Vanguard Magazine

40 JUNE/JULY 2020 www.vanguardcanada.com coViD-19 macro move needed. Adopting solutions that increasingly rely on new high-tech ca- pabilities as opposed to merely more mod- ern versions of a construct from the cold war would be a good starting point. Space-based and Unmanned Aerial Ve- hicles (UAVs) are likely solutions but ones which continue, for no rational explana- tion, to receive a backseat to more tradi- tional approaches. On our seas the introduction of the Arc- tic Offshore Patrol Vessel will go some ways to providing presence and response, notwithstanding its somewhat prosaic closing speed and a restrained capability to operate in our True North. The Surface Combatant project seems to have contin- ued an unaltered approach to Canada's involvement in the global commons. For a nation whose economy floats on saltwater, contributing to the freedom of navigation seems a reasonable strategic choice. This leaves the Army, which has remained focused on a general combat capability. Notwithstanding its repeatedly excellent performance whenever tasked the question that remains begging is: Are we asking it to perform the right tasks? After all, expedi- tionary operations are discretionary. Cana- da chooses not just "if'' it gets involved but equally consequentially "how" it might do so. The decades long commitment to build- ing a more effective conventional force best suited to a 1970's version of Western Eu- rope may now have usefully run its course. In Churchillian fashion, this crisis should not go to waste and the government has an opportunity to spell that out. Budgets are macro policy statements providing updated direction as to how each department will prioritize and how they will implement those priorities. In the wake of unprecedented and unfore- seen challenges, now might be the time to rethink Canada's future defence capability set. Difficult and costly decisions will only become more difficult and more costly in the future. A refresh of Canada in the world, that is, an actual Foreign Policy is what is now needed, when combined with an equally much needed Security Policy the basic planks would be set for a refresh of the Defence Policy. Lacking both of these efforts suggests yet another exercise in messaging as opposed to substantive and necessary evolution to meet future needs. Without being prescriptive, such a refresh should surely abandon the decades old status quo of a CAF that looks remark- ably similar to a 1970's version of itself. The world has changed dramatically, Canada has an opportunity to be holistic in its response laying out its vision of For- eign and Security Policy and how that will be translated into a Defence Policy. Re- gardless of the issue, the latest pandemic reminds us of the cost of not being suf- ficiently prepared. LGen D. Michael Day (Ret'd) joined the Ca- nadian Forces in 1983 and had the privilege of serving and commanding within his Regi- ment, and spent the majority of his career as an Operator within Canada's Counter Ter- rorist and Special Forces community com- manding both Joint Task Force Two ( JTF 2) and Canada's Special Operations Forces Command. He was deployed operationally to Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Af- ghanistan and was responsible for the prep- aration, training, and oversight of NATO's Response Force, with distributed command throughout Europe. He has served in a va- riety of Senior Staff appointments including the Canadian Armed Forces Senior Military Officer in the Defence Policy Group, and the Chief Strategic Planner for the CAF where he also oversaw the development of the De- partment of National Defence's Space and Cyber Programs. Aer retiring in September 2015, he began consulting with many com- panies, with a particular focus on the Tech Sector specifically ISR, Space and Cyber. The historic task list consists of defence of Canada and North America, participation in some form around the world with an implied 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. Photos: DND

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