Government of Canada announces information technology investment for Canada's military

On the same subject

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  February 25, 2020 | Local, C4ISR

  Pentagon Briefs Industry On 5G Experiments

  By PAUL MCLEARY PENTAGON: Close to 300 companies logged on to a “virtual industry day” with Pentagon leadership last week as the military scrambles to build its own 5G networks. The challenge: moving fast enough to keep up with commercial innovation — but cautiously enough to keep China out. The event, led by DoD's technical director for 5G, Dr. Joe Evans, marked a starting point for shaping a forthcoming Request for Prototype Proposals planned in the coming weeks. The companies selected will then start work later this year on a series of 5G experiments at four bases across the United States. Those experiments are intended to help the individual armed services to refine what it is they need, and what they need to ask from industry, as the Pentagon pumps hundreds of millions of new funding into 5G programs across the department. The experiments run the gamut from logistics to sharing information between radar systems, and each service will play a role in testing out what industry offers. Hill Air Force Base in Utah will develop 5G dynamic spectrum sharing capabilities between airborne radar systems and 5G cellular systems. The Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia and Naval Base San Diego will test out a smart warehouse concept, while virtual reality training systems will be tested at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The RPP will be issued through the National Spectrum Consortium, an industry group established under a five-year, $1.25 billion Other Transaction Authority contract with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Emerging Capabilities and Prototyping. Only vetted companies who belong to the consortium will be considered for the work. The effort is part of a wider push within the government to develop homegrown tech, and quickly. President Trump's top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, told reporters Friday the White House is planning a 5G meeting in April with top technology companies in an effort to ensure Huawei does not cornere the global market on the technology. “We're going to have a lot of them in the White House to have a discussion,” Kudlow said, though the event hasn't been officially announced. The Pentagon fiscal year 2021 budget requests $449 million in research and development for the 5G next generation information communications technology program, $249 million more than provided by Congress last year. While the Pentagon is paying to run these initial tests, the individual services will ultimately be responsible for paying to 5G technologies once they're matured, adding another budget line at a time when no one expects defense accounts to rise for the foreseeable future. When that happens, 5G will compete “with all other infrastructure upgrades that the services already have planned for their installations and for the systems that operate on them,” said Morgan Dwyer, a former Pentagon official now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “So, how quickly DoD can deploy 5G is really a function of how much utility the technology provides to the services and how willing they are to trade-off other capabilities in order to prioritize 5G instead.” https://breakingdefense.com/2020/02/pentagon-briefs-industry-on-5g-experiments

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  May 17, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

  Creating jobs through defence procurement

  News release Positioning Canadian industry for a once-in-a-generation opportunity May 16, 2018, Ottawa, Ontario Canada's planned purchase of 88 new fighter jets would be its largest aerospace buy in more than 30 years. It presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create jobs and generate benefits for Canadians. The purchase of these jets is subject to the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy, which requires that for every dollar the government spends on major defence purchases, the winning contractor must put a dollar back into Canada's economy. Through this policy, the government's purchasing power is being used to support innovation and create well-paying middle-class jobs. This was the message delivered at a series of six regional forums held across the country by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, in concert with National Defence, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and the regional development agencies. Representatives from more than 250 companies and 50 universities and research institutions participated in a total of 750 meetings. They were able to meet directly with fighter manufacturers and start building relationships and partnerships during these forums, positioning them to take advantage of the opportunities that will come from this large-scale procurement. By working with Canada's aerospace and defence industries, our government is making sure that Canadians get the most benefits possible from large defence purchases. Quotes “The Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy means we can turn the most significant investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in more than 30 years into middle-class jobs and economic benefits for Canadians.” – The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development “Our government has achieved yet another important milestone as we continue to make progress toward replacing Canada's fighter fleet. This procurement will generate significant economic benefits for Canadians, and we committed to ensuring that our Canadian aerospace and defence sectors are well-positioned to participate in the renewal of Canada's fighter fleet.” – The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement “A modern fighter jet fleet is essential for defending Canadian sovereignty, enabling continental security, and contributing to international peace and security. I am pleased to hear about the productive conversations that have been taking place with Canadian industry members and partners these past few weeks. This competition presents a great opportunity for Canadian industry to be involved with the sustainment of the future fighter fleet.” – The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence Quick facts Canada's aerospace and defence industries together contribute over 240,000 quality jobs. The aerospace industry directly contributed $13 billion in gross domestic product and over 87,000 jobs to the Canadian economy in 2016. The Canadian defence sector includes over 650 firms employing highly skilled workers in high-quality jobs. Since 1986, Canada's ITB Policy and its predecessor, the Industrial and Regional Benefits Policy, have contributed almost $40 billion to Canada's gross domestic product. Applying the policy generates around 40,000 jobs annually. https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2018/05/creating-jobs-through-defence-procurement.html

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  January 15, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Daniel Turp veut empêcher des ventes d’armes «hypocrites»

  Hugo Joncas | Le Journal de Montréal Ottawa fait preuve d'«hypocrisie» en autorisant la vente d'équipements aéronautiques québécois aux forces de l'Arabie saoudite et des Émirats arabes unis, dit le professeur de droit constitutionnel Daniel Turp, qui veut les faire interdire dès que possible. «Il y a une hypocrisie collective qui fait qu'on tolère ça de nos gouvernements parce que ça créerait des emplois», a dit l'ancien député au micro de Robert Dutrizac sur QUB radio lundi matin. Daniel Turp réagissait au reportage de notre Bureau d'enquête, qui révèle que l'aéronautique québécoise a vendu pour près d'un milliard de dollars en équipements aux militaires saoudiens, émiratis et à leurs alliés dans la sanglante guerre au Yémen, qui a tué 4500 civils jusqu'ici. Il souligne l'«incohérence» de ces ventes avec l'arrivée de la jeune réfugiée saoudienne en sol canadien la fin de semaine dernière. Recours judiciaires Daniel Turp est déjà en quête d'un moyen de pour empêcher de futures exportations. «Je vais mettre mes étudiants au travail», dit le professeur à l'Université de Montréal, en entrevue avec notre Bureau d'enquête. La partie est cependant loin d'être gagnée. Daniel Turp tente déjà d'en appeler jusqu'en Cour suprême pour faire annuler les licences d'exportation des blindés ontariens de General Dynamics. Dans le cas des moteurs de Pratt & Whitney et des appareils de Bell Hélicoptères Textron destinés aux flottes de guerre cependant, aucune licence n'est même nécessaire de la part d'Ottawa, puisqu'ils sont conçus comme des équipements civils. Ils sont ensuite utilisés pour assembler des appareils d'attaque aux États-Unis, lié au Canada par l'Accord sur le partage de la production de défense, un véritable libre-échange de l'armement. «Il faut que je trouve le moyen de poursuivre les compagnies», dit-il. Daniel Turp observera de près comment évolue une poursuite intentée en Italie contre le fabricant d'une bombe saoudienne ayant tué les six membres d'une famille au Yémen, en octobre 2016. Il doit aussi intervenir dans les consultations des prochaines semaines sur le projet de loi C-47, qui doit permettre au Canada d'adhérer au Traité des Nations unies sur le commerce des armes. Daniel Turp compte exiger que les pièces et composantes soient incluses dans la liste du matériel à exportation contrôlée, même lorsqu'elles sont vendues aux États-Unis. Le professeur évoque enfin les «principes directeurs de l'Organisation de développement et de coopération économique» (OCDE), auquel le Canada adhère. Ils mentionnent notamment qu'une entreprise doit «éviter d'être la cause d'incidences négatives sur les droits de l'homme ou d'y contribuer, et parer à ces incidences lorsqu'elles surviennent». https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2019/01/15/daniel-turp-veut-empecher-des-ventes-darmes-hypocrites