EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR INCREASED SENSING CAPABILITIES

The Aurora Incremental Modernization Project has exploited the departmental S&T; investment to deliver a modern sensor suite that converts the CP140 Aurora into a multi-mission platform for surveillance over land and sea.

Science and Technology (S&T;) plays a central role in military affairs and contributes to the advancement of military capabilities. It also affects the global geo-political and economic systems which shape Canada's interests and, indirectly, the roles assigned to its military.

The global advancement of S&T; in this new era presents a significant opportunity for rapid and cost-effective improvements in the Canadian Forces' capabilities that provide decisive advantage. At the same time, this proliferation provides to Canada's adversaries the potential to use asymmetric means to counter our military capabilities or to target Canada's vital interests. Therefore, S&T; presents both opportunities and threats that influence decisions regarding the departmental S&T; investment.

Through the investment made in S&T;, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces recognize the important role that S&T; plays in contributing to Canadian Forces transformation and operations, and to the alignment of the defence institution with both the transformation and wider government agendas.

The Defence S&T; Strategy establishes the conditions to maximize the impact of the departmental S&T; investment by ensuring that it is aligned with priorities, is properly harnessed to be a force multiplier and is duly supportive of the defence institution and its core business processes. The strategy is intended to guide the appropriate positioning of this investment so that S&T; informs, enables and responds to Canada's defence and security priorities where the Canadian Forces and the department are expected to contribute. Specifically, the investment is expected to support decision making and to resolve important problems; to anticipate, assess and advise on the implications of emerging and potentially disruptive S&T; and to assess, mature, position and transition technologies for the benefit of the Canadian Forces and the department.

The departmental S&T; investment will be managed through the Defence S&T; Enterprise, a matrix organization that connects those within the Canadian Forces and the department that direct, deliver and exploit the outputs from the investment. It achieves maximum impact through coordination and harmonization of effort. Governance of the Enterprise resides within the larger departmental governance structure, wherein the Defence Management Committee provides strategic oversight. Functional authority for the Enterprise rests with the Assistant Deputy Minister (Science and Technology).

The Enterprise provides a window on the global S&T; knowledge base. As such, it maintains purpose-built linkages with a number of external stakeholders, including other government departments and central agencies, the defence and security S&T; community of Canada's allies, and Canadian industry and academia.

The Enterprise manages the departmental S&T; investment taking into consideration four interdependent perspectives: contribute to mission-critical outcomes; exploit S&T; outputs; produce S&T; outputs; and build S&T; capabilities.

Success in implementation of the Defence S&T; Strategy is measured through its ability to position the departmental S&T; investment to demonstrate eight key attributes. The primary measure of success is that the investment will derive maximum impact, or value-for-money. Six enabling attributes assist the Defence S&T; Enterprise in focusing its approach: linkage, innovation, excellence, leverage, agility and balance. Finally, underpinning the effectiveness of the Defence S&T; Enterprise is appropriate governance.

Implementation of the strategy is incremental, to align effectively with the broader ongoing Canadian Forces transformation and departmental alignment agendas. Implementation objectives will be reviewed and adjusted annually as part of the Enterprise's governance.

The plan for implementation, called "Moving Forward Together", comprises four interdependent action areas. Each area addresses specific deliverables, developed and refined iteratively over multiple years, as outlined below.

Over the years, the departmental S&T; investment has achieved an excellent record of delivering critical scientific and technological support to the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence. The Defence S&T; Strategy will ensure that S&T; is judiciously utilized into the future to contribute to an effective Canadian Forces and to a secure Canada.

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