Defense Minister Bill Blair on Monday unveiled $7.9 billion in new spending for the Canadian Armed Forces over the next five years in a long-promised update to Canada’s defense policy, but this still won’t meet the goal of the country under NATO.
By the end of the new five-year plan in fiscal year 2029-30, Canada is expected to spend 1.76 per cent of GDP on defence, still below NATO’s target of 2 per cent of GDP, according to the update document. of policies. .
The first major defense policy update since 2017 says the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) must address three major factors that are reshaping the global landscape: climate change that is disproportionately changing Canada’s Arctic; autocracies and disruptive states like Russia that challenge the international order; and new technologies “rapidly redefine” conflict.
Total budgeted spending in this five-year plan is $8.1 billion, of which $157 million is funds reallocated since the last defense policy update in 2017.
In the upcoming federal budget on April 16, defense spending is projected to increase by $612 million, growing incrementally by $500 million over the next two years, and then by about $300 million over the final two years, as described in the update.
Most of this year’s new spending is focused on maintaining naval ships and other military equipment, with a budget of $495 million.
While NATO’s GDP target is not expected to be met, the policy document says Canada is “on track to exceed” NATO’s target of allocating 20 per cent of defense spending on major equipment spending .
Military leaders, including Chief of the Defense Staff General Wayne Eyre and Vice Admiral Angus Topshee, have spoken publicly about the need to better maintain key military equipment, including frigates, to ensure operational readiness.
Recruitment is also an ongoing challenge for the CAF, with officials saying they are short approximately 15,000 people. They describe the hiring criteria as “obsolete” and are studying the possibility of creating a trial period to speed up the hiring process.
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Last month, Blair said the CAF faces a “death spiral” in recruiting.
Other recruiting initiatives include reevaluating medical requirements, focusing recruiting efforts on people with skilled trades, and establishing a strategy to rehabilitate military housing.
Among the new spending priorities outlined in the strategy for this fiscal year are $73 million for intelligence and cyber operations, $15 million for ammunition purchase and production, $13 million for child care for security personnel the CAF, 10 million dollars for the NATO innovation fund and 7 million dollars for a health program. record platform.
All of this is separate from previously announced military spending, including commitments to modernize NORAD and purchase F-35 fighter jets.
The government says the spending plan for the next 20 years is valued at an additional $73 billion to ensure a “prepared, resilient and relevant” CAF.
The document characterizes the assertion of Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic as the “most urgent and important task” facing the CAF amid a changing geopolitical and physical landscape thanks to climate change.
As the polar ice melts and key areas like the Northwest Passage become more accessible, the defense policy update looks at how Russia and China work to increase military presence in the Arctic, specifically naval capabilities.
The policy update outlines a plan for greater Canadian emphasis on building a greater military presence and mobility in the Arctic to address “disasters, threats and challenges to our sovereignty.”
A strategic objective is to ensure that these waters, land and airspace are not vulnerable to intrusions that could harm Canadian or American interests, as melting ice could open new sea routes between Europe and East Asia, the policy document says.
In addition to climate change and geopolitical power shifts affecting real-world CAF operations, new technological innovations in artificial intelligence and quantum computing are changing the role of cyberspace in conflict.
To address this, the CAF plans to establish a Cyber Command and work with the Communications Security Establishment to create joint Canadian cyber operations capabilities.
According to the policy document, this will allow the military to “generate and employ cyber forces and other specialized capabilities in a short time.” He notes that all operations would have to be approved by the government on a mission-by-mission basis.
The policy document says: “AI will fundamentally transform conventional military warfare,” with changing tactics such as the ability of state and non-state actors to employ targeted disinformation campaigns, espionage and foreign interference.
On the other hand, the CAF sees AI as a tool that can be used to accelerate decision-making and identify trends through the use of autonomous systems, according to the document.
Over the course of the five-year plan, the CAF plans to spend $917 million on improving intelligence and cyber operations, a figure that will increase to $2.8 billion over the next 20 years.
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