Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019 37 tegic partnerships and market entry into Canada." Through its partnership with FedDev Ontario, the conference provided a des- ignated "FedDev Pavilion" for attendees to connect one-on-one with primes and to meet with the FedDev team to learn about their programs. Pilot pointed out that the partnership with FedDev Ontario was a catalyst for companies that had not attended in the past to sign up this year. Given the success of this partnership, Pilot is looking forward to partnering with Fed- Dev Ontario next year. "We recognize that we can work together to make it even bet- ter next year with more breakout rooms," she added. Another partnership that is growing Best Defence Conference is with WiDS (Wom- en in Defence and Security), which held a speed mentoring session during the event. Pilot said that WiDS added a new element to the conference and that they are eager to return next year to further their speed- ing mentoring program. Nicholas Marum, Director, Industry Re- lations, Analysis and Policy at DND, spoke about NATO Procurement Opportunities by highlighting the two leading agencies– NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) and NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA)–that act on behalf of NATO in procurement. "These two agencies are the major entry points for Canadian companies that want to do busi- ness with NATO," said Marum. "Togeth- er, they issue more than $8 billion value of contracts annually, representing significant sales opportunities for the Canadian de- fence industry." He went on to add that there are many opportunities available for the Canadian industry to take advantage of, including ammunitions across air, land and naval do- mains, small arms, rockets, missiles, artil- lery and torpedoes. Over 33,000 contracts are issued per year by NSPA. but to take advantage of these opportunities, compa- nies must register with the agency. "Out of the 68,000 companies that are registered with NSPA, only 700 are Cana- dian, which works out to be about one per cent," said Marum. "Clearly, companies have to register to take advantage of these opportunities." During his update on Strong, Secure, En- gaged, Troy Crosby, Chief of Staff (Mate- riel) at DND, talked about the role of the materiel group and its responsibility for the acquisition and sustainment of all the Cana- dian Armed Forces (CAF) equipment. "Our work together is essential to en- suring the availability of the equipment the CAF needs to do their job at a mo- ment's call," he said. Innovation is playing an integral part in acquisition to equip the CAF, which draws from a model of relying "more heavily on academic and private sec- tor research and development." To get there, DND is making changes in how it innovates in working with industry to ac- celerate its access to the most innovative solutions that will keep its operations and mission successful in the coming years, as its needs evolve. Crosby went on to provide an update on the major capital projects currently un- derway and those that are coming up. "By this time next year, we'll have released the final request for proposal for the future fighter, which will be an important step towards the future of the CAF airpower," he said. "We also have exciting future plans for joint capabilities and special op- erations forces, including contracts for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive detection and related re- sponse capabilities." He said that there will be many other support service and life extension con- tracts. Recently, a draft invitation to qual- ify was released to engage companies for the future aircrew training for the Royal Canadian Air Force. "The year 2019 will be a very busy time for us," said Crosby. "I believe it will be the same for you, as you are the group that we turn to, to guarantee that we have the right equipment for the men and women of the CAF, that we receive it on time, and that we keep it for as long as necessary." Other sessions included presentations and panels on Autonomous Vehicle Technology, Supercluster Initiative for Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering Projects, Mini Canadian Armed Forces Outlooks, Technology Showcase, The Impact of Future Technology on Industry Capability, Dynamics of Gender and Can- ada's Defence Sector, and a WiDS Speed Mentoring session. "Best Defence keeps growing its reputa- tion as a place to do business," said Pilot. "We have received a lot of extremely posi- tive comments on the conference, the tal- ented speakers who shared their experience and insights, and the quality of the compa- nies that exhibited and participated." The next Best Defence Conference will take place on November 5-6, 2019, at the London Convention Centre. Industry EVEnTS Attendees getting lunch during the event. Barney Bangs, President/Owner at Tulmar Safety Systems Inc. making a point to two attendees. Troy Crosby, Chief of Staff (Materiel), DND during his presentation.

• Cover