Chief of the Defence Employees Gen. Wayne Eyre says the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is going through many new challenges and might want to transfer shortly to manage.
In a speech delivered to one among Ottawa’s “Mayor’s Breakfast” networking occasions, Eyre mentioned the navy might want to adapt swiftly to adjustments in know-how, geopolitics and tradition to be efficient.
He did not mince phrases when talking concerning the CAF’s must modernize.
“General, the armed forces that now we have immediately is just not the armed forces we’d like for the longer term,” he mentioned.
“We’re on the cusp of a lot change that has to return.”
Eyre mentioned the navy must concentrate on enhancing its capabilities in new applied sciences like synthetic intelligence, robotics, quantum computing and hypersonic weapons. He additionally mentioned the CAF must develop expertise within the area of cyber warfare.
He mentioned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exhibits how the “safety state of affairs” going through Canada is “going to proceed to evolve.”
WATCH | Gen. Wayne Eyre discusses way forward for the Canadian Armed Forces
Chief of the Defence Employees Gen. Wayne Eyre talks about how he sees the Canadian Armed Forces tackling technological advances and recruiting. 1:33
The federal finances, tabled final week, boosts defence spending by $8 billion over 5 years.
That might deliver Canada’s defence spending as a portion of GDP to about 1.5 per cent — nonetheless nicely under the NATO goal of two per cent.
The finances additionally guarantees to supply $875.2 million over 5 years and $238.2 million ongoing to struggle cyber safety threats. Most of that cash goes to Canada’s civilian digital espionage company, the Communications Safety Institution (CSE).
The CSE warned lately that CAF personnel are the themes of Russian misinformation. Russian operatives are posting doctored pictures purporting to point out members of the Canadian Armed Forces in Ukraine and have been posting false claims that Canadian troopers are committing warfare crimes.
Housing, recruitment and local weather change
However new applied sciences and modernization aren’t the one hurdles the CAF faces, Eyre mentioned.
He mentioned the “skyrocketing” value of housing is affecting the navy and the armed forces is wanting between 4,000 and 6,000 housing models on bases throughout the nation.
“The primary subject after I journey across the nation is the price of residing,” he mentioned.
Eyre mentioned that addressing the price of residing for CAF personnel is a prime precedence of his.
Eyre mentioned the armed forces faces a recruiting shortfall as nicely. The pandemic has undermined the CAF’s means to recruit and prepare, he mentioned.
“Our numbers aren’t the place we would like them to be, and so they’ve gone down for the reason that pandemic started,” he mentioned.
Enhancing recruitment and retention is going to be vital going ahead, Eyre mentioned, as a result of the navy wants to draw numerous recruits to satisfy its wants.
“Now we have to have the ability to entice and retain expertise from all segments of Canadian society,” he mentioned.
“If we won’t entice that expertise, we cannot have the ability to defend Canada into the longer term and we’ll grow to be irrelevant as an establishment.”
The navy lately reported that it is round 7,600 members wanting full energy. Presently, the CAF has roughly 65,000 common members.
The CAF additionally must embrace cultural change, Eyre mentioned. A number of high-ranking officers have been the topic of sexual misconduct accusations.
Local weather change can also be affecting the navy, Eyre mentioned, as a result of troopers are extra usually known as on to reply to pure disasters.
Eyre can be desirous about all of those challenges when he works on a brand new defence coverage overview, which was introduced within the finances.
“A harmful, unsure future looms, and it is not going to attend for us to be prepared — so now we have to be prepared now,” he mentioned.
