$1 BILLION IN CUTS

CDR: It has been extensively reported that DND has been asked to cut $1 billion in spending. How do you plan on implementing the cuts?

Minister Blair: Very carefully.

            I want to assure you and the members of the Canadian Armed Forces, that the direction that we received from the Treasury Board is to look at all of the ways in which every department in the government – and of course the Department of National Defence is one of the more significant cost centres – spends money.

The very clear direction that I have given to the leadership of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence is that none of the reductions in spending that we are looking at can impact on the capability of the Canadian Armed Forces or the support and services that we provide to the membership.

            There are a number of things [that can be cut] in every large bureaucracy. There can be inefficiencies that develop in the way in which we manage certain [parts] of our administration and how we acquire outside professional services, although some of those outside professional services are absolutely essential to the support services that we provide to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces. And then finally, we’re also looking at the ways in which we manage ourselves.

CDR: On November 7th, 2023, the RCAF commander publicly stated that the RCAF is not ready for conflict. On November 27th, the Royal Canadian Navy issued a YouTube video stating that they could fail to meet their readiness commitments in 2024. What is your response to these statements?

Minister Blair: I very much respect the perspective that had been shared by the Canadian Armed Forces leadership with respect to their concerns. I work very, very closely with General Kenny and Admiral Topshee. It’s our job – all of us collectively – to respond to those concerns.

            For example, we’ve made a real commitment to perhaps the largest investment in Canadian naval capability in Canada’s history through the National Shipbuilding Strategy. But Admiral Topshee quite appropriately is expressing concern about the timeliness of the delivery of that capability and the urgent need to continue to maintain, for example, the Halifax-class ships and the Victoria-class submarines. He is quite rightfully expressing concern about the need to continue to invest and make sure we have the resources necessary to keep that fleet afloat while we deliver on our National Shipbuilding Strategy.

            The other thing that Admiral Topshee identified, and I think which is a concern right across the Canadian Armed Forces, is the need to continue to recruit and retain the very best people so that we can not only have the platforms for our forces to operate on, but the very best people in order to staff them. And that requires making investments in their training, making investments in their service.

DEFENCE POLICY UPDATE

CDR: Canada’s defence and aerospace industries have been eagerly awaiting the Defence policy Update (DPU). Can you give our readers an idea of what to expect from the DPU when it comes through?

Minister Blair: We made a significant commitment in the Strong, Secure, Engaged program in 2017 with significant new investments to reconstitute and rebuild the Canadian Armed Forces. But the world is a far more dangerous place now with the invasion of the Ukraine, with the conflict we’re seeing beginning in the Middle East and threatening to spread beyond that, some of the very significant challenges we’re facing in the Indo-Pacific, and perhaps most importantly, some of the very real challenges that we are experiencing in maintaining the security and sovereignty of Canada’s Arctic.

            Because of those changes in the global environment, we know that the program that we initiated in 2017 under Strong, Secure, Engaged needs to be augmented with significant new investments. And so National Defence has gone to the government and proposed a number of significant new investments.

            Obviously there is consideration that the Government of Canada has to undertake with respect to the current fiscal environment. But I think we’ve been able to make very clear the need to continue to invest significantly in the Canadian Armed Forces.

            That’s not just important to meet our international commitments and our domestic commitments for national defence: I think it’s also an important and necessary step to take to the Canadian military industry because they need clarity. They need certainty in order to make investments in their capabilities. And so, I will tell you that the delivery of the Defence Policy Update is a priority for myself, for my ministry, and for our government. We’re working through thE delivery of that update right now through a number of government processes and financial processes that we have to undertake.

OP REASSURANCE

CDR: You recently announced enhancements to Operation REASSURANCE to boost Canada’s presence in Europe. Please tell us about those.

Minister Blair: I had the opportunity to travel over to Latvia with the Chief of Defence just before Christmas, and we had an opportunity to meet with some of the people there. I also had the opportunity to meet with Latvian officials and the Minister of National Defence and their Prime Minister in that country.

            We have made a very significant commitment in Operation REASSURANCE to NATO to lead the forward battle group there, and we’ve made a commitment to increase its strength. Right now, we have about a thousand personnel deployed there, but we’re going to raise that to brigade strength. We’re working very, very closely with some international allies.

            We’ve recently had a very important announcement from the Swedish government that they’re joining that commitment in Latvia, but it’s not just a matter of deploying personnel. We have to make sure that we have air defence systems. We’ve recently moved about 15 Leopard tanks over into Latvia for our people’s use as well. But we’ve got to make significant new investments in making sure that they have the munitions and the ammunition, the air defence systems, the platform and equipment. And we’re working very closely with the Latvian government to make sure that the infrastructure is in place so that there is appropriate housing and infrastructure there for the Canadian Armed Forces deployment.

CDR: Now, as you’ve mentioned a few times, the CAF is facing a critical personnel shortage. Where do we stand in terms of getting new recruits? Why are we having problems getting them? And what will it take to keep the people we have?

Minister Blair: I’ve talked to my counterparts, ministers of national defence, and many of them are facing exactly the same challenges. Even in the United States, with the exception perhaps of the Marines, the US armed forces are facing very similar challenges in recruiting the number of people that they need.

            It’s clearly going to require innovation and different approaches to make sure that Canadians understand that there are real opportunities there.

            Just one of the things that we did last year: It used to be required that you had to have Canadian citizenship to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces. There are literally tens of thousands of Canadians who are permanent residents who have come to this country and we believe can serve. And so, we’ve opened that up. That work is underway.

