Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/1384391
18 JUNE/JULY 2021 www.vanguardcanada.com INTERVIEW THE CANADIAN ARMY Modernizing BY MARCELLO SUKHDEO T he Canadian Army Modern- ization Strategy is a document that positions the Canadian Army to continue acting as one of the building blocks of today's and tomorrow's Canadian joint military force. Built on Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Cana- dian Army Modernization Strategy out- lines the numerous evolving challenges in defence, and emphasizes the multi- horizontal initiatives that must take place to modernize the Canadian Army in the context of these very challenges. To understand the many parts of this strategy and what needs to be done from a higher level, Vanguard recently spoke with BGen Chris C. Ayotte, Chief of Staff Army Strategy, Canadian Army. BGen Ayotte enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1992 under the Reserve Entry Training Program. He first attended tralian Command and Staff Course in Canberra, Australia and the National Se- curity Programme at CFC in Toronto. He assumed the role of Chief of Staff Army Strategy in August 2020. Q The Canadian Army Modernization Strategy comprises of four distinct ele- ments: Orientation, Affirmation, Confir- mation, and Implementation. Please give us an overview of these pillars and what it means to the Canadian Army? The four pillars of the Canadian Army Modernization Strategy are: • Orientation –focuses on understanding the strategic context in which the Army will modernize, in particular domestic and international security trends, our government's priorities, and our allies' approaches. We need to do our best to AN INTERVIEW WITH BGEN CHRIS C. AYOTTE, CHIEF OF STAFF ARMY STRATEGY, CANADIAN ARMY Royal Roads Military College in Victo- ria, and then graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), Kingston, in 1996 with an undergradu- ate degree in Chemical and Materials En- gineering. Upon completion of Military Engineer training in Chilliwack, he served in 1 CER, CFSME, 2 CER, and finally 4 ESR as the Commanding Officer. BGen Ayotte's international deploy- ments have been to the Balkans, Af- ghanistan, and the Middle East. He has served on multiple domestic operations across the country in response to floods, ice storms, forest fires, hurricanes, and ground search and rescue. His extra regi- mental appointments include service with 1 Cdn Div HQ as the CO DART / J35, Canadian Army HQ as DAS 2, 4 Cdn Div HQ as the COS, and RMC as the Direc- tor of Cadets. BGen Ayotte is a graduate of the Aus-