Special forces soldier who admitted to stealing military equipment faces expulsion

The Canadian military is weighing the fate of a member of the special forces who recently pleaded guilty to stealing supplies — including gun parts — and selling them online.

Cpl. Pedro Collier could be dismissed from the forces as a result.

He was hit with five criminal charges, including theft and possession and trafficking of stolen goods.

Collier received a suspended sentence and one year of probation during an appearance in an Ottawa court on Aug. 28, a spokeswoman for the Department of National Defence said.

"As a result of this conviction, the [Canadian Armed Forces] is conducting an administrative review of the member's file to determine the most appropriate administrative action to be taken," said Jessica Lamirande. "This includes various measures up to and including release from the [Canadian Armed Forces]."

The thefts took place at the main base of Joint Task Force-2 (JTF-2) at Dwyer Hill, near Ottawa, between December 2015 and March 2017. Among the items stolen were C7 gun parts, a generator, batteries, clothing, ballistic sunglasses and cleaning supplies.

Military Police said in a statement that those items were returned after Collier was confronted about the thefts last year.

But before he was caught, he managed to sell a solar charger, a jacket, a GPS device and other military equipment online, with a total value of about $4,600. That material was not recovered.

Rules were followed, says DND

Military police, working directly with special forces, received a tip in March, 2017 after items started appearing for sale. The file was handed over to the criminal investigation branch of the Canadian Armed Forces a few weeks later. 

Collier was charged on Oct. 28, 2018.

Because weapon parts were among the stolen items, Lamirande said special forces conducted a review of its supply management procedures and found nothing wrong.

"The review indicated that our practices were in line with DND/CAF Supply Administration Policies, especially where sensitive equipment is concerned," she said.

The rules for the storage and verification of equipment were followed in this case, she added.

Tracking material, supplies

However, the Department of National Defence has introduced new guidelines since Collier was charged that require special forces units to "better reconcile the acquisition process with the materiel system of record."

Officials also are looking at introducing an "automated materiel tracking and accountability system," said Lamirande.

The fact that vital sections of the defence department don't have such a tracking system now doesn't surprise one military expert. Dave Perry, a defence analyst and specialist in procurement at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said the issue has been a constant source of irritation for government watchdogs for over a decade. 

The material and supply tracking system has never been fully uniform. In some cases, it's outdated. 

Eight years ago, the auditor general criticized the defence department's handling of supply management, noting a new tracking system — called DRMIS — was to be implemented starting in 2012 but would "likely take many years and will require sustained efforts," including training for personnel in data analysis.

A major report on military transportation, ordered up by the former Conservative government, also took aim at gaps and inconsistencies in supply management.

"It's been a known limitation and weakness," said Perry.

"Different parts of National Defence have done a much better job. I know the navy has put a lot of effort into tracking where things go, but it's been a struggle to get it implemented across the department."

A more business-like approach similar to what's in place in the retail sector — where items are scanned out at the cash and inventory is ordered automatically — might help, said Perry. He added that digitizing military inventory would involve an enormous effort — much like the medical community's work to make patient records electronic.

"It has been a struggle to get modern business software to run the guts of the department administratively," he said.