Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/407740
PUBLISHER and EXECUTIVE EdITOR John Jones publisher@netgov.ca EdITOR Chris Thatcher editorvanguard@netgov.ca CONTRIBUTORS Walter dorn Greg Fyffe norm Jolin Jason Lacharite Richard Lacharite Benoit Maraval Mike Minor John newton Guy Parent Paul Robinson Roy Thomas John Turner nicole Verkindt EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD LGen (Ret'd) Bill Leach LGen (Ret'd) George Macdonald Vadm (Ret'd) Greg Maddison LGen (Ret'd) Michel Maisonneuve ambassador Graham Green Professor Philippe Lagassé SALES VICE PRESIdEnT PUBLIC SECTOR SaLES Terri Pavelic (905) 727-4091 ext. 225 terrip@netgov.ca naTIOnaL aCCOUnT ManaGER Marcello Sukhdeo (905) 727-4091 ext. 224 marcellos@netgov.ca MaRKETInG dIRECTOR Mary Malofy ART & PRODUCTION aRT dIRECTOR Elena Pankova SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ADDRESS CHANGES CIRCULaTIOn dIRECTOR aaryn Zhou circulation@netgov.ca Publisher's Mail agreement: 40052410 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to circulation dept. 24-4 Vata Court, aurora, On L4G 4B6 Vanguard magazine is published 6 times per year by Promotive Communications Inc. all opinions expressed herein are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any person or organization associated with the magazine. Letters, submissions, comments and suggested topics are welcome, and should be sent to assoceditor@netgov.ca REPRInT InFORMaTIOn: Reproduction or photocopying is prohibited without the publisher's prior written consent. High quality reprints of articles and additional copies of the magazine are available through circulation@netgov.ca PRIVaCY POLICY: We do not sell our mailing list or share any confidential information on our subscribers. VanGUaRd OFFICE 24-4 Vata Court, aurora, On L4G 4B6 Phone: (905) 727-4091 Fax: (905) 727-4428 If YOU HAVE BEEN fOLLOwING defence procurement debates in the United States, you know there is much consternation about a declining technological edge. Real or perceived, many worry that America's fighting forces are seeing an erosion of their technological advantage due to inadequate investment. In September, Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense Acquisition, Tech- nology & Logistics, released a white paper, Better Buying Power 3.0 (BBP), that proposes policy changes to incentivize industry spending and spur innovation. Where previous BBP (1.0 and 2.0) white papers emphasized government and industry efforts to control costs and foster a culture of professionalism within the larger procurement workforce, 3.0 is underpinned by a "growing concern that the United States' technological superiority over potential adversaries is being threatened today in a way that we have not seen for decades." The paper lays out a series of steps to incent industry and government to be more productive and innovative, including removing the barriers to commercial technology use. Nonetheless, skeptics are queuing up. Some doubt the govern- ment's willingness to put up new money – an obvious barrier to industry buy-in – while others are weary of one too many reform efforts. How all these initiatives play out remains to be seen. One can only hope this means opportunities for Canadian companies. (I was reminded during CAFSAC in September of the difference between mili- tary grade and civilian technology. Canadian Tire will sell you an impressive set of night vision binoculars for around $500, but the resolution doesn't hold a candle to a micro military system that runs for closer to $1000 and can clearly identify the writing on the Tim Horton's cup you left on your car roof at the other end of the parking lot.) The technology edge has long been a key focus for Vanguard. As often as pos- sible, we have sought to "lean forward" as we explore the operating concepts and requirements of the Forces. DRDC, for one, has provided a number of articles on its leading-edge research. Beginning with this issue, however, we are going to make that even more ex- plicit. We are launching a new partnership with OMX, the most visible sign of which is a new "Technology Watch" column, edited by the company's founder, Nicole Verkindt. As an organization that helps companies to leverage capital procure- ments and advance their high tech capability, OMX interacts regularly with many of Canada's technology leaders, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises that are developing some of the most innovative solutions. Together, we hope to showcase the best of the defence and security technology community. As Nicole explains in her introduction on page 43, "the central focus of the column will be innovative ideas, thriving new technologies and an effort to en- courage dialogue about how we can drive creativity and innovation to leverage technology." In short, we want to promote a conversation. I encourage you to participate. More to follow soon on a updated Vanguard website. Chris Thatcher, Editor E EDITOR'S nOTE 4 OCTOBER/nOVEMBER 2014 www.vanguardcanada.com Leaning into the technology edge