Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/122908
L Land Force Colonel Richard Dickson, CD, is the director of the Canadian Army Land Warfare Centre in Kingston, Ontario. Advancing innovative ideas The new Canadian Army Land Warfare Centre Photo: Col. Richard Dickson (right), director CALWC, discusses the problems of military adaptation with noted American strategist Dr. Williamson Murray. A s the army prepared to emerge from a decade of complex operations and transition from the current theatre in Afghanistan to the new Force 2013 baseline – setting conditions for the next major force development build towards Land Ops 2021 – it became clear that Army governance needed a refresh in order to enhance leadership, staff synchronization, and unity of effort. To this end, starting in early 2011, the Deputy Commander Canadian Army led a major review of the existing army governance model with a view to making improvements that would ultimately lead to the implementation of command-driven priorities for future capability development. Included in the implementing directive published in August 2012 was direction to stand up the new Canadian Army Land Warfare Centre (CALWC) effective 17 September 2012. For a number of years now, the capability and force development focused elements of Chief of Staff (COS) Land Strategy 34 APRIL/MAY 2013 www.vanguardcanada.com and Land Force Doctrine and Training System (LFDTS) have strived to function as a virtual warfare centre, coordinating and synchronizing developments in land concepts, design, doctrine and force structure, incorporating both new ideas and technologies, and lessons from the Army learning process. Establishing the CALWC last autumn was seen as a logical next-step to preserve the integrity of the army's intellectual foundation as well as its war-tested land capability development process. While many of the contributors to the warfare centre will remain virtual members, coordinated through the Warfare Centre Collaboration Team (WCCT), the creation of a core warfare centre organization establishes a single organization with overall lead responsibility for the development of the army's overarching concepts and capability definition for both the Army of Tomorrow, looking out 5-10 years, and the Future Army looking beyond current force development horizons, as far out as the year 2040. It also provides a clear focal point for increased collaboration with CF Capability Development efforts, as well as with the CF, sister services, and allied army warfare centres. The CALWC is mandated to actively develop, advance, experiment and communicate innovative ideas, concepts and designs aimed at preparing the Canadian Army to meet the challenges of