Vanguard Magazine

4 DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024 www.vanguardcanada.com E D I T O R' S N O T E In the world of security and defence, the buzzwords "synergy," "integration," and "collaboration" risk losing their meaning. This issue emphasizes their critical impor- tance. With the number and severity of global threats on the rise, Canada and its allies urgently need integrated, collabora- tive systems to defend against them. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the broader defence industry must swiftly en- hance information exchange and collabo- ration with internal and external partners. Our feature story is based on a round- table discussion we recently held in Ot- tawa. Moderator LGen (Ret'd) Michael Rouleau posed several questions around digital transformation to Ross Ermel, As- sistant Deputy Minister (Digital Transfor- mation), Department of National Defence (DND); Raj Thuppal, Assistant Deputy Minister, and Chief Information Officer, DND; and MGen Peter Dawe, Chief of Combat Systems Integration. What jumps out is how committed they are to connect- ing the diverse systems, people and allies that make up Canada's defence framework. Ross Ermel sums their objectives perfectly when he says, "my dream is…to ensure high-quality data availability for superior decision-making." Rick Fawcett's piece, "Integration and Interoperability – At the Core of Canada's C4ISR Solution," emphasizes the need for a system of systems to automate com- mand-and-control. He defines integra- tion and interoperability in the context of the CAF and offers examples of how they make a difference. Success won't come eas- ily, but as Fawcett notes, overcoming the challenges is crucial amid rising regional conflict and global instability. This issue features two Game Chang- ers. The first is Dr. Emeka E. Egbogah, Technology Strategy and Product Portfo- lio Manager at General Dynamics Mission Systems – Canada. Dr. Egbogah's role in delivering TacCIS products gives him a unique perspective regarding the impact of artificial intelligence and machine learn- ing on defense markets and on Canada's ability to pre-empt threats. The second is John Davis, Vice President, Public Sector at Palo Alto Networks. With his blend of defence and industry experience, he out- lines the latest cyberthreats, and what has him most worried. Missed Deep Blue Forum 2023? Naval expert Capt(N) (Ret'd) Norman Jolin provides a comprehensive summary of the event. Among the highlights was Com- modore Jason Armstrong, RCN Director- General Naval Force Development, who emphasized expediting Canada's subma- rine procurement and outlined technical requirements for Arctic and global mis- sions in his keynote. Finally, we hope you are excited as we are for the year ahead. We are especially looking forward to the 10th annual C4ISR and Beyond conference taking place on January 30th at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. This one-day conference has a single goal in mind; to rally the Defence ecosystem (military, government, indus- try, and academia) in rich dialogue around the dynamic nature of today's military op- erations, assessed future trends and Indus- try's ability to bridge technological deficits to the benefit of our national defence and security. The value of this event stems from a cu- rated set of candid keynote and panel discussions, featuring leading voices, that explore the breadth of C4ISR challenges and opportunities as militaries attempt to modernize at pace and scale. The design is highly focused, seeking to educate and inform all defence ecosystem parties, to grow both solutioning context and trust for tomorrow. To view the lineup of stellar speakers, visit https://vanguardcanada. com/c4isr2024. Here's to a happy and productive 2024. Terri Pavelic, Editor-in-Chief EDITORIAL E D I TO R-I N-C H I E F | T E R R I PAV E L I C terri@promotivemedia.ca P U B L I S H E R A N D E X E C U T I V E E D I TO R | J. R I C H A R D J O N E S john@promotivemedia.ca CO N T R I B U T I N G E D I TO R | M I C H A E L MacM I L LA N CONTRIBUTORS R I C K F AWC E TT J A K E J ACO B S O N N O R M A N J O L I N M I C H A E L RO U L E A U EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD LG E N S T U A RT B E A R E (R E T'D) CO L R I C H A R D F AWC E TT (R E T'D) CA PT(N) N O R M J O L I N (R E T'D) CO L P I E R R E L E B LA N C (R E T'D) CA R I N N A L I N S H A N N O N M CC L U R E SALES D I R E CTO R, CO N T E N T & B U S I N E S S D E V E LO P M E N T | DAV I D B LO N D E A U david@promotivemedia.ca ART & PRODUCTION A RT D I R E CTO R | E L E N A PA N KOVA elena@promotivemedia.ca S U B S C R I P T I O N S A N D A D D R E S S C H A N G E S C I RC U LAT I O N S E RV I C E S | circulation@promotivemedia.ca Publisher's Mail Agreement: 40052410 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to circulation dept. 21374, 2nd Concession Rd, East Gwillimbury, ON, L9N 0H7 Vanguard magazine is published 6 times per year by Promotive Communications Inc. All opinions expressed herein are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any person or organization associated with the magazine. Letters, submissions, comments and suggested topics are welcome, and should be sent to terri@promotivemedia.ca REPRINT INFORMATION: Reproduction or photocopying is prohibited without the publisher's prior written consent. High quality reprints of articles and additional copies of the magazine are available through circulation@promotivemedia.ca PRIVACY POLICY: We do not sell our mailing list or share any confidential information on our subscribers. VANGUARD OFFICE 21374, 2nd Concession Rd, East Gwillimbury, ON, L9N 0H7 Phone: (905) 727-3875 THE FORUM FOR CANADA'S SECURITY AND DEFENCE COMMUNITY

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