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Canada's Combat Ship Team awarded contract for Canadian Surface Combatant OTTAWA, Ontario, Feb. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian technology, experience and infrastructure proved a winning combination for Canada's new fleet of surface combatants, as Canada's Combat Ship Team has been awarded the Canadian Surface Combatant design contract by Irving Shipbuilding. Irving Shipbuilding is the Canadian Surface Combatant prime contractor and will build all 15 ships at Halifax Shipyard. BAE Systems, CAE, Lockheed Martin Canada, L3 Technologies, MDA and Ultra Electronics partnered as Canada's Combat Ship Team to offer the Royal Canadian Navy the most advanced and modern warship design, the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, with high-tech platform innovations from prominent Canadian companies. The solution includes the internationally renowned and Canadian-developed combat management system, CMS 330. Bringing together a pan-Canadian team, the six companies have a uniquely skilled workforce and supply chain that are ready to begin work on the program today. Canada's Combat Ship team employs a combined 9,000 Canadians in 40 facilities from coast to coast and engages a Canadian supply chain of more than 4,000 small and medium sized enterprises. The team also secured several additional partners, including Rolls-Royce with its Canadian-designed and manufactured Mission Bay Handling System that will enable adaptability for the ships' operations. The Type 26 Global Combat Ship is a globally deployable multi-role warship that meets the distinctive mission requirements of the Royal Canadian Navy. It is enhanced with the team's collective Canadian naval expertise in combat system design, integration, training, logistics and program management. Purposely designed for high-end anti-submarine warfare and capable of performing a variety of missions around the world, the Type 26 is acoustically quiet, versatile, highly survivable, and allows for significant growth margins for future modernization. Canada's Combat Ship Team will deliver lasting economic benefits to Canadian industry through $17 billion in value proposition commitments in innovation across Canada's priority areas, including $2 billion in supplier development, $2 billionin research and development, and $200 million in advanced manufacturing. All of this contributes to a strong Canadian team - Canada's Home Team - ready to begin work on day one as promised. Quotes "We are delighted to be part of Canada's Combat Ship Team that has been awarded the Canadian Surface Combatant design contract. We believe that the Type 26 Global Combat Ship is the right solution for Canada, combining Canada's trusted Combat Management System with the world's most advanced warship design and bringing together a pan-Canadian team with a proven track record and current capability to perform complex defence projects." Anne Healey, General Manager - Canada, BAE Systems "As one of Canada's largest defence companies, we are proud to be part of this pan-Canadian team selected for the Canadian Surface Combatant program. We look forward to working closely with the Government of Canada, Irving Shipbuilding and the entire team to develop and deliver world-class capability that prepares the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy for mission success." Joe Armstrong, Vice President and General Manager - Canada, CAE "This award is true validation of our Canadian capability. Our team is honoured, knowing that we offered the right solution for Canada and a proven ability to perform on complex defence programs. Lockheed Martin Canada is ready to continue serving as Canada's trusted Combat System Integrator, as it has for more than three decades, leveraging the innovation and talent here at home that will ultimately result in unprecedented economic outcome for Canada." Gary Fudge, Vice President and General Manager, Lockheed Martin Canada Rotary and Mission Systems "With over 2,200 Canadians working at L3 Technologies, we stand ready to deliver the latest EO/IR sensors, Integrated Platform Management, Integrated Communications and Torpedo Handling systems for the Canadian Surface Combatant. With proven capability on existing Canadian ships, L3 Technologies is proud to be on the team that will deliver the world leading performance expected by the Royal Canadian Navy." Rich Foster, Vice President, L3 Technologies Canada "As one of Canada's leading space and defence companies, MDA's participation in this project validates our expertise in electronics, antennas, signal processing, system engineering and mission software capabilities. In addition to providing world-class operational CSC capability to the Canadian Armed Forces, this project will be a catalyst for exporting more of our technology to the global naval market." Mike Greenley, Group President, MDA "As the underwater warfare lead on the CSC Home Team we are bringing to bear our considerable depth of anti-submarine warfare experience and capability, ensuring Canada's new ships will provide an enduring operational advantage to the Royal Canadian Navy. This work will generate high-tech jobs in Nova Scotia for sonar design and manufacturing and add to our existing significant export capability." Bernard Mills, President, Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems "Our experience and world-leading capability as providers of integrated power and propulsion solutions will deliver these warships with exceptional power through-life and the superb acoustic performance essential to anti-submarine