Canada's defence capabilities in crisis in this uncertain world.

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East I have discussed some problems related to National Defence in the past, but I cannot resist doing so again.This time I'm addressing the continued lack of interest the Canadian political establishmenthas shown in this crucial topic. As aMember of Parliament for four and a half years who served on Parliament's National Defence Committee,I feel that National Defence issues were treated superficially and with a lack of genuine interest. There are signs everywhere that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are in deep crisis. The foremost is our Forces' lack of military capability and capacity compared to Canada's close allies. The Canadian Armed Forces have been neglected for decadesthrough poor recruiting, lack of personnel, and the inadequate supply of suitable and modern equipment. Today Canada is only able to contribute token units to continental defence, not to mention any foreign contingency. A key part of the capability challenge involves an antiquated, inefficient and costly procurement system that often delivers equipment years late, at inordinate cost;equipment that is less effective than what is available on the market. Furthermore, the military's capabilities and capacity are hampered by a dire personnel situation within the CAF. Many key positions are at half of the authorized staffing and populated with inefficient and poorly qualified public servants. Finally, there are the issues surrounding the utilization of the military, including over-deployment and ineffective and/or counterproductive uses which illustrate a highly inefficient army leadership unable to stand up to undue political pressure. It is also sad to see the deflection of huge monetary resources to costly and adventurous projects overseas instead of the fortification and modernization of our own armed forces for our nation's protection and security in this uncertain world. Today we see more and more evidence of deeper systemic problems that afflict the Department of National Defence (DND) and defence policymaking due to gross neglectperpetuated for years by both major Canadian political parties. The political establishmentfailedto properly resolveemerging problems,because they only usedsuperficial reform measures to treat the symptoms of decay over the past fifty years. Many of the reforms implemented over the years focused on secondary consequences rather than addressing the root causes of these challenges. In many ways, this approach has steadily deteriorated DND's capabilities, subsequently causing an intensification of the problems they were trying to solve. So here, we are today,thus incapacitated,facing major issues. At the end of the day, is it all aboutthe money? Many have pointed to the decades of underfunding experienced by the military as the primary cause of the mess the country finds itself in. However, itis notthat simple. Certainly providing more budget stability would help immensely, as National Defence is currently struggling through another round of budget cuts, led by a "yes sir" inefficient Minister. Yet it would be too simple to attribute the situation solely to budgets.In some respects, they too, are merely a symptom of the deeper issues afflicting defence. The issues are reflective ofthe severe lack of technical knowledge from which defence and government officials suffer. The lack of skilled staff members has corrosive consequences across the entire organization: incorrect decisions, inaccurate estimates, and a slowing of decision-making are all hallmarks of this problem. Unfortunately, I witnessed all these realities during my service in the military and the House of Commons. The core issue with National Defence in Canada,and arguably the most important one,concerns accountability, authority, and leadership. A persistent lack of accountability all the way to the top, including non-elected and elected officials, has created an inability to implement decisions quickly. In normal times,public servants in government departments would adhere strictly to policy and consensus-based decision-making that effectively requires the views of all players,including the supposedly knowledgeable elected officials around the table, to be aired and addressed quickly and efficiently. However, during years of exponentially increased incompetence, this process has become an extremely costly joke for taxpayers, and is now seriously endangering the safety and security of the country.Sadly,there is daily evidence that this circus continues with impunity with no end in sight. Operating an effective military requires acknowledging the uniqueness of employing deadly force and sustaining the personnel and equipment necessary to achieve that aim. Culturally, the military relies heavily on individual leadership within a chain of command to achieve its objectives. This is fundamentally different from any other department or the public service. We must acknowledge that there is an urgent need to elevate true leaders both in the military and the civil service dedicated to the military, and provide them with the requisite tools and authority tomanage programs in a timely and cost effective manner. All participants must "work the process" and build consensus with governmental stakeholders effectively and efficiently, withouttaking weeks months or years to achieve the objective. For example, the Conservative Government of Canada was ready to sign the agreement for the F 35 aircraftin 2015, but indecision and wobbling on the part of that government cost taxpayers dearly. Ten years laterthe Liberal Government of Canada, which hypocritically opposed the deal originally, signed it, spending substantially more, andsignificantly delaying delivery in crucial and dangerous geopolitical times. It should be noted that the government approach is fundamentally different from best practices in the private sector, where authority tends to adhere more closely to the military model than the public service one. This must change radically and immediately because we cannot afford more mistakes in a time of drastically increasing dangers on the international scene. At the present time too many people, with any particular agenda, are able to derail the department's objectives. Also, when things go wrong-as they so often do in Canada when it comes to procurement-the blame is dispersed so no one is held ultimately responsible, and nothing is fundamentally changed. It is necessary to implement a process that dilute neither accountability nor throws up roadblocks based on strictly artificial bureaucratic perspectives. Any comprehensive reform effort must address these points. Doing so would result in major aspects of defence falling into place-personnel management, procurement, budgets, etc. If Canada is to fix its national defence and reach the incredible potential of its capabilities, it must grapple with the root causes of the problems it is facing. Let's hope we see improvement soon!