Vanguard Magazine

Major Sean Blundell (le) of Carbonear, Newfoundland, a medical doctor with the Canadian Armed Forces Disaster Assis- tance Response Team (DART), turns over control of services provided by the DART medical clinic to Javed Iqbal, Secretary of the Punjab Red Crescent on November 27, 2005. Photo: Sgt Frank Hudec, Canadian Forces Combat Camera. collaborating and supporting paramilitary or law enforcement and border security operations when deemed necessary by the government. On the issue of territorial defence, we have argued previously (Vanguard Oct/ Nov 2014)that Canada does not need a brand new inventory of fifth generation fighter aircraft—a healthy number of attack and surveillance drones would be better in almost every modern operational context (and cheaper!). Nor do we need long range costal patrol vessels that may or may not cut through thick blocks of ice to secure our northern frontier. This may come as a surprise to some, but Canada, for all intents and purposes is un- defendable—especially given our current "commitment" to national defence. Yet, this is not to say that we should completely dismiss the possibility of another "cold war" from emerging, or rely (exclusively) on US military guarantees. Territorial sov- ereignty remains at the heart of every na- tional defence system. Should a conflict materialize, we don't need to defeat Russia or China. Rather, all we need to do is make the idea of an incur- sion untenable. To do this, Prime Minister Trudeau will need to consider the merits of bolstering our early warning and detec- tion platforms (radars and satellites) and a strategic missile defence scheme. "Smart," adaptive, and supersonic ballistic missile systems are affordable, integrative, and easy to command and control, and send an unequivocal signal to potential aggressors. With regards to Canada's role in the international realm, now is the time to abandon our impetuous vow to eliminate insurgencies in the Middle East, and fo- cus instead on humanitarian operations. Undoubtedly, these will crop up in myri- ad forms related to climate change, failed states, and civil wars. Training and expand- ing on rapid deployment relief and protec- tion teams will be critical and will necessi- tate a more robust budgetary commitment to specialized tasking missions. Again, this is a cheaper alternative to establishing per- manent bases of operation for the purpose of bombing militants or neutralizing reli- gious nihilists and will demonstrate Cana- da's commitment to alleviating fear, illness, destitution, and so on in cases where im- poverished peoples become the victims of their already vulnerable circumstances. In essence, it will make Canada look like it ac- tually cares about defending innocent civil- ians against the disorder that accompanies natural disasters or violent power struggles in less stable regimes. Finally, we think that Canada's armed forces can also be used in a supplemen- tal manner to support efforts to mitigate the trafficking of dangerous substances. Whether it is narcotics or NBC materials, we can imagine Canada's more asymmet- rically inclined military units performing a useful secondary function, and mainly in terms of interception and confiscation. However, we would stress that such a role would have to be sanctioned by the government and that joint command and control measures would need to be estab- lished with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canadian Border Ser- vices Agency (CBSA), and the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS). We appreciate that this would likely entail an increase in the RCMP's, CBSA's, and CSIS's current budgetary allotment, but if the Trudeau government is genuinely concerned about protecting Canadians from these kinds of contingencies, then they will need to accept these costs. Ultimately, the changes that we are proposing to Canada's existing defence posture will make our military more ef- fective and affordable in both a domestic and global sense. Additionally, these rec- ommendations will align better with Ca- nadian values, beliefs, and broader foreign policy preferences. Our men and women in uniform deserve the best. They are selfless and can embody all that is good and exceptional about Canada. Ottawa's new Liberal govern- ment simply cannot afford to betray their confidence any longer. In the end, Cana- da's national security requirements can be better contextualized and addressed, in an age of fiscal austerity, but only if our lead- ers focus on what really matters and take into account the country's limited capac- ity to contribute, and the 'reality' of our global strategic environment. i iDeas www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2015/JANUARY 2016 23 Ottawa needs to provide a more honest appraisal of existing global security conditions.

• Cover