Vanguard Magazine

Vanguard April/May 2020

Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR

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34 APRIL/MAY 2020 www.vanguardcanada.com CoViD-19 COVID-19. It's the stuff that gripping, suspense-filled movies are made of: A new virus of a mysterious origin emerges in a faraway land. Shifting from an epidemic to a pandemic within weeks, it spreads like wildfire across the globe. It's infecting thousands upon thousands, straining healthcare and social services systems, putting militaries on standby and placing national security on high alert. Swiftly, both supply and demand dry up at the same time and cash flows are re- duced to mere drips followed by widespread unemployment. Governments respond with varying mitigation strategies – some isolating incidence clusters, closing bor- ders, suspending travel and restricting the public's movement. An enormous cost and human rights conundrum in balancing freedoms with pre- cautionary steps, other governments take a conservative 'wait and see' stance and impose minimal restrictions. Others do nothing. The public, sensing an impending shortage of goods, respond by panic-buying cleaning products, food and necessities, and taking their frustrations to social me- dia. Soon, common items – toilet paper, sanitizers, sanitary products, face masks, even ventilators – that were once abundant become critically scarce, only to pop up on online marketplaces at hugely inflated prices. Millions of businesses are shuttered, even more shelter in place for weeks and the bustling cities of the world fall silent. With no end in sight, worries of poverty, failing sectors, rising costs, food shortages and a mental health crisis remain unanswered. The absence of critical care equipment, tests, treatments and vaccines instill a deeper fear. As the world collectively strains to see a horizon on the other side of this crisis, all wonder: has the worst materialized or is it yet to come? Recently, I spoke with Vanguard Radio on COVID-19 as both a threat-event and as a national security concern and how it may expose vulnerabilities of a na- tion, setting the stage for grey zone tactics by adversaries. National Security, the Economy and COVID-19: fifty ShAdES of thE GrEy ZonE

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