General Maurice Baril
Chief of the Defence Staff
Speaking Notes for speech at
the Huron College History Club
London, Ontario, October 14, 1999
    
About The Canadian Forces" "
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good afternoon. I always enjoy visiting universities, as it reminds me of my time at the University of Ottawa when I was your age. And let me tell you, with things being so hectic at National Defence Headquarters, I sometimes wish I were back there!

I am honoured to have been invited here. I think that this is an excellent program -- a great opportunity for young men and women to come together and discuss and debate important issues. Your generation, after all, will provide tomorrow’s leaders, and understanding those issues that have an impact on this country is vital.

Of course, today I will be speaking with you about the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces, some of the challenges we have recently tackled, and our strategy for the future. I’m always happy for the opportunity to speak with Canadians about the Canadian Forces and help them understand some of the things that we’re doing.

As a group like yours will surely appreciate, what the Canadian Forces actually do has been -- and still is -- an important part of the fabric of this nation. Whether here at home or abroad, the men and women of the Canadian Forces perform a core function of government, from protecting Canadian sovereignty, to ensuring the safety and security of Canadians, to projecting Canadian values onto the world stage. This is a very demanding task. Let me quickly review with you our three defence roles.

First, we defend Canada and safeguard Canadian sovereignty. Monitoring and controlling Canada’s vast territorial, airspace and maritime approaches and areas of jurisdiction involves constant patrols by our air force and navy. We assist other departments in such tasks as fisheries protection, drug interdiction and environmental protection. We also help Canadians by contributing significantly to disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and emergency preparedness; many of you will remember the high profile role we had during the ice storm last year. And though generally less visible, another important function of the Canadian Forces is providing a National Search and Rescue capability.

Our second role is the defence of North America, in partnership with the United States. To this end, the Canadian Forces maintain the ability to operate effectively at sea, on land and in the air, with the military forces of the United States. We also contribute to the aerospace surveillance and control of the continent through the North American Aerospace Defence Command, or NORAD.

And third, the Canadian Forces help contribute to international peace and security. Whether under the auspices of the United Nations, NATO or in coalitions, our participation in multilateral security operations is our most visible role. We currently have over 4,000 men and women on 23 missions worldwide. The Canadian Forces are also heavily involved in promoting international cooperation through the expansion of bilateral and multilateral contacts with many states in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa.

I’m sure that many of you followed the conflict in Kosovo earlier this year. Slobodan Milosevic’s violence against the ethnic Albanian population from Kosovo proved to be one of the most dramatic security challenges in decades. The countries of the Atlantic Alliance could not simply sit back and ignore such an evil and destabilizing threat to European security. That’s why together with our NATO partners we acted. It was the right, and indeed, the Canadian thing to do.

That, in essence, is the raison d'être of the Canadian Forces. We sent our troops to put this country’s moral convictions into action -- to promote and to protect Canadian values and interests.

I have the honour of leading the men and women who wear a Canadian uniform. I am fiercely proud of them. They, along with nearly one and a half million other Canadians throughout our history, are part of a longstanding Canadian tradition of contributing to peace and security overseas.

Names from the First World War such as Ypres and Vimy Ridge resonate in our country’s short history. After returning to Europe to fight for peace during the Second World War, we went to Korea to fight for those same ideals. Our accomplishments in this century’s great wars remain some of our most important national memories.

Since then, we have been the world’s pre-eminent peacekeeper. From the Suez to Cyprus and the Congo to Bosnia, over the last fifty years over 100,000 Canadian men and women have served in peacekeeping missions around the world.

Clearly, Canadians care about the course of events overseas. They support an active foreign and defence policy and strongly believe that we should continue contributing to international peace and security. The Canadian Forces are an integral part of Canada’s ability to meet those objectives, as they give us the ability to contribute to multilateral security operations around the globe and honour our alliance commitments. Moreover, our influence and accomplishments abroad are directly related to a flexible and effective Canadian Forces.

To stay that way -- to remain relevant to the current security environment and to reflect the expectations of Canadians, the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence have been immersed in a period of significant change. We have needed to be particularly resourceful and flexible in order to implement Canadian defence policy and fulfil our defence objectives. Two simultaneous and inter-related transformations have significantly affected us.

The first is budget-driven, and has created a long and painful downsizing -- the largest ever in a Canadian government department.
• Since 1994, the defence budget has been reduced by $2.7 billion, or 23 per cent. Over those five years, the size of the Regular Force has dropped by 20 percent, from 75,000 to 60,000.
• To put it in perspective for you, Canada’s entire military -- army, navy and air force -- could fit quite comfortably in Toronto’s Skydome.
• Our civilian workforce has also endured substantial cuts, from 32,500 to 20,000.
• There has also been a major organizational restructuring; a dramatic reduction in the number of bases, facilities and headquarters, and an across-the-board effort to provide defence services more efficiently.

The second set of transformations has been the implementation of 315 internal reforms stemming from five separate reports and inquiries -- the most significant set of reforms ever introduced in a federal institution.