warfare operations. Our Canadian-designed and manufactured Mission Bay Handling System will allow the essential flexibility and adaptability for future operations." Bruce Lennie, Vice President Business Development & Government Affairs, Rolls-Royce Canada About BAE Systems BAE Systems is a world leading shipbuilding, support and maintenance company with the skills and expertise to design, build, integrate, test, commission and support complex warships. BAE Systems has a strong track record of collaboration with customers and industrial partners worldwide to share technology and skills – helping countries grow their naval and industrial capabilities. Canadian industry is already integral to the Type 26 Global Combat Ship program. BAE Systems has operated in Canada for over 100 years partnering over a recent period with over 240 Canadian companies. BAE is active across Canada with equipment including Hawk trainer jets, Submarines, cyber security, Hybrid drive busses, and naval guns. About CAE As a globally-recognized training systems integrator, CAE is committed to providing defence and security forces world-class training centres, training services, and a comprehensive portfolio of training solutions. CAE is headquartered in Canada and has employees in 15 locations across the country. About Lockheed Martin Canada Lockheed Martin Canada has been Canada's trusted defence partner for nearly 80 years and has a proud legacy of providing innovative naval systems and sustainment solutions for Canada and abroad. For more than three decades, Lockheed Martin Canada has demonstrated its capability and commitment to the Royal Canadian Navy as the Prime Contractor and Combat System Integrator for the HALIFAX Class Frigates. The company employs approximately 1,000 employees at major facilities in Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Calgary, and Victoria, working on a wide range of major programs spanning the aerospace, defence and commercial sectors. About L3 Technologies A leading provider of communication, electronic and sensor systems used on military, homeland security and commercial platforms, L3 Technologies is also a prime contractor in aerospace systems, security and detection systems, and pilot training. With over 50 years of business operations in Canada, L3 has a strong Canadian presence with L3 MAPPS, L3 MAS, L3 Communication Systems Canada and L3 WESCAM that each have experience working on technologies and projects for the Royal Canadian Navy. About MDA MDA is an internationally recognized leader in space robotics, space sensors, satellite payloads, antennas and subsystems, surveillance and intelligence systems, defence and maritime systems, and geospatial radar imagery. MDA's extensive space expertise and heritage translates into mission-critical defence and commercial applications that include multi-platform command, control and surveillance systems, aeronautical information systems, land administration systems and terrestrial robotics. MDA is also a leading supplier of actionable mission-critical information and insights derived from multiple data sources. Founded in 1969, MDA is recognized as one of Canada's most successful technology ventures with locations in Richmond, Ottawa, Brampton, Montreal, Halifax and the United Kingdom. MDA has supported the Royal Canadian Navy for over two decades. About Ultra Electronics Based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Ultra Electronics is a part of the Ultra Electronics Group, an international defense and aerospace company. Ultra Electronics has been delivering world-leading underwater warfare solutions to the defense market for 70 years. Ultra Electronics has been highly successful in transforming its research investment into the technologically-advanced underwater battlespace sensor systems that it delivers to both Royal Canadian Navy and internationally. Today, Ultra Electronics is recognized worldwide for its expertise in hull mounted sonar, towed active and passive arrays, sonar sensors, and underwater acoustics. About Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting edge technology to provide highly-efficient integrated power and propulsion solutions. Rolls-Royce has been established in Canada for over 70 years and today employs over 1500 Canadians at eight locations across six provinces. Rolls-Royce plays an active role in many of the world's major defence programs offering advanced system solutions to navies and coastguards. SOURCE Lockheed Martin https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2019-02-08-CSC-Home-Team-Celebrates-Canadian-Industry-Success

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Liberal government is pushing ahead to try to get the Canadian Surface Combatant deal signed with Irving and the Lockheed Martin-BAE consortium either Thursday or Friday, sources say. That $60 billion project will see the eventual construction of 15 warships in the largest single government purchase in Canadian history. Lockheed is offering Canada the Type 26 warship designed by BAE in the United Kingdom. Irving is the prime contractor and the vessels will be built at its yard on the east coast. Public Services and Procurement Canada did not respond to a request for comment. But some industry representatives are questioning why the government is moving so quickly to get the contract signed. They say with a deal of such financial size – and potential risk to the taxpayer – federal bureaucrats should move slowly and carefully. The entry of the BAE Type 26 warship in the competition was controversial from the start and sparked complaints the procurement process was skewed to favour that vessel. 