Vanguard Magazine

ShipTech Forum 2026 ShipTech Forum 2026 ShipTech Forum 2026 Recap 40 APRIL/MAY 2026 www.vanguardcanada.com B Y N O R M A N J O L I N O n 24 February 2026, Van- guard's thirteenth annual maritime forum, ShipTech 2026, was held in Ottawa, with a theme of "The Fu- ture of Maritime Platforms". As with previous ShipTech Forums, the day-long conference was hosted in person, while simultaneously streaming it virtually. Over 280 attended in person, and 84 virtually, spanning both government and industry, resulting in dynamic interaction which was only limited by the time available. The conference was opened by the MC, Greg MacNeil from NorthStar, with a thought-provoking introduction high- lighting how much the geo-political times have changed since the morning keynote speaker, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, had assumed command of the Royal Ca- nadian Navy (RCN) in 2022. Admiral Topshee, in a clear and persuasive man- ner, then proceeded to lead the audience through a timeline of where he saw the future navy expanding to. In what can be best described as "Back to the Future", he showed the remarkable past achievements by Canadians, resulting in the creation of the world's third largest navy, as well as producing a massive shipbuilding and ship repair capability, from virtually nothing at the start of the Second World War. He S H I P T E C H F O R U M Photos: Elena Pankova then highlighted the fact that Canadians are natural innovators, citing examples of the variable depth sonar, helicopter destroyer interface and other technologies that are now common worldwide, but were origi- nally invented, in Canada, for the RCN. Simply put, Canadians have forgotten what they are capable of doing, and he strongly believes that through a partnership with in- dustry Canada can grow the RCN to meet the needs of the nation. His message was clear: with a new defence industrial strategy and stable funding, Canada needs to "get back to where we once were". He was then followed by a superb panel discussion on the next step for the National Shipbuilding Strategy, moderated by Com- mander Dean Lang, RCN Director Naval Requirements Team Lead for the Con- tinental Defence Corvette project. The panel, representing Director-General's in the DND Materiel Group, ISED and PSPC conducted an in-depth discussion as to the core successes of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), what have they not done right and what should be the next version of the NSS. There was agreement that after 15 years the NSS is not only delivering ships, but also building significant future capacity, which has suc- cessfully passed a long-term demand signal to industry. As to criticism, the panel all agreed Canada was overly optimistic as to how long it would take the shipyards to re- build their yards to reflect the demands of modern shipbuilding, while underestimat- ing the relationship with industry needed to put in place the necessary supporting in- frastructure. Finally, all agreed the NSS of the future must, first and foremost, avoid the boom & bust cycle of shipbuilding that has caused the situation currently faced by RCN and Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) legacy fleets, which is best achieved with continuous building projects. Le to right: Sylvie Girard, Director General, Public Services and Procurement Canada; Demetrios Xenos, Director General, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; Robert Gray, Director General Major Projects Delivery (Sea), Department of National Defence; Commander Dean Lang, Director Naval Requirements, Continental Defence Corvette Project Team Lead Master of Ceremonies, Greg MacNeil, Founding Partner, NorthStar Public Affair Opening Keynote: Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander, Royal Canadian Navy Le to right: Captain(N) Martin Drews (Ret'd), Director Submarine Program, Seaspan Victoria Shipyards; Commodore Andrew Forbes, Project Manager, River-class Destroyer Project; Peter Egener, Acting Director General, Vessel Procurement, Canadian Coast Guard; Commodore Michel Thibault, Director General Maritime Equipment Program Management

• Cover