Vanguard Magazine

F E AT U R E www.vanguardcanada.com APRIL/MAY 2026 21 The connective tissue C4ISR is one of LGen Molstad's key pre- occupations. He describes it as the connec- tive tissue of modern warfare. Get it right and the joint force multiplies. The foundational work is already un- derway. Project Olympus in 2024 demon- strated a secure global mission partner en- vironment built on zero trust architecture. Operation High Mast in 2025 went fur- ther: a deployed sovereign solution aboard HMCS Ville de Québec, integrated with the UK's Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group, operating as the Five Eyes com- mand and control system of record for the exercise. Next up is Olympus Fires, planned for fall 2026 in the Indo-Pacific, which will continue advancing pan-domain C2 and allied interoperability. Valley of death The rapid capabilities office LGen Mols- tad is standing up within CJFC, focused initially on C4ISR and counter-uncrewed systems, is designed to close the gap be- tween promising technology and fielded capability. The mandate is to connect warf- ighters directly with industry and scien- tists, contract faster, field minimum viable capabilities, and iterate on real feedback. CJFC will use its own spending authorities to accelerate the process. He also pointed to the IDEaS program, where work is underway on a framework to allow DND to acquire capabilities di- rectly from successful challenge competi- tions. And he highlighted the Business Development Corporation's growing in- vestment in Canadian SMEs developing defence and dual-use technologies as part of the broader industrial foundation. The counter-uncrewed threat response task force is the near-term test case. The government committed to a counter- drone program in 2025. The task force's initial focus is on detection arrays and rapid fielding, with industry engagement announcements expected soon. "We have studied this problem long enough," LGen Molstad said. "Now's the time to deliver, learn, and adapt." The Army angle CJFC is a joint command, not an Army command. But Army modernization runs directly through what LGen Molstad is building. The CAF Operational Mission Network, CJFC's iterative C2 prototype connecting strategic to tactical, is the digi- tal backbone that Army programs depend on. Counter-UAS fielding, digital transfor- mation of combat systems, training system modernization: all of it requires the joint C4ISR layer to function at scale. CJFC builds and sustains the joint in- frastructure so the services can focus on their own capability development. When CJOC needs to generate force, the joint layer is already there. What CJFC delivers over the next few years matters as much to the Army as anything happening within the service itself. Day 57 LGen Molstad closed with a line that re- flects the command's core premise. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." The command structure is in place. The budget trajectory supports the ambition. The work ahead is to turn that foundation into fielded capability, and LGen Molstad is under no illusions about how much re- mains to be done. The counter-uncrewed threat response task force is the near-term test case. The government committed to a counter-drone program in 2025. The task force's initial focus is on detection arrays and rapid fielding, with industry engagement announcements expected soon. Corporal Charlie Kerry races their First Person View Drone as part of the Military International Drone Tournament 2026. Photo: DND

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