Vanguard Magazine

Feb/Mar 2014

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

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A step in developing the data When the federal government rolled out its new Defence Procurement Strategy (DPS) in February, it included a provision to establish an inde- pendent, third-party Defence Analytics Institute (DAI). The DAI stems from a 2013 report by Tom Jenkins, chairman of Open Text, on leveraging defence procurement in which he suggested a focus on key industrial capabilities (KICs). But robust data to support analysis of strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in the defence industrial base proved hard to come by. Public Works Minister Diane Finley recently provided some clarity on the role of the institute with the announcement of an interim board to develop a permanent DAI by 2015. The board includes a mix of academics and busi- ness experts such as Jenkins – as chair – Tim Page, president of CADSI, Christyn Cianfarani of CAE, Iain Christie of the AIAC, Peter Gartenburg of L-3 Communications, Janice Stein of the Munk School of Global Affairs, Craig Stone of the Canadian Forces College, and David Bercuson of the University of Calgary. "Our vision is for this body to provide expert analysis to inform various aspects of the military procurement process, including the development and sustainment of KICs," she said, "and information on export opportu- nities and technological trends in global defence, as well as insight into Canadian industry's capacity to develop new technologies in those areas." The DAI will also play an important role in the review of the Defence Pro- curement Strategy every five years. The DPS itself aims to streamline the procurement process while deliv- ering the right equipment in a way that helps create jobs and economic growth. It will establish a Defence Procurement Secretariat within Public Works "to ensure close coordination among key departments"; require National Defence to publish an annual Defence Acquisition Guide that out- lines procurement priorities; introduce weighted and rated value proposi- tions for all bids; and shift the focus of Industrial and Regional Benefits to tech- nological benefits. Although the DPS focuses on the process, defence procurement's larger chal- lenge has been qualified people for project manage- ment. As defence analyst David Perry noted in a pre- sentation to Canada 2020 in January, the number of proj- ects has doubled in the last decade but the workforce has not been sufficiently re- built. Any new strategy will have to address the capac- ity issue. RCAF, industry look to emerging skies Lieutenant-General Yvan Blondin, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), recently spoke with aerospace industry leaders and academics about the Emerging Skies Initiative (ESI), which is being developed to collaboratively explore innovative solutions to future air power needs. "Emerging Skies is a Royal Canadian Air Force initiative that brings together the Air Force, Canadian industry and academia interested in jointly exploring and developing novel future concepts that will help ful- fill Canada's future air power needs in 2025 and beyond," he explained. "We're here to...begin exchanging ideas about how to build collab- orative teams that will explore mutually beneficial concepts. We are in the beginning stages of an initiative that will be incrementally devel- oped and refined over time." ESI is not part of the government's procurement process and is not focused on seeking to procure or commercialize concepts in the short term. It does, however, follow the spirit of the government's recently an- nounced Defence Procurement Strategy, as both the strategy and the initiative underline the importance of early and continuous engagement with industry. "Early engagement will enable all ESI partners to gain a better under- standing of the Air Force's future needs," said LCol Dany Poitras, who presented the RCAF's initial ideas about how to develop and execute this initiative. "ESI will also give partners access to networking opportunities that will allow for better alignment of research and development efforts." The meeting was organized by CADSI. It was underlined, however, that ESI is not limited to members of CADSI. Anyone in the industry and aca- demic sectors interested in working with the RCAF will be welcome to participate in ESI projects. Concept development projects will be introduced to industry and aca- demia in various ways. The strong networking capabilities of organiza- tions like CADSI will be leveraged in an effort to "get the word out" to all those who may be interested in becoming an ESI partner. The ESI web- site, and a collaborative web-based tool that includes a database linked to a wiki, will also be used to introduce and elicit interest in the new concepts to be developed. Interested partners can provide feedback through the website, and a steering committee will then refine the ESI concept. Concept develop- ment projects on various issues – such as the development of the RCAF future search and rescue concept – will then be launched starting in May. — Major Sonia Connock 6 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 www.vanguardcanada.com S SIT REP Public Works Minister Diane Finley S u p p o r t i n g o u r t r o o p s i n c h a l l e n g i n g m i s s i o n s Dependable Storage Solutions Working under tough conditions, our troops can confidently rely on Rousseau products being built to withstand even the most adverse environments. Rousseau's Heavy-Duty Storage Products provide well organized, efficient and easy access for maintaining our fleets fit for action. Our products are designed and manufactured in Canada with the modularity, ruggedness and quality that you can depend on for your missions. 1000's of models to fit your needs. Visit rousseaumetal.com Dependable solutions for land, sea & air.

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