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 had ships actually in service with other navies so their capabilities are known. Both Irving and the federal government have insisted the procurement was conducted in a way that ensures all bidders are treated equally, overseen by a fairness monitor with no unfair advantage given to any individual bidder. Nonetheless, while three consortiums submitted bids for the surface combatant program, several European shipbuilders decided against participating because of concerns about the fairness of the process. Others raised concerns about BAE's closeness with the Halifax firm. The Canadian Surface Combatant program has already faced rising costs. In 2008 the then-Conservative government estimated the project would cost roughly $26 billion. But in 2015, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, then commander of the navy, voiced concern that taxpayers may not have been given all the information about the program, publicly predicting the cost for the warships alone would approach $30 billion. Last year, Alion, one of the companies that submitted a bid on the project, filed a complaint with the Canadian International Trade Tribunal alleging the process was flawed and that BAE's Type 26 can't meet Canadian requirements. Alion has also filed a legal challenge in federal court, asking for a judicial review of the decision by Irving and the government to select the BAE design. Alion argued the Type 26 cannot meet the stated mandatory requirements, including speed, that Canada set out for the new warship, so it should be disqualified. The CITT, however, rejected that complaint on Jan. 30. “The Canadian International Trade Tribunal has determined that Alion Science and Technology Canada Corporation and Alion Science and Technology Corporation did not have standing to file a complaint before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal,” it noted in a statement. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/liberals-rush-to-sign-canadian-surface-combatant-contract-deal-expected-to-be-signed-by-friday

Murray Brewster · CBC News Online attacks on Canada's financial system could become far more destructive as more militaries around the globe get involved in cyber operations, a security expert and former CIA analyst told a House of Commons committee Wednesday. Christopher Porter, the chief intelligence strategist for the cyber security company Fireeye, Inc., testified that as NATO countries share their expertise on how to defend against and defeat online threats, "major cyber powers outside the alliance" will likely do the same. The consequences, he said, could be dire. The West's imposition of sanctions on "some countries" has in the past been met with denial-of-service attacks on financial services websites, he said — attacks that have only been disruptive. "In the future, they may respond with destructive attacks aimed at permanently disabling financial services or altering data in ways that undermine trust in the global financial system, such as by delaying or impairing the trustworthy settlement of collateralized government debt," Porter said. "For countries sufficiently sanctioned and therefore increasingly outside that financial system anyway, there is little incentive not to do so during a confrontation." Where the threat comes from He did not name the countries he believes pose an imminent threat, but North Korea, Russia and Iran are widely known to possess sophisticated cyber capabilities and — in some cases — loose associations with groups of private hackers. The Commons public safety committee is studying security in the financial sector. Wednesday's hearing focused on online threats. "I am gravely concerned about the militarization of cyber operations," said Porter, who spent nearly nine years at the CIA and served as the cyber threat intelligence briefer to White House National Security Council staff. "(The) proliferation of cutting-edge offensive cyber power, combined with an increased willingness to use it with minimal blowback and spiraling distrust, has set the stage for more disruptive and destabilizing cyber events, possibly in the near future." The cyber espionage threat Canada faces is still "moderate," said Porter, but his organization has noted at least 10 groups from China, Russia and Iran that have targeted Canada in the last few years. His grim assessment was echoed by another private sector expert who appeared before the committee. Jonathan Reiber, head of cybersecurity at Illumio, an American business data center, said most of Washington's efforts to get everyone to step back from the cyber-warfare brink have gone nowhere. He also suggested that online militarization was inevitable. "Adversaries have escalated in cyberspace, despite U.S. efforts at deterrence," he said. The United States, Canada and other western nations must take a more aggressive stance to deter cyber aggression by "defending forward" and conducting offensive cyber operations to disrupt hacking, Reiber said. The Liberal government's defence policy, released in June 2017, gave the Canadian military permission to conduct those kinds of operations. "Nation states have the right to defend themselves in cyberspace just as they do in other domains," Reiber said. Mutual defence Determining the point at which a online attack provokes a real world military response is something that NATO and many western countries have been grappling with over the last five years. The alliance has a mutual assistance clause, known as Article 5, which requires NATO nations to aid an ally under attack. Liberal MP John McKay, head of the public safety committee, asked whether NATO's decision-making mechanisms are nimble enough to keep pace with cyber attacks. Porter said he believes the system is sound. The challenge, he said, is to get all allies on the same page. "I think a bigger issue is who is going to call for such a response and under what circumstances," he said. "In the States, I think, you're always waiting for a cyber Pearl Harbour destructive event." Such a massive attack is still less likely than a series of smaller events, he said, "a death by a thousand cuts" that might not rise to the level of provoking allies. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cyber-warfare-could-be-entering-a-new-and-alarming-phase-ex-cia-analyst-tells-mps-1.5008956

