2012 Papers

Canada and NATO: A Military Assessment

by Elinor Sloan

 Elinor Sloan examine NATO's ability to conduct out of area crisis management operations in a new paper for the Strategic Studies Working Group. The paper focuses specifically on Canada in Kandahar from 2006-2011 and concludes that strong US leadership is required for NATO operations and that Canada should say "yes" to operations preponderantly led by the United States. Finally, Canada must ensure from the outset that any future NATO non-Article V operation it participates in, enjoys core US support and direction. Canada has a role to play as a dependable and capable ally, but we must decide how to respond to this opportunity.

University of Ottawa, and Carleton University foreign policy professor, James Cox states that the arrest of Canadian Sub-Lieutenant Jeffery Delisle in January 2012 for supplying Top Secret intelligence to Russia may have been a brief set-back for Canada's credibility in the Five Eyes, but while Canada must work to restore the trust and confidence of its Five Eyes partners, there are far bigger issues looming that will ensure Canada will continue to be a valuable and credible intelligence source for the Five Eyes network.

Comprehensive Security Requires Comprehensive Structures- How Comprehensive Can We Get?

by Anne Fitz-Gerald and Don Macnamara

Despite the generational calls for ‘3-D’, ‘joined-up’, ‘Whole of Government’ and, more recently, ‘comprehensive’ approaches to security, it is still unclear as to what Canada’s concept of security is, how it is promoted, pursued and projected at home and abroad, and how it is managed by Ottawa-based government ministries and departments. A new paper from the Strategic Studies Working Group seeks to answer these questions.

by Richard Shimooka 
Canada's participation in the Joint Strike Fighter project has been fraught with much controversy and a lack of clarity. A new research paper from Richard Shimooka  aims to assess how the F-35 meets Canadian requirements over the next few decades. It concludes that the F-35 likely represents the future of Western tactical air forces for the next 40 years, and that the F-35 is best suited to meet the future range of foreign and domestic challenges facing Canada.

2011 Papers

A Separate Defence Procurement Agency: Will it Actually Make a Difference?

by Dr. Craig Stone

In this new paper from the Strategic Studies Working Group, Craig Stone, Director of Academics at the Canadian Forces College, argues that creating a separate government department is not the answer to problems with defence procurement as it will not fix the underlying problems that all developed nations experience with large complex military procurement projects: cost overruns; delayed deliveries; and equipment not meeting requirements.

Can R2P Survive Libya and Syria?

by Martha Hall Findlay

Martha Hall Findlay explains that the very first time the Canadian-inspired concept of "Responsibility to Protect" was invoked by the UN Security Council was to support the no-fly zone in Libya. Ironically, it will be the events that subsequently transpired in Libya, together with corresponding inaction in Syria, which may put the future of R2P at risk.

Securing the Continent: Where is NORAD Today?

by Alan Stephenson

Col (Ret’d) Alan Stephenson, a PhD candidate at Carleton University and a 35 year veteran of the Canadian Forces, assess the importance of the NORAD Command to North American defence and security in 2011 and addresses accusations of institutional irrelevance and of infringement on Canadian sovereignty. He argues that NORAD is not only still relevant, but perfectly positioned to be the ‘eyes and ears’ of both Canada and the United States in the Arctic.

The Role of the Militia in Today’s Canadian Forces

by Jack English

 Jack English, a widely published military historian, former infantry officer and senior research officer for the Minister's Monitoring Committee for recommendations of the Somalia Inquiry and the Special Commission on the Restructuring of the Reserves, examines the role of the Militia within the Canadian Forces. He contends that mobilization must be a primary function, as well as remaining an honourable vocation in and of itself.

The Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard: Cooperating Sea Services or
Co-existing Federal Fleets

by Jy Forcier  

In this paper JY Forcier, a retired Vice-Admiral with a distinguished 34 year career in the Canadian Navy, examines the role of the Coast Guard as opposed to the Navy and answers why Canada has both services. He makes three important recommendations that will strengthen the cooperation of these two services and enhance Maritime Security.  

Canada's International Role (video)

by David Bercuson, Jack Granatstein and Denis Stairs  

On June 14th, 2011, the National Capital Branch of the Canadian International Council held a panel discussion on Canada's International Role with CDFAI's David Bercuson, Jack Granatstein and Denis Stairs. They discussed the impact of the Conservative government on Canada's international policy.

Canada’s Citizen Soldiers: A Discussion Paper (full version)

Canada’s Citizen Soldiers: A Discussion Paper (abridged version)

 by David Pratt

In this Research Paper,  David Pratt, Senior Vice-President of Public Affairs for GCI and a Senior Research Fellow with the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute, examines the current state of the Reserves. Pratt stipulates that the historic role of the Reserves, for Mobilization, has no relevance in the current strategic environment. Instead, their current roles of augmentation and providing a footprint in the community, should be the focus. Additionally, Reserves may be able to play new roles, such as combating the threats associated with cyber-security.

‘Now for the Hard Part’: A User’s Guide to Renewing the Canadian-American Partnership

by Colin Robertson

In advance of Harper and Obama's meeting, Colin Robertson outlines what a successful deal between the two nations would encompass: “a security perimeter that embraces people and goods entering by land, sea or air”; “mutually enhanced competitiveness through coordination of infrastructure investments and regulatory compatibility”; and “joint stewardship of our ‘commons’, especially in the management of resources and climate change.”  

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