National Defence and the Canadian Forces
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Defence Policy Statement
This document articulates a vision for Canada's global engagement. Our first comprehensive, integrated international policy framework, the Statement delivers on the Government's commitment to invest in our international role.
Defence Policy Statement
Highlights
A ROLE OF PRIDE AND INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD: DEFENCE
The Canadian Forces and National Defence: A Snapshot
- More than 110,000 personnel in Canada and around the world, including approximately 61,500 Regular Force and 24,500 Primary Reserve, 4,000 Canadian Rangers and 21,000 civilian personnel.
- Third largest employer in Canada and the largest single public sector employer.
- Budget is approximately $14 billion (in 2005 06).More than 1,300 Canadian Forces personnel are deployed on 17 international operations in 16 countries.
- Hundreds of Canadian Forces personnel working in more than 50 countries around the world, including over 330 members serving in NATO posts, nearly 300 personnel with NORAD in the United States, 63 military attachés, 80 members providing security to overseas missions, and about 200 personnel serving outside Canada on exchange programs with military allies.
- A presence throughout 3,000 communities across Canada, including 28 main bases, wings, stations, detachments and sites, 228 Primary Reserve units and 165 Ranger patrols in our Northern regions.
Canada’s International Policy Statement outlines a comprehensive international strategy for Canada, including a vision for the renewal of the Canadian Forces and for their adaptation to the new security environment.
Failed and failing states result in humanitarian catastrophes, threaten regional and global security, and provide breeding grounds for terrorism and organized crime.
The Canadian Forces are critical to defending our security, protecting our interests, and enhancing Canada’s role on the world stage.
The Canadian Forces will transform to meet these new threats to Canadian, North American and international security.
This will entail fundamental changes to the organization of the Canadian Forces. Elements of this transformation include:
- increasing the size of the Canadian Forces by 5,000 Regular Force personnel, most of whom will go to the land forces, and by 3,000 Reserve personnel;
- establishing Canada Command, a single national operational command headquarters;
- creating a Special Operations Group, which will include an enhanced Joint Task Force 2 (the Canadian Forces’ counter-terrorism response force);
- creating a Standing Contingency Task Force that will respond rapidly to emerging crises either at home or abroad;
- creating Mission-Specific Task Forces that will be deployed as required for a variety of operations; and
- providing new equipment and capabilities including:
- medium to heavy lift helicopters to support land and special operations missions;
- new ships that will be able, among other things, to deploy personnel and equipment, support land operations, and provide a sea based national or multinational command capability;
- unmanned aerial vehicles to support domestic and international operations;
- the acquisition of, or ensured access to, the right mix of capabilities to meet the increasing requirement for domestic, global and in theatre airlift;
- a new fleet of medium transport trucks to replace the aging logistic vehicle fleet;
- new multi mission effects vehicles and the mobile gun system to enhance protection of deployed forces;
- utility aircraft to be employed in the Arctic; and
- an expanded Joint Task Force 2 and Joint Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Company.
National Defence will publish a paper in the coming months detailing the capabilities and force structure required to implement the strategy described in Canada’s International Policy Statement.
The Canadian Forces are well positioned for these changes with experienced leadership, new ideas and significant new investments in Budget 2005.
The Canadian Forces have begun the tasks of expanding to respond to security needs, re investing to improve training and repair infrastructure, and transforming to address emerging challenges.
With this transformation, the Canadian Forces will become:
- more relevant, both at home and abroad. They will adapt their capabilities and force structure to deal, in particular, with threats that arise from the kind of instability that we have seen abroad, especially in failed and failing states;
- more responsive, by enhancing their ability to act quickly in the event of crises, whether in Canada or around the world. They will arrive on the scene faster, make a rapid transition to operations once there, move more effectively within theatre, and sustain deployments, in some cases for extended periods; and
- more effective, by better integrating maritime, land, air and special operations forces. The overall goal will be the ability to deploy the right mix of forces to the right place, at the right time, producing the right result.
