In the machismo culture of the modern soldier, outsiders do not usually hear complaints about poor equipment and foolish generals. Instead, it is turned into a black joke. Eight years ago, in Bosnia, a group of Canadian peacekeepers on patrol inside a lightly armoured personnel carrier were entertaining a visiting journalist. 'This armour wouldn't stop a high-calibre round,' one soldier said in the cramped interior. 'In fact, the bullet would penetrate one side, lose much of its force and just bounce around inside. We'd all be shredded in less than a second. Try to imagine that.' The visitor turned pale. He asked the obvious follow-up question: What kind of military sends its soldiers out in vehicles that will not stop a sniper's bullet? But the soldiers only grinned and turned away. Two weeks ago, a Canadian sailor died when fire broke out in a navy submarine in the North Atlantic. The sub was one of four second-hand craft bought from the British for C$750 million (HK$4.6 billion). Last week, the navy took out of service all four of the diesel-electric vessels while it investigates the fire. It may have been an unavoidable accident, but in the last decade, the Canadian military has been having too many problems with its equipment in the air, on the ground and at sea. The forces that fought so bravely in Europe and the Far East during the second world war are being portrayed in some quarters as under-equipped, under-funded, and under-appreciated by the government. There is a disturbing pattern: last October, three Canadian peacekeepers in Afghanistan were killed while travelling in their jeeps. A landmine and a suicide bomber were involved. Critics said the lightweight jeep did not offer enough protection. The vehicles have since been taken out of service in Afghanistan. Then there are the accident-prone Sea King helicopters, otherwise known as 'flying coffins'. Canada bought 41 in 1963. They regularly suffer engine stalls and other mechanical problems. Pilots have died. Once a source of national pride, they are now a potential death trap. But they will have to stay airborne for a few more years before replacements are delivered. Perhaps the greatest source of shame to the Canadian military is that it has no 'strategic lift'. This means that if the government wants to send peacekeepers and their heavy equipment to Afghanistan or Africa, it has to buy space on Russian or Ukrainian cargo planes, or beg a ride from the Americans. We have come a long way from the trenches of world war one, when Canadian soldiers under fire threw away their Ross rifles, which jammed constantly, and picked up the Lee-Enfields of fallen British soldiers. But we still have a way to go.