Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/122908
E editor's note EDITOR Chris Thatcher editorvanguard@netgov.ca CONTRIBUTORS Brian Mersereau Andrew Warden Kurt Salchert Ian Coutts Stefan Dubowski Richard Dickson Joshua Samac Lisa Levesque Stephen Saideman EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD LGen (Ret'd) Bill Leach LGen (Ret'd) George Macdonald VAdm (Ret'd) Greg Maddison LGen (Ret'd) Michel Maisonneuve Ambassador Graham Green Professor Philippe Lagassé SALES VICE PRESIDENT PUBLIC SECTOR SALES Terri Pavelic (905) 727-4091 ext. 225 terrip@netgov.ca National Account Manager Marcello Sukhdeo (905) 727-4091 ext. 224 marcellos@netgov.ca MARKETING DIRECTOR Mary Malofy ART & PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR Elena Pankova SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ADDRESS CHANGES CIRCULATION DIRECTOR James Watson circulation@promotive.net (705) 812-0611 CORPORATE PUBLISHER John R. Jones publisher@netgov.ca Publisher's Mail Agreement: 40052410 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to circulation dept. 24-4 Vata Court, Aurora, ON L4G 4B6 Vanguard magazine is published 6 times per year by Promotive Communications Inc. All opinions expressed herein are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any person or organization associated with the magazine. Letters, submissions, comments and suggested topics are welcome, and should be sent to assoceditor@netgov.ca REPRINT INFORMATION: Reproduction or photocopying is prohibited without the publisher's prior written consent. High quality reprints of articles and additional copies of the magazine are available through circulation@netgov.ca PRIVACY POLICY: We do not sell our mailing list or share any confidential information on our subscribers. VANGUARD OFFICE 24-4 Vata Court, Aurora, ON L4G 4B6 Phone: (905) 727-4091 Fax: (905) 727-4428 The value of independent oversight As Vanguard went to press, Kevin Page's term as Parliamentary Budget Officer had expired and Sonia L'Heureux had been appointed on an interim basis. And among the punditry there was considerable concern for the long-term future, purpose and bite of the organization. Amid Page's final reports was an assessment of the feasibility of the budget for the Royal Canadian Navy's Joint Support Ships in which the PBO challenged the government's numbers, suggesting the $2.6 billion plan would not deliver the required ships. When it was first announced as part of the 2006 Federal Accountability Act, many hoped the PBO would fulfill a role similar to the American Government Accountability Office. Although its mandate had breadth – "to provide independent analysis to Parliament on the state of the nation's finances, the government's estimates and trends in the Canadian economy … and upon request … to estimate the financial cost of any proposal for matters over which Parliament has jurisdiction" – the PBO was placed within the Library of Parliament and reports to the Speakers of both the House and Senate. While Page interpreted his mandate broadly, it's uncertain the PBO will exhibit the level of independence often seen by the GAO. Pity. Because on the defence file the GAO has played an important role in keeping costs under control. One of its latest reports, for example, is an annual assessment of the acquisition of selected Department of Defense weapon programs. It found that estimated costs for 86 major programs had decreased between 2011 and 2012. Though much of that reduction was due to fewer quantities in some programs and a decline in the number of programs in the portfolio generally, the report said, "newer acquisition programs are demonstrating higher levels of knowledge at key decision points." In short, although many DoD programs were "still not fully adhering to a knowledge-based acquisition approach," risk management had improved significantly in an area the GAO has deemed "high risk for more than 20 years." GAO can't take credit for that improvement, but it's likely the watchful oversight of the office has forced project managers to steadily improve performance. And improved defence acquisition performance is certainly relevant as Canada embarks on a major shipbuilding program. National Defence might not always appreciate the constant oversight, but a strong PBO might help strengthen project delivery over the long run. For an interesting perspective on where shipbuilding could be heading, in this issue we offer a point-counterpoint debate on the merits of buying modified offthe-shelf ship designs versus made-in-Canada solutions. The GAO report recognized the Obama Administration's "Better Buying Power" initiatives for promoting affordability and technological maturity in making milestone decisions. Perhaps a future PBO will credit the Harper government's most recent budget announcements for improving the Canadian acquisition processes. Chris Thatcher, Editor 4 APRIL/MAY 2013 www.vanguardcanada.com RC_Rem