Vanguard Magazine

22 DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 www.vanguardcanada.com Strong, Secure, Engaged: CYBER Canada's CyberseCurity and Cyber defenCe update C onflict and warfare have seen drastic changes in recent de- cades, mostly due to global- ization, technology and geo- political and economic power shifts. Affecting more than just strategies, tactics and equipment, who and how they engage and behave in conflict and what they employ have moved far outside of the conventions and treaties most nations ad- here to in time of war. Adversaries, armed with more sophis- ticated means and the willingness to use violence to achieve political, social and ideological agendas, have developed com- plex profiles. Both state and non-state ac- tors have become more fluid, coordinated and networked, adopting more formal processes and increasing their agility and resiliency. Harder to infiltrate and defeat, defending national interests against these adversaries demands more than adequate skills and budgets. Canada's vision for defence has been long founded on the preservation and protection of two primary interests meant to benefit all Canadians: security, as in the freedom to live without fear, and prosper- ity, as in the ability to flourish through individual choices and pursuits. Investing in these interests for decades, Canada has enjoyed safety and security, a stable econ- omy, societal wellbeing, and individual rights and freedoms that are the envy of other nations. In preserving these interests, Canada has become an important contributor in a consortium of nations who subscribe to the primacy of rules-based international order and government-authorized de- fence. Through its past accordance with international law, trade agreements and immigration protocols, Canada has also forged a reputation as a leader in human rights and peacekeeping. Clearly, Canada has a lot to protect. However, the rapid advancements in technology and global destabilizations in political and societal change have made protecting and sustaining these interests an arduous challenge. With the threshold of technological stagnation widening – as it does –Canada's military has been in preparations to meet the future as a more agile, capable and innovative organiza- tion. In 2017, the Department of National Defence (DND) penned Canada's De- fence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, to support the transformation of the Cana- dian Armed Forces (CAF). Within Strong, Secure, Engaged, one hundred and eleven initiatives can be categorized under these five main themes: a well-supported and resilient workforce, investments that en- hance capability and capacity, fostering de- fence innovation, defining defence vision, and stable, realistic funding. Idealized through its overarching vision – to be strong at home, secure in North America and engaged in the world – and to evolve Canada's military, Strong, Se- cured, Engaged outlines the capabilities and means to embody, promote and pro- tect Canada's interests at home, abroad BY ValaRiE FindlaY

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