Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/1545837
DETECT FIRST, DECIDE FIRST, ACT FIRST 12 JUNE/JULY 2026 www.vanguardcanada.com I N T E R V I E W M ajor-General Jeff Smyth has one of the most con- sequential jobs in the Ca- nadian Armed Forces right now. As Chief Air and Space Force Development, Royal Canadi- an Air Force, he is responsible for defining what the RCAF needs to meet the threats of the next decade and ensuring the force gets there. With Canada replacing approximately 80% of its air fleets, committing to its first- ever Airborne Early Warning and Con- trol capability, and investing billions in NORAD modernization, the scale of the task is unlike anything the RCAF has faced in generations. Vanguard sat down with MGen Smyth to B Y VA N G U A R D S TA F F MAJOR-GENERAL JEFF SMYTH, MSM, CD, CHIEF AIR AND SPACE FORCE DEVELOPMENT, ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE, ON WHAT CANADA'S INVESTMENT IN CONTINENTAL DEFENCE MEANS FOR THE RCAF AND WHAT INDUSTRY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE ROAD AHEAD. discuss what continental defence demands of the Air Force today, how the RCAF is managing a transformation of historic scale, and where Canadian industry fits into that picture. Q What does continental defence require from the RCAF today that it did not require a decade ago? The nature of the threat has evolved rapid- ly. We see that daily on the news in Ukraine and Iran. Low-cost, precision strike with massed drones, ballistic missiles, rapid electronic warfare developments, and cy- ber threats, for example, are all accessible to adversaries in a way that used to only be within the means of state actors. Additionally, what we don't necessar- ily see on the news is the advancement of high-end adversary capabilities, including low observable aircraft, long-range air-to- air missiles, hypersonics, space capabilities and others. We're watching those kinds of things closely. We used to feel protected by our oceans to a much greater extent than we do today. Now we could have a mass of drones pop out of a sea container – as demonstrated by Ukraine's Operation Spider Web – on a ship, train, or truck and strike almost any- where. That requires a different mindset along with improved defensive capabili- ties. Climate change and increased interest in the Arctic also mean that we need to im-