Vanguard Magazine

30 APRIL/MAY 2026 www.vanguardcanada.com DEVELOPED IN CANADA. TRUSTED GLOBALLY. GO AUTONOMOUS Rheinmetall PATH is a platform agnostic so ware that delivers advanced autonomous capabilities to existing vehicle fleets. Developed in Canada, PATH is trusted across NATO allies to solve resource constraints and protect militaries operating in complex, high-risk environments. B O T T O M U P PA N E L Technology Readiness Level 6, where a prototype has been demonstrated in a simu- lated environment, and TRL 9, where the technology has been proven through actual deployment in an operational setting. It's the gap that defence organizations every- where are working to shorten. Verreault described what that bridge could look like: a rapid capability devel- opment unit with flexible procurement authority that can take a proven solution, field it, and simultaneously develop the tactics, techniques, and procedures to use it effectively. Estrela framed the investment logic in terms of risk tolerance. A procurement ap- proach that tries to get everything right on the first attempt risks a $50 million loss the institution just has to live with. An MVP approach accepts a $10 million loss to fin d the right direction, then builds toward a $100 million win. It requires someone to accept that risk explicitly and make the case for it, and that's a leadership question as much as a process one. Whalen put the cultural dimension plain- ly. Show the operator a working product that makes their job better today, and you get real buy-in. Demonstrated value is what drives culture, and culture is what sustains the work. Near the end of the session, the panel was asked what advice they'd offer anyone building a new defence innovation hub from scratch. Whalen's answer: culture before struc- ture. Top cover and psychological safety to experiment. That's the condition that makes everything else possible. Estrela's answer: the hub's highest-value role is the infrastructure work that enables innovation across the force. Documenta- tion, frameworks, planning support for units running generation exercises. Not the most visible work, but the most enabling. Verreault kept it simple. Pick the team carefully, give them clear boundaries on risk acceptance, and let them work. Not every project will succeed. That's the cost of moving at the speed the environment demands, and it's worth it. The antenna story is a useful summary of where the CAF is headed. Not a procure- ment system that buys at scale before any- one field-tests the design. A system where the warrant officer with fifteen years of ex- perience gets to talk to the engineer before the contract is signed. The tools exist. The people exist. And judging by this panel, so does the momentum. Pick the team carefully, give them clear boundaries on risk acceptance, and let them work. Not every project will succeed. That's the cost of moving at the speed the environment demands, and it's worth it. — Lieutenant-Colonel Nicolas Verreault

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