These internal reforms affect every member of the Canadian Forces. In the area of military justice, we have introduced the most comprehensive set of changes to the National Defence Act in fifty years. These amendments, which became law in December last year, lay the legislative groundwork for many of the other reforms we will implement. The changes will, among other things:
• clarify roles and responsibilities within the Canadian Forces, and
• improve oversight and review of the military justice system by creating new mechanisms such as the Military Police Complaints Commission and the Canadian Forces Grievance Board.

Our efforts do not stop there. In order to improve internal management practices, the office of the Ombudsman has been established. And to ensure that the Canadian Forces reflect Canada’s diversity and values, we have adopted a leading ethics program, expanded efforts at diversification and implemented anti-harassment policies.

In addition to downsizing and various institutional changes, we have worked hard to improve the Quality of Life of our men and women in uniform -- we have given them pay raises, improved benefits and have allocated funds to improve the Canadian Forces housing situation. We have also made sweeping changes to the way we communicate with Canadians; we have thrown open the doors -- and the windows -- to let the public see what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. After all, informed Canadians are the best allies the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces can have. Though there is still more to improve on, we’ve made a lot of changes, and I’m proud of them. I think it’s important to let Canadians know that.

Adjusting to these simultaneous transformations while meeting our diverse commitments has been an incredible challenge for the Canadian Forces. These reforms, combined with an intense -- and increasing -- level of operational activity, have stretched our resources. Operations are expensive, eating up more of the budget than in the past. Frequent rotations put significant strain on our personnel and their families, on training, and on equipment. Maintaining our high operational tempo has become more and more difficult.

We are not, however, hiding behind these difficulties. The Canadian Forces have met these challenges and have responded to crises at home and abroad in an exemplary and meaningful way. Allow me to mention the most significant recent operations.
• The Canadian Forces mounted the largest domestic peacetime deployment since the Korean War during the Ice Storm in January 1998.
• We helped respond to the tragic crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia.
• Our Search and Rescue team, one of the most advanced in the world, coordinated over 7,000 missions -- that’s an average of 19 per day -- and saved over 1,000 lives last year.
• Internationally, under the auspices of the UN, NATO and NORAD, over 4,000 Canadian Forces members are currently deployed on 23 missions worldwide. We maintain 26 Canadian Forces military attaches, and a defence presence in 45 countries.
• We responded to the situation in Kosovo by deploying 18 CF-18 fighters and a ship, and in response to the need for troops for the Kosovo Force, we have deployed a significant Canadian Forces land contingent.
• We have also responded to international disasters -- with a contingent to southern Italy in response to crippling mudslides, and with the deployment of our Disaster Assistance Response Team to hurricane-ravaged Honduras and, most recently, to Turkey in the aftermath of the August earthquake.
• And, in addition to the Hercules airplanes and the supply ship we sent in response to the turmoil in East Timor, we will be deploying a reinforced light infantry contingent of 250 troops.

To maintain our ability to meet these kinds of Government objectives, the Canadian Forces will continue to reform wherever necessary. We know we must adapt to the environment around us, and we recognize the need not just to fix today’s problems, but to anticipate and prepare for tomorrow’s as well.

This brings me to the second part of my discussion today.

Instability and the outbreak of violence continue to be a prominent feature of the post-Cold War world. Although the danger of global war has diminished, most analysts predict that the future will see the increased use of violence or the threat of violence to achieve objectives. A series of challenges have altered the nature of warfare and the requirements for national defence -- more competition for increasingly fewer resources, growing nationalism and fundamentalism, the virus of terrorism, and the rise of regional powers.

Modern military peace support operations are intense, complex and dangerous. The Western world increasingly finds itself intervening in civil conflicts where state order has collapsed. Success in this kind of environment is more elusive, and restoring order presents a different set of challenges.

Moreover, as recent events in Kosovo have shown, technology has begun to alter the nature of military conflict. The evolution of warfare on the eve of the 21st century has forced all modern militaries to adjust to ongoing changes in weapons technology, equipment, doctrine and organization.

And from a Canadian perspective, despite the scaling back of our defence resources after the end of the Cold War, our operational tempo -- the ratio of time spent in deployed missions -- has actually increased. From 1948 to 1989, the Canadian Forces were deployed on 25 operations. In the decade since 1989, they have been deployed on sixty-five missions. (NOTE to CDS This number includes all deployments, even those with only one CF member deployed.)

Because complex and protracted military operations are likely to become the norm, our defence policy calls for multi-purpose, combat-capable" forces -- a military that is capable of responding to a wide variety of situations. As I think I have demonstrated, we have certainly been very successful thus far in providing a multi-purpose combat-capable Canadian Forces to Canadians.

But enabling Canada to continue making such meaningful contributions to international peace and security twenty years from now requires a lot more work. To help guide the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence well into the next century, the senior leadership team has developed a long term strategy to guide Defence planning, entitled "Shaping the Future of Canadian Defence: Strategy 2020."

