18 décembre 2023 | Local, Sécurité
Minister Blair meets with Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
14 février 2024 | Local, Naval
Royal Canadian Navy is trying to fix problems on its new Arctic and offshore patrol ships including anchors that don’t work properly
18 avril 2023 | Local, Autre défense
The Canadian Defence Liaison Staff (Washington) and the Trade Commissioner Service would like to make Canada’s defence industry aware of an opportunity to meet with the US Department of Defense Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Program at CANSEC 2023! We ask that you share this message with your colleagues, contacts, and clients who may benefit from the FCT Program. Interested firms should complete the attached Product Sheet and return to via email to LCdr Alain Gilbert - alain.gilbert@forces.gc.ca – (with a CC to Trade Commissioner Bobby Tate – Robert.tate@interational.gc.ca) by Friday, May 12th. The FCT program scans for vendors in non-US countries that have innovative technologies that speak to the US DoD’s 14 Critical Technology Areas. Please note that the Critical Technology Areas have been updated for 2023: o Biotechnology o Quantum Science o Future Generation Wireless Technology (FutureG) o Advanced Materials o Trusted AI and Autonomy o Integrated Network Systems-of-Systems o Microelectronics o Space Technology o Renewable Energy and Storage o Advanced computing and Software o Human-Machine Interfaces o Directed Energy o Hypersonic o Integrated Sensing and Cyber The USD(R&E) Technology Vision for an Era of Competition provides additional context. It can be found here: https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/usdre_strategic_vision_critical_tech_areas.pdf DoD will also consider technologies that satisfy urgent operational needs on a relevant fielding schedule and/or technologies that provide significant life cycle savings. In short, they’re looking for technology that does an existing capability better, cheaper, or faster! For more information, an overview presentation on the FCT program can be found here: https://ac.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/fct_overview_presentation_approved_7_14_2020.pdf Companies who submit a product template may have the opportunity to meet with the FCT program during the CANSEC exposition (31 May – 1 June 2023). The expo will be held at the EY Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. Again, interested firms should complete the attached FCT Product Sheet, and send it to LCdr Alain Gilbert, A/Defence Cooperation Attaché at alain.gilbert@forces.gc.ca with a CC to Bobby Tate at Robert.tate@international.gc.ca We hope you consider this opportunity to learn more about the U.S. Department of Defense’s FCT program. Questions may be addressed to LCdr Alain Gilbert, Assistant Defence Cooperation Attaché at alain.gilbert@forces.gc.ca and Mr. Bobby Tate, Trade Commissioner, Defense, Security, and Aerospace, at robert.tate@international.gc.ca
21 novembre 2019 | Local, Naval
Andrea Gunn (agunn@herald.ca) OTTAWA, Ont. — Canada could have a thing or two to learn from the Australians when it comes to buying warships, a new report claims. Ian Mack, a retired rear admiral and director-general in the Department of National Defence, released a paper via the Canadian Global Affairs Institute on Friday shedding light on what he believes are some key mistakes in the way Ottawa has handled the $60-billion procurement of a new fleet of frigates. Mack has a unique perspective. He served in his DND role from 2007 to 2017 and was responsible for the conception, shaping and support of the launch and implementation of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, including the initial stages of the Canadian surface combatant competition. In 2017 Mack was selected by the Australian government to join an international expert advisory panel for their Future Frigate Program as it moved into its competitive evaluation process. In the paper, Mack points out the similarities between the two countries: they embarked on the procurement process at about the same time, they both sought to break the boom-and-bust cycle of shipbuilding, and ultimately they would both end up selecting BAE's Type 26 global combat ship as their preferred design. But the differences, Mack says, are what have encumbered Canada's process, and why the Canadian government took three years longer to go from government approval to design selection than the Australians, In the paper, Mack points to excessive red tape, inexperience among officials working on the project, and a general lack of drive to change the process to make it more efficient and cost-effective. For example, the Australian government made the decision up front to restrict the competition to three shipbuilders and their warship designs, whereas Canada only required shipbuilders to qualify to compete, which over 10 of them did. The initial request for proposals for the Canadian surface combatant also included hundreds of mandatory technical requirements characterized in great detail which proved problematic and led to an eventual overhaul of the process. In comparison, for Australia's future frigate, there were only a few mandatory requirements of any kind with further guidance provided to bidders via a question and response process. Mack also pointed out that in Canada, the project management office was about the same size as in Australia but entirely drawn from the public service and the Canadian Armed Forces, with a significant number of team members having little or no applicable industry experience or knowledge, whereas in Australia, the office was populated by knowledgeable contractors. The Canadian government, Mack concludes, has traditionally worn blinders when it comes to executing complex procurement projects. “It takes a serious investment of effort to study what others are doing,” he writes. “One useful place to start is by comprehensively exploring other nations' approaches to identify gems we might adopt and trial before we need to buy warships again.” https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/local/why-the-australians-are-better-at-buying-new-warships-than-canadians-report-377148/