ABS, the Royal Canadian Navy, and Defence Research & Development Canada Launch Digital Asset Framework Pilot

On the same subject

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  May 19, 2023 | Local, Other Defence

  Today's letters: Canada's defence procurement carries needless risks

  Friday, May 19: When it comes to military spending, maybe wiser, more affordable options are available, a reader says.

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  May 22, 2019 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

  Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS)

  Policy Direction: Strong, Secure, Engaged Strong, Secure, Engaged recognizes that collaboration with academia and other experts strengthens the foundation of evidenced-based policy-making. To that end, it provides direction to increase annual investment in a revamped and expanded defence engagement program. The Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) program answers this call. Building on Success MINDS builds on the successful Defence Engagement Program (DEP), expanding the program thoughtfully, with an end result that is not just bigger, but better. Consultations have been at the heart of these renewal efforts. They started with the Defence Policy Review and have continued through ongoing dialogue with experts across the country. The DEP effectively helped the Defence Team access external advice through its Expert Briefing Series and Targeted Engagement Grant program. These successful program elements will continue. A New Approach to External Engagement Expanding on the DEP, MINDS delivers a program that: Responds to the need for relevant and timely advice from defence and security experts; Fosters the next generation of experts and scholars; and, Contributes to Canadians understanding of defence and security issues. However, MINDS provides even greater opportunities for collaboration between the Defence Team and the defence and security expert community. There are five key pillars of MINDS: Expert Briefing Series, Targeted Engagement Grants, Collaborative Networks, Scholarships, and a Rapid Response Mechanism. Each offers a different means for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces to access relevant, timely expertise that incorporates a diversity of viewpoints and provides well-rounded advice. The program is committed to reflecting key Government of Canada priorities in the work it delivers, ensuring the incorporation of Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) and supporting Indigenous reconciliation and youth engagement. Defence Team Collaboration MINDS is different from, but complementary to, the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program, using different approaches to tackle defence and security challenges. While IDEaS advances critical solutions to challenges relating to applied capabilities and technology, MINDS is focused on policy thinking and the generation of knowledge in the public policy realm. Together, MINDS and IDEaS drive innovation and help address defence challenges. Strong, Secure, Engaged calls for concrete steps to enhance the Defence Team's ability to anticipate and understand threats, challenges and opportunities. Leveraging the expertise of Canada's defence and security expert community through MINDS is central to meeting this objective. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/minds.html

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  December 17, 2018 | Local, Naval

  ‘Near total power failure’: Questions about propulsion system on new Canadian warship

  David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen The Defence department has acknowledged the government's choice for a $60-billion warship program has a propulsion system that has been plagued by problems, at times shutting down entirely while at sea. But the department says it is confident the Type 26 ship, designed by the British firm BAE, meets all the requirements necessary for the Royal Canadian Navy's future fleet. The acknowledgement of the problems is contained in a Department of National Defence fact sheet that outlines potential issues with the selection of Lockheed Martin Canada, with its bid of the BAE Type 26 vessel, as the “preferred bidder” for the Canadian Surface Combatant program. That $60-billion CSC program, the largest single government purchase in Canadian history, will see the construction of 15 warships at Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax. Among the issues addressed by the DND was an outline of some potential problems with the Type 26 warship. “The British Navy has had serious issues with the propulsion system in their BAE Type 45s, both in the generator — which has caused near-total power failures — and the engines themselves,” the DND document noted. “Given it uses the same propulsion system, will this affect the CSC too?” But in the document, the DND also expressed confidence in the Type 26, adding that a design that didn't meet all the requirements would not have been considered. Until negotiations with the preferred bidder are completed, the DND can't discuss specific elements of the warship design, the department's response pointed out. Over the years, the BAE Type 45 destroyers have been plagued by problems, with the propulsion system conking out during operations and exercises. In March the British government awarded a contract to BAE worth more than $200 million to fix the problems, with the first ship to be overhauled by 2021. But a representative of the Lockheed Martin Canada-BAE team noted in an email to Postmedia that the propulsion system for the Type 26 “is fundamentally different to the Type 45 propulsion system.” “The T26 design therefore offers more propulsion options, both mechanical and electrical, and is underpinned by a greater number of propulsion engines, providing greater redundancy,” the email noted. “We are confident that the Type 26 design is the right solution for the Royal Canadian Navy and meets the requirements for the Canadian Surface Combatant.” Officials with the consortium expressed surprise at the suggestion the Type 45 issues could be linked to the Type 26 design. Negotiations with Lockheed Martin Canada on the surface combatant program have already hit a roadblock after the Canadian International Trade Tribunal ordered the Canadian government on Nov. 27 to postpone the awarding of a contract while it investigates claims the Type 26 doesn't meet the military's needs. That came after Alion, one of the firms that submitted a bid on the CSC project, filed a complaint with the trade tribunal. Alion, a U.S. firm, has also filed a legal challenge in federal court, asking for a judicial review of the decision by Irving and the Canadian government to select Lockheed Martin and the BAE design. Alion argues the Type 26 cannot meet the stated mandatory requirements, including speed, that Canada set out for the new warship and because of that should be disqualified. Alion had offered Canada the Dutch De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command frigate, which the firm says meets all of Canada's requirements. The entry of the BAE Type 26 warship in the competition was controversial. Previously the Liberal government had said only mature existing designs or designs of ships already in service with other navies would be accepted, on the grounds they could be built faster and would be less risky. Unproven designs can face challenges as problems are found once the vessel is in the water and operating. But that criteria was changed and the government and Irving accepted the BAE design, though at the time it existed only on the drawing board. Construction began on the first Type 26 frigate in the summer of 2017 for Britain's Royal Navy, but it has not yet been completed. Company claims about what the Type 26 ship can do, including how fast it can go, are based on simulations or projections. The two other bidders in the Canadian program have ships actually in service with other navies so their capabilities are known. dpugliese@postmedia.com Twitter.com/davidpugliese https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/questions-raised-about-propulsion-system-on-new-canadian-warship-amid-fears-engines-could-conk-out