Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/1136584
www.vanguardcanada.com JUNE/JULY 2019 19 interview Q Please share with us a brief over- view of your responsibilities as Director Naval Requirements for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The Director Naval Requirements (DNR) is accountable to the Director General Na- val Force Development for the operational equipment and capability requirements of Canada's naval forces and provides proj- ect directorship for all capital projects for which the Commander of the Royal Cana- dian Navy (RCN) is sponsor. The acquisition of maritime equipment that supports operational requirements directly benefits Fleet operations and en- sures that the RCN has relevant, respon- sive, and effective naval forces for maritime force generation and employment at home and abroad. The primary focus of DNR is to shep- herd the RCN capital acquisition program through the various Department of Na- tional Defence governance gates. Generally, this involves three main areas of activity. The first includes liaison with other National Defence Headquarters or- ganizations such as the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Joint Operations Command, and Assistant Deputy Minister Policy, to ensure that the RCN's capital program priorities are broadly understood and aligned within departmental priorities. The second includes partnership with Defence Research Development Canada and the RCN's Innovation team to ana- lyze the future of warfare and the future global security environment, in order to develop RCN capability roadmaps. The third is to improve the RCN's knowledge and understanding of current capability options, and to identify areas for growth and improvement by engaging with NATO Allies, other partner nations and industry. Moreover, industry liaison is an important aspect of developing future capabilities that respond to future security environment analysis. Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE), launched in 2017, pro- vides broad direction for Canada's de- fence team and a clear mandate to the RCN for modernization. This policy is grounded in an assessment of the global security environment that is marked by a shifting balance of power, the changing nature of conflict and the rapid evolution of technology. This policy has afforded the RCN the opportunity to recapitalize the Fleet and advance many of its opera- tional enablers. In short, SSE has pro- vided the impetus for the RCN, through Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Moncton sits at anchor in Pond Inlet, Nunavut while sailing on Op Qimmiq. Photo: Corporal Felicia Ogunniya, DND.