General looks forward to Forces review
Chief of defence staff says Canada must continue to punch above its weight
OTTAWA— Canada’s top general welcomes the Liberals’ promised review of the country’s defence policy but said the military must remain robust and equipped to handle a variety of threats in a world of “continuous conflict.”
Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, said events over the past year highlight the varied demands placed on the military.
Those missions include transporting Syrian refugees, dispatching medical workers to help in the Ebola fight in Sierra Leone, a show of force in Ukraine and eastern Europe against Russian aggression, and combat operations against Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria.
“We’ve typically had a military that can operate through the full spectrum of conflict . . . often times punching above our weight, and doing so with good equipment and superb people,” Vance told the Star in an interview.
“That I think is the wise approach and it certainly has been for a long, long time.”
Vance took over the top military post in July several months before the federal election that saw the Liberals sweep to power.
In their election platform, the Liberals promised a review of the military’s role and capabilities, saying the Conservatives’ Canada First Defence Strategy was “underfunded and out of date.”
The platform sketched out a Liberal vision for the armed forces, saying it should be “agile, responsive and well-equipped,” able to defend Canada and North America, respond to natural disasters and deploy on humanitarian missions, peace operations and combat missions.
The Liberals said there would be new focus on surveillance and control of Canadian territory and its approaches, especially in the North. Justin Trudeau’s party also vowed to “vastly increase” training assistance missions to prevent the spread of terrorism and radicalization and pledged to recommit to United Nations’ peace operations.
During the campaign, the Conservatives attacked the Liberal record on defence, pointing to the so-called “decade of darkness” in the 1990s when the military was hit by Liberal funding cuts.
The Conservatives’ last budget promised to increase defence spending — budgeted at $20.1 billion in 2014-15 — by 3 per cent a year, starting in 2017-18.
Over a decade, that would mean an additional $10.8 billion for the Armed Forces. The Liberals have pledged to maintain current defence spending and the planned increases.
Vance told the Star the defence review will underscore what roles the government considers vital for the military.
“I’m really looking forward to that because it’s important for the government every now and then, the country, to take stock,” he said.
Still, Vance expects three roles for the military will prevail: to defend Canada, participate in the defence of North America, and contribute forces abroad “in the constant quest for peace and security in the world.”
“To me, that is very Canadian, has been enduring and will very likely, in my view, form part of, if not the foundational elements of, a defence policy review,” Vance said.
At a recent panel discussion on Canadian defence strategy in Ottawa, panelists offered some blue sky musings about future roles for the military, from a “niche capability” that it would deploy only in concert with other allies or a sole mission of “defence of the realm,” focused only on the defence of North America.
But retired lieutenant-general Mike Day, former commander of Special Operations Forces Command, said Canadians live in “uncertain times” and the military must be able to cope with any number of threats.
“This morning, probably, we’ve had a cyber attack. Russia, in some shape or form, (has) had some level of incursion into our sovereign territory or at least threatened it,” Day told the session.
“There certainly has been economic espionage and that type of activity, and there has been in some corner of this country, some sort of internal planning to threaten the country, and climate change.”
All are examples of the kind of threats that Canada must be prepared to defend against, Day told the forum, organized by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
“The concept of defence absolutely needs to evolve,” he said.
That view was echoed by Vance, who said a variety of military capabilities gives the government options in dealing with threats or responding to crises, like natural disasters.
“A Tier 1 military with the capabilities, (and) excellent people, gives the government of Canada options to engage in the world on things they think are important and engage in a way that is important to both the country and our allies,” he said.
Vance was skeptical of the call for niche capabilities, saying it would force Canada to rely on other nations. “If they decide for their own political reasons not to show up, then you’re uncovered,” he said.
And he dismissed the notion that Canada would retreat into what he called “splendid isolation” and defend only its borders.
“Those who say that you defend Canada by starting at the entry point to the country don’t know anything about defence, don’t know anything about the nature of global threat,” Vance said.
“The security challenges in the world are proliferating . . . We are a global actor even if we’re not projecting force, it’s coming at us,” he said.
“We’ve typically had a military that can operate through the full spectrum of conflict.” GEN. JONATHAN VANCE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES