Mahan, Integration/Unification and Naval Procurement
On 3 May 2012, Prime Minister Harper stated at the dedication of the Royal Canadian Navy Monument: “Canada is a maritime nation, a maritime nation with trade, commerce and interests around the world.” Mahan, a noted naval strategist and historian, in his Principles of Seapower outlined six major principles that determine whether or not a nation is a maritime...
Advancement in pilot training solutions, an interview with Peter Fedak, SkyAlyne
In May 2018, CAE and KF Aerospace joined together to form SkyAlyne Canada, a 50/50 joint venture that focuses on developing and delivering military pilot and aircrew training in Canada. Currently, CAE and KF Aerospace deliver all phases of pilot training to the Royal Canadian Air Force through the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program managed by CAE,...
The buzz around procurement for the Canadian Armed Forces
A few weeks ago, I attended the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries’ major event of the year – CANSEC. As Canada’s largest defence trade show, CANSEC has been instrumental in bringing both local and international companies to showcase their innovative solutions for Canada. This year there was a slew of equipment, technologies and innovative solutions on display...
Latest PBO report estimates the cost of CSC at almost $70 billion
The latest Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) report, The Cost of Canada’s Surface Combatants: 2019 Update, issued on June 21, 2019, estimated the cost of the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) project at $69.8 billion over 26 years. This consists of $5.3 billion in pre-production costs, $53.2 billion in production costs, and $11.4 billion in project-wide costs. This cost has been...
Changing the way the Canadian Army acquires capabilities, an interview with LCol Ian Graham, DLR4
Command, Communications, Control, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) is a crucial facet of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations and a growing area that is getting more attention in recent years. Lieutenant Colonel Ian R. Graham In this episode of Vanguard Radio, J. Richard Jones speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Ian R. Graham, Director of Land Requirements 4, at...
Strong, Secure, Engaged: A Two-Year Review
As Strong, Secure, Engaged approaches its second anniversary, the Trudeau government’s record of delivering on its defence policy is a largely positive one. While it isn’t spending as much as anticipated on capital (equipment and infrastructure), that expenditure line is increasing in inflation adjusted dollars, and total defence spending is meeting the policy’s expectations. In Strong, Secure, Engaged’s first...
