Navy Commander Defends Need for 15 New Warships as Ottawa Reassesses Costs

Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee speaks with a reporter during an interview at the National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa on Sept. 21, 2022. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby

The head of the Royal Canadian Navy is admitting to some worries that the military’s ability to operate with only 12 frigates in recent years could be used as a way to justify permanently shrinking the size of Canada’s maritime fleet.

But Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee says some of the navy’s current limitations, which includes an inability to deploy two of the frigates to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region at the same time, can be directly attributed to a lack of warships.

Topshee’s comments come as the federal government is reassessing the cost of building 15 new warships starting in the early 2030s.

The new fleet is supposed to replace the 12 frigates that serve as the navy’s primary workhorse, as well as three Canadian destroyers that were retired nearly a decade ago.

Officials previously pegged the cost of building all 15 ships at around $60 billion, but there has been a growing acceptance that billions more will be needed as a result of rising inflation, constant delays and other factors.

While that has prompted some speculation about whether the government will cut back on the size of the fleet, Topshee says the navy needs all 15 ships based on what it is expected to be able to do.