The strategy flows from current defence policy and serves as a long-term guide for investing in the future. It is proactive, achievable and pragmatic. It’s a vision of the future of Canadian defence -- a roadmap of where we want to be and an outline of the role we see ourselves playing in a complex world to the year 2020.

The goal remains -- the maintenance of effective and affordable multi-purpose, combat-capable forces. We face a difficult road, as our resources are finite. Hard decisions about capabilities, people and equipment will have to be made. Strategy 2020 will help us make those difficult choices while retaining our capability to defend Canada and protect and promote its interests.

Let me take you through the main aspects of the Strategy -- and don’t worry, I’ll try not to unload a lot of military jargon here! The Defence Team must adhere to five strategic imperatives. Let me take each in turn:

First, building on existing defence policy, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces must set and maintain a coherent strategy for the future by identifying our priorities, our key long-term strategic objectives, as well as our shorter-term goals and targets. Strategy 2020 is the key step in this direction.

Second, it is important that we nurture pride in the Canadian Forces, by meeting the highest of public standards as well as the expectations of our own people. A considerable portion of the institutional changes I reviewed with you are aimed at increasing public support and appreciation for the Canadian Forces, providing our members and employees with a competitive quality of life, and ensuring rewarding careers. We must stay this course and expand on it whenever the situation allows.

Our third strategic imperative is to maximize wherever possible our strategic partnerships, through effective collaboration with other government departments, with private industry, with universities, and by strengthening cooperation with like-minded nations.

Fourth, we must maintain a relevant force structure -- one that is globally deployable, affordable and interoperable with Canada’s principal allies.

And fifth, we must take pains to improve resource stewardship, by striking the proper balance between the investments needed to maintain current operations and the investments in people, infrastructure and equipment needed to prepare for emerging risks and future challenges.

At the core of these strategic imperatives is ensuring that the force structure of the Canadian Forces provides Canada with modern, task-tailored, and globally deployable combat-capable forces that can respond quickly at home and abroad, and in a wide variety of operations. Making this happen in a viable, achievable and affordable manner will be the greatest challenge facing the Canadian Forces over the next two decades.

Our ability to rise to this challenge depends on our meeting some key long-term objectives.

We must field a viable and affordable force structure that is trained and equipped to generate advanced combat capabilities. Put in a more user-friendly way, this simply means modernization. We must focus on increasing the amount of capital devoted to procuring equipment, and we must invest these finite resources in equipment that is best suited to a wide range of roles and, by extension, makes the Canadian Forces more capable. We need to develop new capabilities to deal with threats such as terrorism, information warfare and biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction. And we have to capitalize and exploit our home-grown technological expertise, especially in areas such as telecommunications, space and remote sensing.

We must also improve the combat preparedness, global deployability and sustainability of our army, navy and air force. For example, enhancing our ability to transport our forces overseas is a top priority, along with designing our army for rapid deployment to offshore theatres of operation.

Since all Canadian Forces deployments will be in cooperation with the forces of other nations, a natural objective is strengthening our military relationships with our principal allies, and ensuring that our forces remain interoperable with them. Central to this, of course, is adopting equipment, doctrine, and communications that is compatible, particularly with the forces of the United States, but also with those of our other NATO Allies.

I think we can all see how the importance of these first three objectives have been underlined by the conflict in Kosovo. Every day we saw the importance of military forces that are mobile, flexible, precise and capable of operating well together. Our significant and effective role there was directly related to our having these capabilities.

There are two other objectives that I feel are equally critical.

We must develop and sustain good leaders. The leadership environment of the Canadian Forces needs to encourage initiative, decisiveness and trust. Our leaders must also have certain skills, such as strategic-level planning and decision-making. Recent internal changes to leadership training and education have ensured that the up-and-coming leadership team have the necessary leadership skills to guide this institution into the future.

Closely related to this is the need to position Defence as a career of choice. One of our greatest assets as an institution is the work we do -- the job of the professional soldier is like no other, with unique and rigorous demands and responsibilities. The military is already an exciting career of choice, attracting many young people looking for an opportunity for challenge and adventure that quite simply cannot be found elsewhere. It’s an exciting time to serve right now, with more chances than ever to get some incredible experience and make a genuine contribution to Canada.

To ensure that it remains this way, we have built on that strength. We have embarked on a series of initiatives that are improving our organizational culture, general quality of life and professional development opportunities. These include flexible career paths, the institution of competitive rates of pay and benefits, a wide variety of professional training, and paid Bachelors- and Masters-level education. More, however, can and must be done to ensure we continue to attract the best and the brightest.

We have invested heavily in our future, but will need to do more to keep pace with this quickly changing world. Strategy 2020, which will be updated periodically to respond to new policy direction and ongoing changes in our strategic environment, gives us the framework we need to achieve our goals. Success will produce a dynamic, relevant and operationally effective institution in which all Canadians and the Defence Team can take great pride.

Thank you, and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have
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