            The Canadian Navy is also looking at some innovative ways to get people into the naval experience and to understand that there are opportunities there. And so, recruitment into public service is a challenge that this country, as many others, are facing, but we’re also responding to it in a very positive way.

            But even beyond that: As I’ve travelled across the country and visited military bases and spoken to the men and women who serve, they talk about some of the challenges they face because of the nature of service in the Canadian Armed Forces with movement and employment and transfers; that it can be very significantly difficult for Canadian Armed Forces families to get adequate housing, to get access to childcare services, to get the health services that they require — to essentially get the support that they need in order to continue to serve, but also to make sure that those supports are there for them and their families.

            We recognize that it’s important not only to recruit the very best and the brightest, but to address the very understandable and legitimate concerns that they express to us about how difficult it can be. We also recognize that if we fail to meet that challenge, even when procuring new platforms like our new surface combatant ships or even new submarines, new airplanes and fighter jets, none of that will be effective if we are not able to recruit the very best people into our organization, into service in National Defence. But I think solving all of those problems can really make a difference.

CMMA

CDR: Speaking of investments, Canada is buying up to 16 P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the RCAF. There was some controversy over the government’s decision not to open up that procurement as a competition. Why was that decision made and why did Canada decide to purchase the P-8A?

Minister Blair: It’s an important question. First of all, I want to do a bit of a shout-out to the Canadian aeronautic industry. We have a very robust industry here, and I believe it has great capability now and in the future. But at the same time, we listened very carefully to the Royal Canadian Air Force who said that they had an immediate need to replace the Auroras, which have been in service for nearly 40 years.

            Unfortunately, there was really only one choice. The P-8A was the only plane that is currently in service, which is used by the Americans, the Brits, the Australians, and many other of our allies. And so the choice that we had to make was not between different manufacturers or different airplanes: The choice we had to make was to choose either the only available option that was capable today or to enter into a program of what we call a ‘developmental option’, which we know from long experience can take a significant amount of time, has a great deal of uncertainty with respect to delivery of capability and times schedules of delivery and for which the cost is unknown.

SUBMARINES

CDR: Can you give our listeners an update on the Canadian Patrol Submarine project?

Minister Blair: Canada is very actively considering a number of our options. I know a number of your readers were quite familiar with the AUKUS initiative, which involved an agreement to transfer nuclear technology for nuclear submarines to Australia from the United Kingdom and the United States.

Canada is not looking at a nuclear option per se. What we are looking at is a number of different capabilities, but at the same time, it’s not just the platform that we’re looking at.

            The submarine program is very important to Canada. We have the largest coastline [in the world], almost 250,000 kilometres of coastline in Canada. We have significant responsibilities of significant obligations to our NATO and NORAD and Indo-Pacific partners, and we have a responsibility to maintain the security and defence and sovereignty of our Canadian Arctic. So, investing in a new submarine program to make sure that we can be persistently in those areas, particularly in the Arctic, that we can do it with the required stealth and with the required lethality, is a priority for the Royal Canadian Navy and for me.

CDR: What is your top priority as Minister of National Defence? For instance, your predecessor had the goal of changing the CAF’s culture. What is your goal?

Minister Blair: Well, first of all, I want to acknowledge the excellent work that my predecessor, Minister Anita Anand, had done with respect to culture change. We are absolutely committed to that, and we’re continuing to implement Mme. Justice Arbour’s 48 recommendations.

We’ve made some very real progress, and we’re working right now with a number of my government partners with respect to bringing about permanent sustainable change with respect to those recommendations that will make a real difference. That’s a portion of what would be my priority.

            Delivery of the mission is going to require, as I’ve said earlier, that we recruit the very best and brightest and that we are able to retain them in the Canadian Armed Forces to serve. Part of that is making sure that they have a respectable, supportive, and inclusive work environment, but it also involves making sure that we address very legitimate concerns that they have with respect to childcare, housing, health services and supports.

            It also requires that we invest in making sure that they have modern capable technologies and equipment in order that they have the ammunition that they need, the vehicles that they need to operate in, the vessels they need to sail in, the planes they need to fly in. All of those things are interchangeable, and they’re tied to each other because if we’re going to solve the recruitment and retention problem to make sure that we have the people that we need in the Canadian Armed Forces, we’ve got to make sure that we take care of them. But we also have to make sure that we give them the tools that they need to do the job.

CDR: One last question. If you had the ability to expedite one procurement project to the level of initial operational capability, get it sped up and get it online now, which one would you choose and why?

Minister Blair: You know what? They’re all important. And if you don’t mind, I’m going to cheat a little bit and pick two.

            I’ve already mentioned the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the delivery particularly of the surface combatant ships and expedited decisions around a submarine fleet. Those strike me as perhaps our biggest cost centre and one of our greatest risks.

            The other one that I would mention is munitions. What we have seen, not just in Canada but globally, is that the Ukraine conflict has really highlighted that industry has been slow to respond to the requirement of ramping up our production of various munitions, and the one most often spoken about, of course, is the155 millimetre artillery shell. The fact that the Canadian Armed Forces does not have a sufficient stockpile of munitions in order to effectively defend this country is a very significant priority for us. It’s a matter of great urgency and one that we are going to have to make significant investment in.

CDR: Well, thank you Minister for taking the time to speak with us.

Minister Blair: Thank you very much.

            I had the opportunity just over the course of the past week – I’ve gone through and read a number of your past issues. It’s a great platform that you provide in order to keep us and Canadians well informed about the challenges faced by the Canadian Armed Forces.

I also note that you also celebrate the excellence of the men and women who serve and are very much part of that proud tradition of defence service to Canadians. I appreciate that very much.

James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief