Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/103039
Security S 15 years is that NATO and other alliances were always poorly prepared in non-military areas – judges, police, education, and administration, the elements that have to be in place after the troops leave. He also remarked that countries shouldn't apply military force in situations where diplomacy is better than guns. The use of Twitter was encouraged, with many commenting on discussions on the floor. During this session, the discussion was concisely summed up, in one tweet from participant Joshua Foust, "Ischinger: 'the new normal doesn't look too different to me from the old normal.' YES, FINALLY!" As the unfolding situation between Israel and Gaza was top of mind as the weekend unfolded, participants received a briefing during the "Halifax Chat" from Mohammed Shtayyeh, Minister, Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction, and Brigadier General Shlomo Brom, the Senior Research Associate, Institute for National Security Studies, who believe that the situation could be resolved but also left the assembly with a warning that a ground war may be imminent in that part of the world. Coming on the heels of the American election and with a delegation of senators, headed by Sen. John McCain present, the U.S. role on the world stage was discussed in several sessions. Key points were whether the U.S. could continue to "lead from behind" and whether the political will to play the world's policeman still existed in that country. Some of the more salient points came from Pauline NevilleJones, the Patron to Cyber Security Challenge and Special Government Representative to Business on Cyber Security, House of Lords, United Kingdom. "My biggest wish for American leadership is that Americans get their debt down," she said. "It's not just the potential issue of the leverage it gives China, which I think it does. I think it has just as much to do with how the debt drags down American potential growth rates." She added: "One thing that's striking to a Brit is the danger signals in the United States that we saw in Great Britain a half century ago – a bit too much complacency, a bit of overreach, and a lack of focus. We spend millions and trillions on military intervention when a relatively small amount [of non-militarily] would do a lot of good in these countries over the long term." The final day of the conference tackled the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with emphasis on the future of the youth of these two nations, especially considering the percentage spent on education in Pakistan versus the amount spent on the military, the education of women and the type of world they will inherit post the 2014 Afghan elections. As Amrullah Saleh, former Intelligence Chief for Afghanistan, said, "we have to be very honest in assessing Pakistan. Is it an ally, or is it a hostile state? What do they want? Answering that question will have a profound effect on the future of Pakistan." The conference wrapped up with a discussion on cybersecurity and drones. The moderator, Jeanne Meserve, gave the panelists a scenario to respond to with regard to how the governments of Canada and the U.S. would respond to a cyber threat to their collective power grid. The session morphed into a discussion on the use of unmanned systems, with the consensus being that they are a tool, in the same way as a rifle, and that they are best used as a tool and not a strategy. MacKay summed up the proceedings by saying, "ours is a Forum that is about going global but remembering that there are real consequences to our theories and practices. We are a community charged with examining the linkages between problems in order to find solutions." ONLINE GRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS | TACTICAL CRIMINAL ANALYSIS Visit the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) website for detailed information on course descriptions and entrance requirements. Applications being accepted for May 2013 intake. www.jibc.ca/graduatestudies | 604.528.5843 www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2012/JANUARY 2013 37