Vanguard Magazine

P E R S P E C T I V E T he defence space in Canada is changing rapidly, and it's not happening in a vacuum. Our NATO and Asia-Pacific allies are taking defence more seri- ously in the face of threats to peace and prosperity. The German defence minister recently said that war could come to Eu- rope as soon as 2029, which is only three years away. In Canada, we are well on our way to reaching the new 3.5 per cent of GDP de- fence spending target. The government reached the two per cent target in March of this year and, based on his speech at CANSEC, Prime Minister Mark Carney is committed to keeping the pressure on. These investments will include every- thing from large programs for submarines and fighter jets, to digital integration pro- grams to realize the vision of a digitally enabled force. Strategic partner framework Announced by the prime minister at CAN- SEC, the strategic partner framework was formally released after the event. The prin- ciples reflected in the framework align with the big themes we saw in the Defence In- dustrial Strategy. Canada has named its key sovereign ca- pability areas. It will use the build-partner- buy framework to buy from Canadian companies first—wherever it can—and it wants the relationship between industry and government to be more collaborative. Other key elements that will help build the industry are included too. There is an emphasis on developing intellectual prop- erty (IP), driving innovation and R&D, and integrating small and medium enter- prises (SMEs) into solutions and supply chains. Industry Canada's recent State of the Industry report shows that over 90 per cent of companies in the defence sector have fewer than 500 employees, making the SME sector essential to building the defence industrial base. Skills development and retention are both included too. Engaging in long-term thinking about the human capital nec- essary for the defence sector is essential Without people, capabilities and solutions will not be developed and delivered. Delivering on the Defence Industrial Strategy Calian has been a Canadian defence com- pany for over 40 years and knows this sector well. Where we have long-term programs and projects with DND, we are looking at how to integrate more technol- ogy into our solutions. We have created proprietary systems for developing and delivering large com- plex military training exercises, managing military healthcare, and advanced manu- facturing capability for defence, space and GNSS applications. We are upping our game across that portfolio by leveraging AI and LLMs and looking at ways to inte- grate quantum. Calian recently announced partnerships with Canadian AI companies as well as a quantum research hub with two Canadian partners. Through the VENTURES program Ca- lian is working with SMEs that have proven technology and are facing challenges with 16 JUNE/JULY 2026 www.vanguardcanada.com Sponsored Content POWERING CANADA'S DEFENCE FUTURE THROUGH INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION

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