Rachel Aiello, Ottawa News Bureau Online Producer OTTAWA -- Over the next year, the top-secret National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians plans to probe the threat foreign interference poses to Canada, and examine how the military collects and uses information about Canadians. The committee gave notice this week of its planned studies for the year, all of which will happen behind closed doors. The high-level oversight body was created in 2017, and mirrors similar committees set up in the other "Five Eyes" alliance countries. Members include MPs and Senators, who must have the highest level, or “top secret” security clearance. The committee garnered a higher profile in Canada and abroad after then-member Tony Clement stepped down from all parliamentary roles after revealing he sent sexually explicit images and a video of himself to someone he thought was a consenting female, but who was actually a "foreign actor" seeking to financially extort the long-time MP. Months later, two men in West Africa were arrested and accused of being behind the blackmail attempt. This situation prompted questions over potential security ramifications and the vetting of members of the committee. As the committee looks to the year ahead the first study on its agenda will be a look at the threat of foreign interference to Canada's national security and the measures currently in place to counter it. Then the plan is to move on to a probe of the Canada Border Services Agency's national security and intelligence activities related to enforcing immigration and customs laws. Next up will be a review of "issues of diversity and inclusion in Canada's security and intelligence community." Specifically the committee will look at federal security agencies' progress and consult leaders in these offices to recommend ways to improve the culture and representation within the highest levels of the intelligence community. Lastly, the committee is looking to examine the way the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces collect, use, and disseminate information about Canadian citizens as it conducts defence intelligence activities. The committee's findings and recommendations on the military's treatment of citizens' data will be submitted to the prime minister and the minister of national defence before the end of 2019. Of course, all this work could be usurped by other issues that may arise. The committee can undertake special studies at any time, as it did with the prime minister's troubled India trip in 2018. "Our planned reviews for 2019 will continue to build a picture of the various parts of the security and intelligence community and how it works together to protect our security, our freedoms and our institutions," said chair of the committee Liberal MP David McGuinty in a statement. The 11-member committee has continued to meet despite being having vacancies in both of the spots reserved for Conservative MPs. In addition to Clement's vacancy, the spot held by late-Conservative MP Gord Brown has been vacant since May 2018. There has already been a byelection in the riding he held, where a new Conservative MP has been named. The appointments and necessary clearances rest with the Privy Council Office and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "The Committee is continuing to meet, but is looking forward to welcoming two new members from the Official Opposition as soon as possible," executive director of the committee told CTVNews.ca in a statement. Asked about when the new Conservative members will be named, PMO spokesperson Eleanore Catenaro told CTV News.ca that the processing is "almost complete" and they expect the new additions will be named "in short order." Just before Christmas, the committee issued its first annual report to the prime minister, and a declassified version will be tabled in Parliament within 30 sitting days, meaning it could be April before that happens. https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/top-secret-committee-to-study-foreign-meddling-military-use-of-canadians-info-1.4285158

