It's an ambitious policy that puts focus on the Arctic, shows a commitment to meeting NATO targets and looks to build a more resilient military
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A month ago, the Liberal government was looking to cut defence spending by $2.5 billion over the next three years. Yet such austerity was off the table on Monday, when it released its updated defence policy, which pledges $73 billion over the next 20 years.
It is an ambitious policy that puts focus on the Arctic, shows a determined commitment to meeting the NATO target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence and puts in some solid work on creating a framework for building a more resilient military.
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If the government can follow up on its commitments — and “if” is carrying a lot of weight here — then the new policy, “Our North, Strong and Free,” is a welcome boost to a Canadian military that is in desperate need of it.
It was only last year that Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, said that the Navy was in a “critical state.” And in September, Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff, was decrying Liberal defence cuts and telling MPs of the dire need to ramp up artillery shell production in this country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has served as a reminder to politicians that the world is a troubled place and that a strong and modern military is a good insurance policy in dangerous times.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau observed on Monday, rising and disruptive powers like Russia and China means “NATO’s northern and western flank is the Canadian Arctic.”
Jens Stoltenberg, general secretary of NATO, has been pushing for Canada to strength the Arctic for a while, noting that the shortest path to North America for Russian missiles is over the North Pole.
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The policy update pledges billions of dollars for a suite of Arctic resources, including early warning aircraft, long-range missile capabilities, maritime sensors to carry out ocean surveillance, a new satellite ground station and support “hubs,” with the intention of establishing a greater year-round presence in the North.
Darren Hawco, a retired Canadian vice-admiral and a board member of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDAI), said in an interview with the Post that the array of commitments showed the importance attached to the Arctic.
The update also says the government will “explore options” for renewing and expanding its submarine fleet.
At a press conference, Trudeau was asked about buying nuclear submarines and refused to rule out that option. “That is certainly what we will be looking at as to the type of submarine that is most appropriate for Canada’s responsibility in patrolling the longest coastline in the world,” he said.
Canada has four second-hand subs that spend longer out of the water than in it.
The parlous state of our 12 Halifax-class frigates — half are usually in dry dock for maintenance and the ships have already reached their lifespan — was also a topic in the update. Almost $10 billion over 20 years will be spent to keep the frigates operating until replacements are up and running.
The reason we’re spending $10 billion to keep aging ships running is because Canada’s procurement system is a joke; a joke that is overly bureaucratic, moves at glacial speed and is always over budget.
“Procurement has always been a challenge,” was the prime minister’s massive understatement on Monday.
Last year, the CDAI published a letter signed by 60 officials, comprising the great and good in political and military circles, that urged the government to move faster on procurement.
Alas, that is a challenge too far for the Trudeau Liberals. The update promises to “reform our defence procurement system,” but provides no details, no guidelines and no proposals on how that will be accomplished.
Which means that our future subs, ships and planes will only see the light of day after lengthy delays, cost overruns and numerous changes of government.
Not reforming procurement now is a missed opportunity, and it will cost Canada dearly in the future.
However, the government’s commitment to a national security review every four years is definitely a step in the right direction. The update says the review will allow Canada to adjust its security, intelligence and defence capabilities to suit the current global environment.
“The fact that they committed to a four-year review is very important. The commitment to have an updated defence policy and an updated national security policy is an enormously important point that shouldn’t get lost in the facts and figures of the document,” said Hawco, who helped craft the last defence update.
The pledge to spend $8 billion over the next five years will significantly move Canada closer to meeting its NATO target (defence spending is expected to reach 1.76 per cent of GDP in 2029-30).
Documents leaked last year from the Pentagon said that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had privately declared that Canada would never meet the NATO target. The prime minister’s seeming change of heart comes as the United States, our ally in the Arctic, has been putting pressure on us to meet that goal.
“Our North, Strong and Free” is a bold statement of intent with ambitious commitments. But Trudeau must now walk the walk and put the plan into action.
National Post
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