The chief of the Canadian army says he now sees no need for the military to take a yearlong operational pause after the scheduled end to Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan in 2011.

Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, chief of land staff, said in March the Canadian Forces needed to explore the possibility of taking a year-long operational break after 2011. (Bill Graveland/Canadian Press)Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, chief of land staff, called the federal government's $5-billion pledge this month for new armoured vehicles a "game-changer."

In March, Leslie told a Parliamentary committee the Canadian Forces had been pushed to the limit and would need no less than a year to recover from the mission, but now says that is no longer the case.

At the time, he said the army's vehicles were old and broken, and its battalions and regiments weren't doing much better.

Leslie told the committee the army had a backlog of 6,000 untrained troops waiting for qualified soldiers to come home and train them.

But just three months later, Leslie says his army has been rejuvenated.

"With this $5 billion, we don't need an operational pause, in my opinion," he said.

The idea of an operational pause drew ridicule from Fox News host-comedian Greg Gutfeld, who caused a stir in Canada by saying the Canadian military "wants to take a breather to do some yoga, paint landscapes, run on the beach in gorgeous white Capri pants."

Gutfeld later apologized for his remarks and to the families of the Canadian soldiers who have died In Afghanistan.

New vehicles to arrive in 2012

Of the $5 billion, roughly $1 billion will be spent on upgrading and repairing 550 LAV IIIs, with an option to upgrade 80 more.

The rest of the money will be spent on three new types of vehicles:

• 108 close-combat vehicles (with an option to buy 30 more) to work with the army's Leopard tanks.
• 500 tactical armoured patrol vehicles (with an option to buy 100 more).
• 13 force mobility enhancement vehicles (with an option to buy five more) to carry equipment such as plows and building materials.

The first of the new vehicles should be in operation by 2012, with the "fully operational" fleet ready by 2015, the government said. Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan is set to end in 2011.

Leslie said the new vehicles will spend less time in the repair shop, which will free up technicians to do other work.

Parliament agreed last year to extend Canada's military mission in Afghanistan to 2011 from the previous 2009 pull-out date. In addition, Canada currently has less than 100 soldiers deployed as part of a dozen other operations around the world.

But military analyst Rob Huebert of the University of Calgary's Centre for Military and Strategic Studies said the addition of new equipment only goes partially toward giving the army a bit of a break.

The chance to use the new gear might encourage old soldiers to stick around, but it's not as simple as that, Huebert said.

"The assumption is really not that the new equipment is there to help," he told CBC News. "The assumption is that we won't be in Afghanistan."

But that, Huebert said, is not a safe assumption to make.

With files from James Cudmore