Murray Brewster · CBC News The Liberal government has decided to pull out all the stops on the construction of the navy's planned permanent supply ships — a move that's raised questions about how quickly the Canadian Coast Guard will get a critical oceanographic science vessel. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) issued a statement Tuesday that announced the re-sequencing of the construction schedules for vessels being built at the Vancouver Shipyard, which is owned by Seaspan. The company has already started preliminary construction work on the first of the navy's long-awaited Joint Support Ships and the federal government says the work will continue until the vessel is completed. Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, Seaspan was suppose to first construct three small fisheries research ships and a larger oceanographic vessel before working on the navy's long-awaited supply ships. Adhering to that plan in the face of repeated organizational delays meant delivery of those supply ships — which are considered critical to allowing the navy to operate beyond Canadian shores — would not happen until 2023 at the earliest. The PSPC statement said that once the first supply ship is finished, Seaspan will turn its attention to the coast guard oceanographic ship and then build the last planned naval supply ship. "Given the complexity of this build, this change in sequencing will ensure focused engineering resources on each of the projects, while allowing for time between construction of the first and second [Joint Support Ship] to incorporate lessons learned," said PSPC spokesman Pierre-Alain Bujold in a statement. "Moreover, this allows for uninterrupted work at the shipyard, mitigating the risk of potential layoffs and production gaps between builds." Bujold said additional details on the construction schedule will be released at a later date. The change to the schedule was, according to sources in the defence industry, agreed upon at the recent Trudeau government cabinet retreat in Sherbrooke, Que. Rob Huebert, a defence expert at the University of Calgary, said the decision "leaves most people scratching their heads" because of the difficulty involved in getting a shipyard to switch up construction between different types of vessels. "Why you would interrupt the building of ships by putting another style and class of vessel in the middle completely boggles my mind," said Huebert, a noted expert on the Arctic. "I don't know why you would do it." If anything, he said, the federal government should simply build both naval ships and then move on the coast guard ship. The re-sequencing means the navy could be waiting until the late 2020s for its second supply vessel, which would make the program a multi-decade odyssey. The Liberal government of former prime minister Paul Martin originally ordered the replacement of the auxiliary ships in 2004, but the program was cancelled in 2008 by the Conservatives when cost estimates exceeded the budget envelope. Huebert said Tuesday's announcement also raises questions about when Canadians will see the heavy icebreaker that Seaspan is also slated to build. The PSPC website says the program is under review and "no activities are planned until work on other projects has advanced." The federal government apparently has not yet formally notified Seaspan of the schedule change, although the shipyard has awarded a series of sub-contracts to companies such as INDAL in Mississauga, Ont., and L3 MAPPS in Montreal, for supply ship components. Seaspan is expected to announce another contract on Wednesday with Lockheed Martin Canada related to the supply ships. Ever since the Conservatives cancelled the first iteration of the supply ship project, the federal government has struggled to get it back on track, setting and missing several deadlines. The supply ships were supposed to arrive in 2017. The date was pushed back to 2019, and then to 2022. The absence of a supply ship prompted the Davie shipyard, in Levis, Que., to pitch a converted civilian cargo ship for navy use. That $668 million lease deal is at the centre of the breach-of-trust case against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman. Davie is pitching the federal government on leasing another cargo ship. A spokesman for Davie, Frederik Boisvert, called Tuesday's decision "an insult to taxpayers" and claimed that Seaspan has failed to deliver on the supply ship project and "should be blacklisted by the government and not rewarded for failure." The effect of switching up the schedule means the navy might not need a second supply ship leasing deal. Sources within the coast guard and the defence industry have said that the design and project coordination for the fisheries science vessel is not as far advanced as the navy supply ship program and that is an important factor in the federal government's timing decision. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-pushes-navy-s-planned-supply-ships-to-the-front-of-the-construction-queue-1.5006785

By The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The Royal Canadian Air Force is hoping to pull the trigger on the purchase of new drones within six years after spending nearly two decades weighing different options. The Canadian Forces has been working since the early 2000s to find unmanned aerial vehicles that can conduct surveillance over Canada's vast territory and support overseas missions. Yet aside from purchasing a small number of temporary, unarmed drones for the war in Afghanistan, the military has never been able to make much progress on a permanent fleet. Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger says he believes that is about to change after the Trudeau government became the first to officially authorize the acquisition of a fleet of armed UAVs through its defence policy. In an interview, Meinzinger says the air force is nearly finished drawing up options — where it has been stuck for years — and will soon move into the next phase by presenting its proposals to procurement officials. While the military has welcomed Canada's decision to buy armed drones and promised to abide by international laws, some arms-control advocates have expressed concern about the legal grey zone such weapons inhabit. The Canadian Press https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/02/06/air-force-aiming-to-have-armed-drones-in-the-air-in-next-six-years-commander-3/#.XFsws1xKiUl

