Vanguard Magazine

14 JUNE/JULY 2024 www.vanguardcanada.com "The quality of the box matters little, success depending entirely upon the man who sits in it." 11 R C A F M O D E R N I Z AT I O N management (ESM), and cyber capabilities. If data is now the key integrating function across the Joint / Allied operating environ- ment, then the electromagnetic spectrum is how it is generated and used. Exploiting it, while denying it to the adversary, has be- come a critical capability in the increasingly dynamic battlespace. Air superiority, or su- periority in any other domain, is now heav- ily reliant on the ability to achieve Electro- Magnetic Spectrum (EMS) superiority 9 and Cyber Mission Assurance (CMA). The relevant policy statements also in- crease investment in infrastructure, includ- ing RCAF Wings, Deployed Operating Bases (DOB) and Forward Operating Lo- cations (FOL) and emphasize the critical importance of digitalization and being able to conduct what the CAF refers to as Pan Domain Command and Control (PDC2). Together they have formalized the ways in which the RCAF transforms from an in- dustrial-age air force into a digital-age air and space force. What remains to be seen is whether the means are sufficient for the task at hand. The Challenges Born out of innovation at the beginning of the last century, the RCAF's founda- tion is rooted in creativity and adaptability. The critical path is its capacity for change, and that is reliant on its most important asset, its people. As noted in 1917 with the above quote by Manfred von Richtofen, aka the Red Baron, technology alone will not deliver operational advantage without the person operating it, supporting it, or commanding it. Unfortunately, the RCAF finds itself 2,000 people short. 12 It should be noted that neither NORAD Mod nor ONSF in- creased the establishment of the RCAF, yet added capabilities such as nine CC-330 Husky replacing five CC150 Polaris, addi- tional sensors such as OTHR and an AEW fleet while necessitating the strengthening of key enablers such as such as digitalization and Electromagnetic Warfare (EW). As a result, the real shortage is more than 2,000 people, and it will not be able to achieve its modernization objectives without an increase in the RCAF establishment. Con- currently, the increasing operational de- mands of today will make it more difficult to achieve modernization tomorrow with- out an immediate and significant growth in personnel coming into the CAF and RCAF. The MQ-9B squadron of 2028 does not exist today, and the people to operate and sustain it have either not yet been recruited or are currently embedded in other fleets. Equally pressing for the RCAF is the fact that recruiting new Aviators will not replace the experience gap associated with those 2,000+ people. This experience is vital to staffing projects, standing up new capa- bilities and managing the complexities of modernization. Achieving desired timelines and outcomes will likely require additional partnership with industry or outsourcing in areas such as maintenance, training delivery and digitalization to allow the RCAF to fo- cus on core air and space power capabilities. The RCAF will also need to determine what occupations and structure are best suited to a digital RCAF. The introduction of multiple data-intensive platforms and ca- ML, Sensor Fusion and Quantum to deliver options to commanders at the speed of rele- vance. Current and future programs will de- liver data intensive platforms like the F-35, MQ-9B, P-8 and the Defence Enhanced Surveillance from Space Project (DESSP) while NORAD Modernization has added additional sensors such as Over The Ho- rizon Radars (OTHR), enhanced com- munications and data link capabilities and, most importantly, the Future Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) and Cloud Based Command and Control (CBC2). This approach will impact all RCAF and CAF missions. Fixed Wing Search and Res- cue (FWSAR) and the Cormorant Mid Life Upgrade (CMLU) projects will add very capable sensors to the SAR platforms, in- cluding cell phone detection systems that permit messaging via SMS text, along with a cloud-based mission management system that will enhance command and control of the SAR mission, reducing the time spent in search operations and delivering better service to Canadians. The recently released ONSF, and its focus on Canada's North, adds an Airborne Early Warning (AEW) capability, Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) and the next Tactical Aviation Capability Set (nTACS). Embedded within all are the critical enablers of Electro-Magnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO), which includes electromagnetic warfare (EW), electromagnetic spectrum LCol W A 'Billy' Bishop VC, of No 60 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, one of the leading fighter aces of the First World War, standing in front of his Nieuport 17 Scout at Filescamp, France, August 1917 How the electromagnetic spectrum is exploited and denied in modern warfare (Credit: NATO Joint Air Power Competency Centre) 10

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