Vanguard Magazine

Feb/Mar 2014

Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR

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22 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 www.vanguardcanada.com tHaLes CaNada Special RepoRt When Canada embarks on major military procurement, the actual vehicle – truck, tank, airplane, helicopter or ship – while physically and visually having the most impact, is a very small part of delivering capability to the Canadian Armed Forces. Arguably the most important element is what goes inside the vehicle; avionics, mis- sion systems, intelligence gathering and sharing tools, communications and deci- sion making mechanisms, are what count the most. The military that has the most capable of these advanced technologies for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or C4ISR for short, is the one best equipped to win. They result in a faster battle rhythm, a quicker opera- tional tempo, and more real-time decision- making for either an individual operator or commander of a large, integrated, multi- national force. These are critical decisions that are made every day in a combat situ- ation and in peacetime. Militaries train ev- ery day using these systems to ensure they are ready to be called on to make split- second, life-or-death decisions. On February 5, 2014, the Government of Canada signaled loud and clear that it is placing a higher value on these types of important capabilities than ever before. The new Defence Procurement Strategy announced by Public Works Minister Di- ane Finley has three objectives: • To deliver the right equipment to the Canadian Armed Forces in a timely manner; • To leverage purchases of defence equip- ment to create jobs and economic growth in Canada; and; • To streamline defence procurement pro- cesses. The Defence Procurement Strategy also includes a Value Proposition which will be a rating system that looks at what Can- ada gets back for its military investment. Key Industrial Capabilities (KICs) "will be a significant factor in the weighting of Value Propositions," the government stated. To rate a Value Proposition, the government's criteria include: • Investments that strengthen Canadian KICs; • Investments that support enhanced productivity in Canadian firms; and • Broader industrial and technological high-value activities such as "technol- ogy transfer." When Thales Canada's defence business started here in 1981 establishing Halifax Naval Services with two people to sup- port the supply of sensors to the Royal Canadian Navy, "value propositions" and "KICs" weren't even on the radar screen. More than 30 years later, Thales Canada embodies the Emerson Aerospace Review and the Tom Jenkins report Canada First: Leveraging Procurement Through Key In- dustrial Capabilities, both which stand at the heart of Canada's new Defence Pro- curement Strategy. Today, Thales Canada employs 1,300 high-skilled workers in five Canadian cities. Thales Canada has played a significant role in growing the capabilities of Canada's military and Canada's defense and security industries in the domain of C2 (Command and Control), naval systems, soldier protection, aerospace and innova- tion, to become the leading C4ISR and defense electronics company in Canada. Put another way, Thales Canada is already delivery substantial KICs in Canada. streNgtHeNiNg CaNadiaN C4isr superiority tHrougH iNNovatioN

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