Vanguard magazine takes you through a first-hand account of the 2017 Wounded Warriors Canada Battlefield Bike Ride with special guest Astrid Neuland.
For more information on Wounded Warriors, please visit: https://woundedwarriors.ca/
For the show today, Marcello Sukhdeo talks about the announcement by the Defence Minister to increase capabilities for cybersecurity, also, NATO has made a request for Canada to send police trainers to Afghanistan and we will close with our latest Game Changers.
This show is brought to you by Gap Wireless. Gap Wireless provides UAV Hardware and Software solutions for inspection, survey and mapping and public safety. Learn more at gapwirelessonline.com.
Cybersecurity
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said that the Canadian Armed Forces will be looking to increase training so as to deal with cyberattacks, also it plans to recruit more cyber specialists.
The minister said, "The use of cyber technology in a military context is growing steadily and as such Canada must leverage that technology to maintain a military advantage. Our forces need to be equipped with the ability to detect, organize and identify cyber threats and be prepared to take appropriate action."
The new defence policy which was announced on June 7, outlines the plan to be Strong, Secure, Engaged by increasing the size of the military, modernizing the submarine fleet, and replacing the CF-18 fleet along with other procurements.
NATO’s request
Canada is considering a NATO request to send police trainers to Afghanistan according to the Defence Minister. This comes three years after the military mission officially ended.
The request came from the U.S. through NATO, and could involve either civilian police trainers like the RCMP, or military trainers working with Afghan police, a defence official said according to CTV news.
The minister said that "We are actually still committed to Afghanistan. We've provided the funding, whether it's for development" or salaries for security forces in the country.
From 2014 to 2017, Canada committed $227 million in international development programs in Afghanistan, and $330 million from 2015 to 2018 in support for the Afghan National Security Forces, which include the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police.
Over the 12-year mission, 158 Canadian troops were killed, as well as a diplomat, a journalist and two civilian contractors, according to a tally by The Canadian Press.
Game Changers for June/July issue
We are in the process of finalizing the June/July issue of Vanguard which will feature an exclusive interview with the Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, Jeffery Hutchinson. In this issue, you can read about his top challenges, his focus and vision for the Coast Guard and the most pressing needs with regards to procurement.
Also, we are excited to announce the Game Changers for this issue: Barney Bangs, President of Tulmar Safety Systems Inc.; Mohsen Mohammadi, Assistant Professor and Director for the new Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at the University of New Brunswick; and Colin Stephenson, Executive Director, DEFSEC Atlantic.
Thanks for listening.
CSC cost, benefits to Canadians and another delay
In the show today, Marcello Sukhdeo talks about another delay in RFP submission for the CSC program, the cost versus benefits to Canadians for CSC and the possible extension of the Canadian Forces operation in the Middle East.
Show Notes:
RFP for CSC
The Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. are extending the submission deadline for the Canadian Surface Combatant Request for Proposals (RFP).
The deadline for RFPs was previously scheduled for June 22, but now that has been extended to be no sooner than mid-August 2017.
Cost of CSC
A recent report Value for Canada: The cost versus benefit to Canadians of the National Shipbuilding Strategy examines the benefits to Canada on an economic and fiscal level and its impact on the creation of jobs, the GDP and public finances.
The report also focuses on the cost of building these ships locally and overseas.
Both the Build in Canada and Build in Europe scenarios were measured by the Benefit-Cost-Ratio (BCR) which is a cost-benefit analysis that gives the best way to assess the value for money to Canada according to the report. The potential economic benefits of building the CSC fleet in Canada and the expected difference in cost to do so overseas were considered.
The report also provided details on the costs that were measured like production, ship design, integration and modification, and extra costs to build the lead ship. The report excluded costs of administering the NSS, initial on-board spares and full lifecycle costs.
Learn more about the report http://www.vanguardcanada.com/2017/06/06/csc-cost-versus-benefits-to-canadians/
Operation in the Middle East
The commander of the Canadian Forces mission in Iraq and Syria, Brig.-Gen. Dan MacIsaac says he expects the government to extend the operation past its scheduled expiry date at the end of the month.
He said he is looking forward to seeing a renewed commitment of more than 800 military personnel as part of the long-awaited defence policy review.
The government has not formally announced an extension of the mission, which is Canada’s contribution to the international coalition of more than 60 countries that is trying to degrade ISIS.
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In this show, you’ll hear from Lee Obst, President and Managing Director at Rockwell Collins Canada. Terri Pavelic, Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard spoke with Lee a few days ago during their open house event in Ottawa.
Rockwell Collins is multinational company headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa providing avionics and information technology systems and services to governmental agencies and aircraft manufacturers. Seen as a leader in aviation and high-integrity solutions for commercial and military customers around the world, Rockwell Collins provides flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, cabin interiors, information management, mission communications, and simulation and training products and services.