Canadian Coast Guard's Three New Fishery Vessels Drydocked for Repair

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  September 4, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Sweden’s Saab undecided on whether it will participate in Canadian fighter-jet competition

  THE CANADIAN PRESS Days after Airbus Defence and Space pulled out of the $19-billion race to replace Canada's aging fighter jets, the only European firm still eligible to compete says it has not decided whether it will. Saab Canada president Simon Carroll says the Swedish firm is interested in entering its Gripen jet against its two remaining competitors, both of which are from the United States: Boeing's Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin's F-35. However, Mr. Carroll told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that his company is still analyzing the competition's nitty-gritty details – including a security requirement that forced out two other European jet makers. All bidders are required to explain by Sept. 20 how they plan to ensure their planes can integrate with the top-secret Canada-U.S. intelligence network known as “Two Eyes,” which is used to co-ordinate the defence of North America. But in announcing its withdrawal from the competition on Friday, Airbus said meeting the requirement would place “too significant of a cost” on non-U.S. aircraft. French firm Dassault cited the same requirement when it pulled its Rafale jet in November. “We are still looking at that security assessment side of things from the Two-Eyes perspective,” Mr. Carroll said. “We don't see any major issues with it as this point in time. Having said that, we're still reviewing everything through the whole [request for proposals] at this point in time and we will reserve the right to make our judgment on whether or not we provide a bid.” Airbus also raised concerns about changes to a long-standing policy that requires bidders on military contracts to legally commit to invest as much money in Canadian products and operations as they get out of contracts they win. Bidders can now instead establish “industrial targets,” lay out a plan for achieving those targets and sign non-binding agreements promising to make all efforts to achieve them. Such bids do suffer penalties when the bids are scored, but are not rejected outright. That change followed U.S. complaints the previous policy violated an agreement Canada signed in 2006 to become one of nine partner countries in developing the F-35. The agreement says companies in the partner countries will compete for work associated with purchases of the planes. While Saab has previously raised its own concerns about the change, saying it would shortchange Canadian taxpayers and industry, Mr. Carroll said it was “not a hurdle” and that “we think we have a very good offering for what we can offer in Canada.” Even participating in the competition is not a cheap proposition for fighter-jet makers; while Carroll would not speak to the potential cost to Saab, analysts have previously pegged the cost in the millions of dollars. While companies are expected to submit their plans to meet the Two Eyes security requirement on Sept. 20, the government has said it will provide feedback and let bidders amend their submissions. Final bids aren't expected until next winter, with a formal contract signed in 2022. The first plane won't arrive until at least 2025. Successive federal government have been working to replace Canada's CF-18s for more than a decade. Mr. Carroll praised the government for being transparent as it has worked for years to launch the competition, which followed an aborted attempt between 2010 and 2012 to buy F-35s without a competition. “We're supportive of the government processes and what they've done moving forward,” he said. “The transparency from the government has been very good. They've given ample opportunity for us to review documents. They've been very open in saying that these are the dates and these are the times.” https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-swedens-saab-undecided-on-whether-it-will-participate-in-canadian/

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  October 1, 2018 | Local, Naval

  CSC 2018 Evaluation Stage

  © 2018 FrontLine Defence (Vol 15, No 5) The Canadian Surface Combatant program is the largest and most complex procurement to be undertaken by the Canadian Government to date. This program intends to replace the existing Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) frigates (specializing in anti-submarine capabilities and multi-role mission support) and the now-retired destroyers (providing anti-air capabilities) with a fleet of 15 versatile new warships that will be in service to the mid 21st century, if not longer. As outlined in its defence policy, the Government remains committed to replacing the Navy's surface fleet with 15 surface combatants, which will all be built by Irving Shipbuilding as part of the “combatant” portion of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Although rumours are swirling about the possibility of two variants on a common platform, a DND spokesperson confirms that “the current requirement is that all 15 CSC ships will have the same capabilities: anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare as well as command and control.” The DND email to FrontLine goes on to say that “Funding has been set aside to deliver the full complement of ships the Royal Canadian Navy needs, in order to provide capability across the full range of operations. This will replace both the recently retired Iroquois-class destroyers and the Halifax-class frigates with a single class of ship capable of meeting multiple threats on both the open ocean and the highly complex coastal (littoral) environment.” Full article: https://defence.frontline.online/article/2018/5/10490-CSC-2018-Evaluation-Stage

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  May 31, 2023 | Local, Other Defence

  Government of Canada helping defence industry protect itself from cyber security threats

  May 31, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario - Public Services and Procurement Canada  The Government of Canada is committed to implementing robust cyber security measures, which are fundamental to Canada’s economic stability and national security. Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, announced that the Government of Canada will develop and implement a Canadian program for cyber security certification that will result in mandatory certification requirements in select federal defence contracts as early as winter 2024.  Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), in partnership with National Defence and the Standards Council of Canada, will lead the Government of Canada’s efforts to establish this new program. Engagement sessions with the defence industry and other key stakeholders are expected to begin in late 2023. Canada’s defence industry is subject to frequent malicious cyber activities targeting contractors and subcontractors, threatening the protection of unclassified federal information. To protect supply chains critical to Canada’s defence, it is imperative that Canada acts on the matter.  Without certification, Canadian suppliers risk being excluded from future international defence procurement opportunities. The new program will aim to reduce industry burden by pursuing mutual recognition between Canada and the U.S., allowing certified Canadian suppliers to be recognized in both jurisdictions.  Quotes “Threats to cyber security are complex and rapidly evolving, and in the world of defence procurement, cyber incidents pose a threat to the protection of unclassified federal information. That’s why we are taking action to protect our defence supply chain by establishing a Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification to protect Canadians and Canadian businesses.” The Honourable Helena Jaczek Minister of Public Services and Procurement  “Cyber security is national security. In government and in the private sector, we must adapt our practices to the changing security environment. Today, we are presenting a plan to improve the resiliency of our defence supply chains. The Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification will help ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces have the secure tools that they need to meet their operational demands, today and into the future. Because this certification will increase the trust in the resiliency of Canadian suppliers, our world-class defence industry will also benefit, and be in an even better position to access procurement opportunities with our closest allies.” The Honourable Anita Anand Minister of National Defence  “With this new certification, we are protecting our critical supply chains, and ensuring Canadian suppliers can continue to play a key role in the U.S. defence procurement supply chains as it is critical to grow our industry and to create jobs and prosperity for workers across Canada.” The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Quick facts As part of Budget 2023, the Government of Canada allocated $25 million over 3 years for the creation of a new Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification for defence procurement. The new Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification will help to maintain Canadian companies’ access to international procurement opportunities with Canada’s close allies and partners, where mandatory cyber security certification is required. Increasing the cyber security resilience of the Government of Canada’s defence industrial base will reinforce the goals of Canada’s National Cyber Security Action Plan and National Cyber Security Strategy. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s National Cyber Threat Assessment for 2023-24 assesses that Canadian organizations will continue to be targeted by malicious cyber threat activity by state-sponsored actors over the next 2 years. The Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification will verify and strengthen the cyber security measures Canadian defence companies are taking to protect their networks, systems and applications. Associated links Budget 2023: A Made-In-Canada Plan https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/news/2023/05/government-of-canada-helping-defence-industry-protect-itself-from-cyber-security-threats.html