Vanguard Magazine

4 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2025 www.vanguardcanada.com E D I T O R' S N O T E As I write this op-ed, Canada has just learned of a 30-day reprieve on tariffs pro- posed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Every Canadian has been touched by this news. It's sparked concern, but it has also led to productive and even optimistic conversations about the future of Canada and our role in the world. This kind of thinking comes second nature to those who work in the Canadian Armed Forces, and it's reflected in this issue of Vanguard. I'm particularly excited to include a fea- ture based on a panel discussion that took place at Deep Blue Forum 2024, focused on the challenges of in-service support for Canada's submarine fleet. The speakers, made up of military and industry experts, discussed the complexi- ties of sustaining strategic submarine as- sets, covering everything from workforce development to IT infrastructure. Overall, they stress the need for a collaborative, holistic approach to ensure long-term fleet readiness. And one item jumps out given recent news: the need to prioritize Cana- dian supply chains. As Martin Drews of Seaspan noted, "Supply chains have to be Canadian. We need them inside Canada. We need to minimize the impact of being held to somebody else's repair and over- haul pipelines… and more importantly, ensuring that we have those supporting policies, process materials, and trade to support Canadian tradespeople to execute the work in Canada." I'm also pleased to welcome back RAdm (Ret'd) Ian Mack to Vanguard. He ad- dresses the need for some potentially sig- nificant change regarding traditional ap- proaches. In his first contribution to this issue, Mack examines the life cycle cost estimation (LCCE) process for Forces as- sets. He raises some interesting questions about the reliability of LCCE, given the many assumptions and the lack of compre- hensive documentation that tends to ac- company the practice. In this month's Last Word, Mack also makes his position on Canada's Defence Procurement Review unmistakably clear: he describes it as 'slower than molasses in January.' Now, 18 months in, he notes that there has been no clear public update on progress or timeline. This stands in stark contrast to the rapid pace of procurement reforms in the United States and else- where. Mack even suggests that appoint- ing a 'military procurement czar' may be necessary to drive the needed changes. Finally, I'm pleased to share with you highlights from the recent C4ISR and Beyond event. Each year I look forward to this gathering. There are few other op- portunities to hear so many leading ex- perts talking about the close interplay of technology when it comes to security and national defence. On a final note, I hope that all of you had an enjoyable holiday season, filled with friends and family. And on behalf of everyone at Vanguard, I wish you a hap- py and healthy 2025. I'm excited for the year ahead, and as always, look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the next 12 months. 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 I A N M AC K S A N DY S C H WA B 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

• Cover