Vanguard Magazine

40 APRIL/MAY 2021 www.vanguardcanada.com EVENT success, and government's success is in- dustry's success. To reinforce this point, he gave a very grateful and heartfelt thanks to industry for all of their tremendous support during the COVID-19 pandemic which was instrumental in the RCN meet- ing its readiness requirements and global deployment commitments. The How The second day was equally as insightful as it provided a number of presentations on the future of Naval In-Service Support and "how" it can and will be delivered. As Ca- nadians, we should be extremely proud of the industry capabilities that have been and are currently under development. We were reminded of the fact that there are many Canadian companies competing globally as a result of our acquisition and moderniza- tion of the Halifax class frigates. We were provided demonstrations of how digital models and digital twins will enable more effective and optimal workflows, how they will deliver more effective training, and higher levels of maintenance support to our fleets both onboard and ashore. We were reminded that there are solu- tions available today that will enable edge, core, and cloud computing securely. When a question was asked whether this progress will lock out small and medium enterpris- es, the answer was a categorical no. It was assessed that if anything, it will enable and encourage Canadian small and medium enterprises to compete, or in a climate of increased partnership, to partner. All of this optimism was equally grounded in a number of realities. The flow of data be- tween systems, OEMs, government, and industry will require a collaborative effort to ensure "standards". It was also assessed that there needs to be a more fundamen- tal conversation on security classifications/ standards as industry delivers ever more secure infrastructure. Put more bluntly, as technology has evolved, have defence poli- cies on how militaries classify and secure data equally evolved? The Why A common mistake made by senior execu- tives when communicating to their teams is to focus on the "what" and the "how", assuming that everyone understands the "why". This year's ShipTech Forum was very fortunate to have Dr. Dave Perry, Vice President of Canadian Global Affairs Insti- tute and one of Canada's foremost experts on the National Shipbuilding Strategy. He shared his in-depth analysis and insights on the status of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) so far. Dr. Perry noted the tremendous success of the program partic- ularly pertaining to the Domestic and Eco- nomic benefits that have been delivered and will continue to be delivered. He also noted that there is fundamentally a greater and more sophisticated appreciation and understanding of the complexity of build- ing capable warships by organizations such as the PBO and the OAG. He also reinforced the fact that the ships being delivered to the CCG and the RCN are being built because they have impor- tant mandates to fulfill in the safety, se- curity, and defence of our nation on be- half of Canadians. A fact that he notes is unfortunately absent in many of the NSS conversations, particularly in the media. He went on to provide a very technical insight into how government will actu- ally "pay" for these ships in the future. He observed that if PBO's number is correct regarding the Canadian Surface Combat- ant program with an additional $17 bil- lion required, the impact on the federal balance sheet would be roughly $300-350 million per year, and that won't start until after the first ship is accepted by the Navy sometime after 2031. He then rhetorically asked, is that a significant sum when we are attempting to forecast our national bud- get from 2030-2070? Despite all of these positives, he did share his deep-seated concern that in the current environment it could or will be difficult to ensure the NSS "KEEPS SOLD". He then provided a few recommendations for government and specifically the CCG/RCN to ensure the NSS "KEEPS SOLD" and for greater and more effective communications with all of government. The 8th annual ShipTech Forum pro- vided an invaluable and timely dialogue on the status and importance of the Ship- building/Ship Repair Sector in Canada. Despite the recognized challenges, the overall tone of the forum was that of op- timism and a genuine belief that Canada has established a global leading maritime sector. A sector that will hopefully attract young Canadians to enthusiastically work in it, and if we continue to do this prop- erly, compete successfully on the interna- tional stage. The "what" and the "how" are clear and all stakeholders need to keep reminding Canadians about the "why" this is important. The collective success of the Canadian Maritime Sector is predicated on ensuring the NSS "KEEPS SOLD". VAdm Ron Lloyd (Ret'd) was the Master of Ceremonies for ShipTech Forum 2021. A native of Taber, Alberta, Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd (Ret'd) was the 35th Com- mander of the Royal Canadian Navy from 2016-2019. During this time, he was also "double hatted" as the acting Vice Chief of the Defence Staff for almost half a year and as the first Chief Data Officer for the Department of National Defence and Ca- nadian Armed Forces for a full year. During his 38-year career in the RCN, he had the privileged to command HMCS Charlotte- town, HMCS Algonquin, the PACIFIC Fleet, and the ATLANTIC fleet. He has extensive operational experience having deployed on numerous occasions globally. He also served at National Defence Head- quarters as the Deputy Commander of the RCN, the Chief of Force Development for the Canadian Armed Forces, the Director General of Force Development for the RCN, and Executive Assistant to the Commander of the RCN. He is currently the Strategic Advisor for Accenture Health & Public Sector. This year's ShipTech Forum was very fortunate to have Dr. Dave Perry, Vice President of Canadian Global Affairs Institute and one of Canada's foremost experts on the National Shipbuilding Strategy. He shared his in-depth analysis and insights on the status of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) so far.

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