dewolfe-class polar offshore patrol ships for the canadian navy. in july 2020, the first "harry dewolfe" was delivered to the canadian navy. this time, the "frederick rowlett" will be transferred to the halifax naval base for further evaluation before it is officially commissioned.

the report said that the "frederick rowlett" polar offshore patrol ship is 103 meters long, has a full load displacement of 6,440 tons, and a maximum speed of 17 knots. the ship can accommodate 80 crew members and can carry two multi-purpose lifeboats, a landing craft, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, a snowmobile, etc. its main tasks include maritime intelligence collection, surveillance and reconnaissance, ocean monitoring, maritime support, search and rescue, etc. in canada's waters in the arctic region.

in recent years, canada has focused on the militarization of the arctic region. in its new defense policy document released in april this year, canada proposed strengthening the foundation for military development and enhancing the mobility and responsiveness of the military in the arctic region by deploying a network of northern combat support centers, airborne early warning aircraft fleets, coastal and underwater sensors, arctic satellite ground stations, and new tactical helicopters in canada and the arctic. in july, the canadian government announced that it would purchase 12 conventional-powered submarines for the navy, requiring the submarines to be able to perform "under-ice missions" to monitor the country's northwest passage, relevant areas in the arctic, and other waters.

however, foreign media reported in march this year that some canadian defense officials warned that the canadian military faces "very serious challenges." on the one hand, military equipment is aging. for example, the canadian navy's 12 halifax-class frigates were built in the late 1980s and are about to reach their service life, but the replacement ships have just started construction in july this year, so the navy has not yet proposed a plan to retire the 12 frigates. canadian navy commander angus topsey said that considering that the combat personnel of the new ships need to undergo three years of training after entering service, the life of the halifax-class frigates will be extended by at least 15 years. on the other hand, there is a serious shortage of troops. canadian media reported that the canadian military has a shortage of 16,000 troops, and many arms have a shortage of more than 20%. the canadian military may not be able to smoothly implement relevant plans after 2024. national security official cormier said that this situation is "the result of decades of continued underinvestment." according to analysis, the canadian navy faces many problems in its development, and whether the future militarization construction in the arctic region can proceed smoothly remains to be further observed.