During his tenure as chief of the defence staff, the global security environment underwent significant deterioration, shaped by the interplay of geopolitical shifts, climate change, rapid technological advances, and increasing societal divisions. This convergence of challenges, described by the former chief, marked a pivotal turning point in global security, particularly following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The former military leader warned that Canada’s national interests—its prosperity, sovereignty, and population security—faced mounting threats. He emphasized that the international order established after World War II was eroding, undercutting the stability that had underpinned Canada’s economic wellbeing as a trading nation. He noted that rising great-power tensions made conflict of a scale unseen since 1945 increasingly plausible.
Highlighting the erosion of borders’ inviolability, the official cited the example of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine as evidence that territorial lines could no longer be taken for granted. He stressed the particular vulnerability of Canada’s northern regions, especially the Arctic, where sovereignty and control would depend on credible military presence and deterrent capabilities.
In addition to external military threats, Canada faces a growing number of domestic natural disasters and increasing exposure of its citizens to international conflict zones, complicating efforts to protect the population. The former chief underlined that responding effectively to these multifaceted threats would require a coordinated application of all instruments of national power rather than military force alone, but lamented that Canada’s security institutions often operated in silos.
He called for a national strategy to unify security objectives and ensure integrated responses during crises when government decision-making capacity is limited. Central to this strategy would be a strengthened Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the ultimate guarantee against uncertainty. However, he acknowledged that years of military underfunding had left the CAF ill-prepared for emerging threats.
Following Russia’s Ukraine invasion, the Canadian government faced increased scrutiny over its defence spending, particularly its failure to meet NATO’s target of two percent of GDP. In March 2022, officials were tasked with quickly developing a plan to reach that benchmark. Though comprehensive proposals addressing investments in personnel, capabilities, and operations were developed, they failed to gain traction with the Prime Minister’s Office.
Instead, Budget 2022 directed a review and update of the 2017 defence policy to reassess the CAF’s size, capabilities, roles, and resources, with recommendations due in fall 2022. The process, characterized by delays and indecision over the subsequent two years, coincided with further global security deterioration and declining military readiness, leading to diminished confidence among Canada’s allies.
Throughout the summer months, officials advanced the policy update framework, emphasizing a renewed focus on geostrategic priorities. The intention was to concentrate CAF efforts primarily on the North American continent, with the Arctic as the core area of emphasis. Secondary priority would be assigned to the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, while other global areas would receive limited, targeted engagement.
A key component of the Arctic strategy involved going beyond minimal modernization of NORAD to develop comprehensive situational awareness across all domains, from space to seabed. The approach includes establishing infrastructure such as airfields, ports, roads, energy systems, and communication hubs to enable sustained and flexible military operations in the region.
The former chief’s reflections underscore the urgent need for Canada to recalibrate its defence posture in the face of an increasingly complex and uncertain global security landscape.