Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com JUNE/JULY 2020 39 coViD-19 COVID-19 reinforce this construct and provide a poignant reminder and poten- tial analogy as we contemplate the finan- cial impact of the necessary closing down of the economy. Among an almost bewildering array of consequences is the impact on the defence budget which normally is the largest pot of discretionary spending available to the Federal Government. It is here that dur- ing past times of financial crisis, Canadian governments have turned to help amelio- rate a bottom line awash in red ink. Lay- ered onto this equation is of course what should now be accepted as a scientific given: Climate Change. Almost inargu- ably the greatest actualized threat to ev- ery state around the world the resultant changing weather patterns are having a demonstrably increased impact on every single element of the world's population. Under these circumstances, perpetuation of the status quo of any national capability should be the only option not worthy of a moment of contemplation. Much like our COVID-19 response, what we have done in the past is no longer going to be as ef- fective as we need it to be in the future and coming to that realization, and do- ing something about it, sooner rather than later, is what is needed. These are among the main factors that will influence whatever it is we are going to decide to do with the most likely diminish- ing defence dollars or perhaps more accu- rately described redirected defence dollars. History clearly reveals that the Canadian government policy with regard to defence has not fundamentally changed in decades, which is not in itself a bad thing. An ad- herence to three macro tasks has resulted in successive "policy" papers essentially be- ing word-smithing exercises that are really about commitments or announcements (not always the same thing), regarding major procurement initiatives. All have the shared intent of explaining how Canada will recover a place in the world so badly diminished by whichever party was previ- ously in power. All much of a sameness. The historic task list consists of defence of Canada and North America, participation in some form around the world with an im- plied fourth and increasingly visible task of when necessary redirection of the capacity of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to domestic non-security related challenges as we are sadly experiencing in Long Term Care Facilities. The first suggests that an emphasis on awareness and understanding in Air and Maritime domains is likely the The Canadian Armed Forces face risk every day in either doing their job or preparing to do it. Experience suggests that minimizing the latter has a disproportionate effect on accentuating the former. BEST DEFENCE, BEST VALUE! November 17 & 18, 2020 bestdefenceconference.com Registration is now open

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