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) will be seeking an upgrade to its CH-146 Griffon maintenance and flight training simulators as part of a life extension project for the multi-role utility helicopters. The first phase of the project, which is intended to keep the fleet of 85 Griffons flying until at least 2031, took off on Jan. 26 with the award of a $90 million contract to Bell Helicopter Textron Canada to develop and design options for the avionics systems, engines, integrated sensors and cockpit displays. A follow-on contract to install new systems and upgrade others is expected in 2022. Around the same time, the federal government will be inviting industry to respond to a request for proposals to modernize the Griffon simulators, according to a Department of National Defence spokesperson. “The upgrade to the flight simulation devices will be procured under a separate contract,” she said in an emailed response. The CH-146 simulators were built by CAE and delivered to the RCAF in the mid-1990s, shortly before the helicopters entered service between 1995 and 1997. CAE continues to provide in-service support. As part of what is being called the Griffon Limited Life Extension (GLLE) project, the RCAF wants to replace a number of the helicopter's avionics systems, including communications radios and cryptographic equipment, cockpit voice and flight recorders, the navigation systems, the automatic flight control systems, and the control display units. Obsolescence of critical components has been a problem for maintenance technicians for several years now. The design phase will also look at upgrades to the engines and to the sensor suite. The CH-146, which is based on the Bell 412, performs a variety of transport, close fire support and armed escort missions for tactical aviation and special operations forces. However, it has a top speed of around 260 kilometres per hour, well below that of the Boeing CH-147F Chinook that it escorts during missions such as Operation Presence in Mali. “These helicopters have performed extremely well over the years and with these new upgrades, they will continue to be a valuable asset that will allow our personnel to carry out missions and operations successfully well into the future,” RCAF commander LGen Al Meinzinger said in a statement. While aircrews would like more speed, more lift and bigger guns as part of any upgrade program, the current platform meets most of their needs, Col Travis Morehen, commanding officer of 1 Wing, the RCAF's tactical aviation headquarters in Kingston, Ont., told Skies in a recent interview. “I think we have done a really good job of exploiting what we can do with the Griffon,” said Morehen, who is currently serving as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces task force in Mali. “I don't think there are many nations that have been as agile and flexible with that type of platform as we have, whether it is the combat service support role for search and rescue, or precision insertion for special operations . . . or what we are doing in terms of utility lift, or providing, with the GAU-21 (.50 Cal machine gun), stand off fires.” Whatever the changes that are ultimately accepted as part of the initial design phase now being conducted by Bell, the helicopters will require upgraded flight training and maintenance simulators to match. The GLLE project, including modernized simulators, is expected to reach initial operational capability by 2024 and be fully operational by 2026. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/griffon-life-extension-program-to-include-upgraded-sims/

The CDA Institute, in collaboration with the 13thDefence and Security Economists Workshop, hosted two panel discussions on the themes of Building Security and Defence in the Canadian Economy and a discussion of the book Small Wars, Big Data, published by Princeton University Press in 2018. This morning of roundtables brought both scholars and practitioners together for a stimulating session of dialogue on the challenges of generating the economic capacity needed to protect Canadians wherever they might be and the role that empirical data can play in shaping military strategy and defence policies in asymmetric conflicts. The CDA Institute provided student rapporteurs for the event whose summaries of the proceedings follow. https://cdainstitute.ca/building-security-and-defence-in-the-canadian-economy-and-small-wars-big-data/

Over the past decade, the cyber security of elections and democratic institutions has become a critical issue both at home and globally. Canadian elections have proved to be relatively robust so far. Be that as it may, in 2017 Canada's Communications Security Establishment reported a series of major threats to the country's electoral system, including media manipulation and data privacy. Moreover, the urgency of addressing cyber security is clear from incidences of interference in countries as diverse as the United States, Kenya, Estonia and Latvia. This day-long workshop sponsored by the Royal Military College of Canada, SERENE-RISC, the CDA Institute and the Telfer School brought scholars and experts in the field together at the University of Ottawa to explore the range of security challenges posed by new and emerging technology, what solutions are out there and what role Canada's defence community can play in combating these new threats. The CDA Institute provided rapporteurs to record the day's proceedings and their summaries can be found here. https://cdainstitute.ca/17931/