FOREWORD

Due to a complex set of factors, nations and societies in the 21st century are undergoing rapid change. As a result, new defence and national security challenges have arisen. In response to these challenges, the Canadian Forces are undergoing transformation.

Science and Technology (S&T;) can effectively support this transformation by contributing directly to the advancement of Canadian military capabilities. It enables superior situational awareness and decisive engagement across the increasingly complex spectrum of operations demanded of the Canadian Forces at home and abroad. The department's strong but selective defence S&T; capability is essential to provide smart buyer and smart user advice, to share the burden of technology development with our allies, to avoid strategic surprise, to challenge existing doctrine and training, to envisage new concepts and doctrine, to develop and sustain essential military capabilities, weapon systems and supporting infrastructure, and to deliver these capabilities to the end-user - the Canadian Forces.

However, to fully realize this potential requires the ability to rapidly identify and adapt to new opportunities presented by S&T;, to effectively coordinate the efforts of the many players across the defence institution, to build an enduring knowledge base covering key domains of S&T; and to apply this knowledge across the full spectrum of defence activities.

The effective direction, delivery and exploitation of the departmental investment in S&T; requires a team effort across the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces that is appropriately linked to other government departments, our allies, industry and academia. Equally important is that S&T; providers and S&T; consumers work together to harness the full potential of S&T; to impact on Canada's defence and security priorities.

We are pleased to approve the Defence S&T; Strategy. This first-ever pan-departmental initiative for science and technology highlights the importance of our departmental investment in S&T; and will guide it over the course of the next five years by building strengthened interactions among the key stakeholders within an effective governance structure. We are confident that the implementation of this strategy will derive maximum benefit for our sailors, soldiers, and air men and women. We expect that all members of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces will work together to collectively harness Science and Technology for a secure Canada.

R.J. Hillier General Chief of the Defence Staff		Ward P.D. Elcock Deputy Minister

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