Vanguard Magazine

The Royal Military College of Canada takes second place at Sandhurst Military Skills Competition Canada awards R&D contract to Cellula Robotics Ltd for sub-surface surveillance in the Arctic 10 APRIL/MAY 2018 www.vanguardcanada.com The Government of Canada recently awarded a contract to Cellula Robot- ics Ltd, as part of its commitment to defence research and development. "Our Government is committed to providing the members of the Ca- nadian Armed Forces with the tools they need to do their jobs while ob- taining the best possible value for Canadians," said Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement. "These contracts will draw upon Canadian expertise to develop cutting-edge surveillance technolo- gies for the Arctic." Through Canada's new defence policy – Strong, Secure, Engaged – the Department of National Defence (DND) is looking for innovative solu- tions to surveillance challenges in the North. This includes areas of Arc- tic joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Cellula Robotics Ltd was awarded the sum of nearly $648,000 to de- velop a fuel cell that will be used to improve the ability for autonomous underwater vehicles to store sufficient energy to undertake long range and long-duration missions, according to a press release. This contract was granted under the 2016 Innovation Call for Proposals for the All Domain Situational Awareness (ADSA) Science & Technology (S&T) pro- gram. The DND heads this program with the intention to leverage innovative science & technology expertise from other government departments, academia, industry and allies. This program provides the means for DND to "identify, assess and validate technologies in support of air and mari- time surveillance," especially in the North. "Our academic institutions and innovation industry are among the best in the world, and we are proud to work with them to address partic- ularly complex surveillance issues for the Arctic," said Defence Minister sit rep The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) has done Canada proud again by placing second amongst 64 teams from 14 countries at the Sand- hurst Military Skills Competition. This contest was held at the United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, NY, from April 13 to 14 with teams from the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, Germany, Chile and Japan participating. Harjit S. Sajjan. Surveillance solutions aid Canada in maintaining its sovereignty in the North, contributing to a greater awareness of safety and security issues, and in transportation and commercial activity. Also, solutions of this na- ture may assist the joint efforts between Canada and the United States in the North Warning System and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The ADSA S&T program, with an investment of about $133 million by 2020, will help to support the development of options for enhanced do- main awareness of air, maritime surface and sub-surface approaches to Canada, in particular, those in the Arctic. As the only Canadian team entered in the 2018 contest, the RMC achieved first place amongst the international teams and second over- all in the competition. They also received the gold standard, which is the top level of recognition for the tournament. The prestigious Sandhurst competition, which first began in 1967, has seen many military academies from around the world compete at this level. Teams that participated in the contest comprised of nine officer ca- dets each plus two alternates that ran the entire competition with their team. They worked together to overcome obstacles in the course of the match which included navigating 43 kilometres across difficult terrain. Other skills tested included weapon handling, rifle marksmanship, com- bat swim with full gear, trauma care, first aid, problem solving and lead- ership challenges. "The remarkable young officer cadets representing RMC put in months of demanding training, supported by our dedicated staff," said Brigadier- General Sébastien Bouchard, Commandant, Royal Military College of Canada. "They should be proud of their commitment and perseverance as a team, and I congratulate them on placing second of 64 teams and first internationally of 14 nations." The RMC took the coveted top spot at the Sandhurst competition in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2016.

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