From the CEO:
The Conference of Defence Associations and the CDA Institute are pleased to be hosting the Chief of Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance, to a Special Roundtable on 9 June. We are delighted the CDS has accepted to be with us especially some two days after the Government official release of the new Defence Policy. The Minister of National Defence at a recent event with the CDA and the CDA Institute pointed out that both the CDS and the Deputy Minister, John Forster, will play important roles in designing the programme that will deliver the results expected of the Defence Policy. General Vance’s comments and the following Q&A period are sure to be of great interest to the broader Security and Defence community, providing us a great opportunity to engage directly with the senior head of the military profession. And this under a modified Chatham House rule.
I encourage you all to make the time to join us at this limited capacity event – you will find the link for registration at (http://cdainstitute.ca/events/roundtables-and-special-events/general-jonathan-vance/)
From the Research Manager and Senior Editor:
A reminder that the call for papers for the 20th Annual Graduate Student Symposium has been issued. Presentation abstracts must be submitted by 6 Sep. Nous recherchons des soumissions de partout au Canada, que ce soit en français ou en anglais. Further details on the symposium may be found at: http://cdainstitute.ca/events/graduate-student-symposium/
I would also like to advise you of this invitation from the Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs to attend their next outreach session in Vancouver:
“Dear Stakeholders / Cher(e)s Intervenant(e)s,
Please forward the following invitation to your members in the Vancouver, B.C. area.
Veuillez envoyer l’invitation suivante à vos membres dans la région de Vancouver, Colombie-britannique.
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We are happy to invite you to a “Status Update and Q&A” in Vancouver, B.C., by the Honourable Kent Hehr, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.
At this event, which will be open to the public, Minister Hehr will provide an update on the progress made to increase support and services to Veterans and their families since he took office 18 month ago, and to discuss the way forward. Minister Hehr will also answer questions from the audience.
When: Wednesday, May 31, at 19:00
Where: 2194 Health Sciences Mall, Room 4 – Woodward (Instructional Resources Centre-IRC), University of British Columbia
Map:
Please confirm your participation by responding to engagement@vac-acc.gc.ca
Thank you.
Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach Team
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Nous sommes heureux de vous inviter à une mise à jour et une période de questions à Vancouver avec l’honorable Kent Hehr, ministre des Anciens Combattants et ministre associé de la Défence nationale.
Lors de cet événement ouvert au public, le ministre Hehr fera état du progrès réalisé pour améliorer le soutien et les services aux vétérans et leurs familles depuis son entrée en fonction il y a 18 mois , et discutera des prochaines étapes. Le ministre Hehr sera également disponible pour répondre aux questions de l’auditoire.
Quand : le mecredi, 31 mai, à 19 h
Où : 2194, Health Sciences Mall, Salle 4 – Woodward (Instructional Resources Centre-IRC), University of British Columbia.
Carte :
Veuillez communiquer votre présence par courriel à engagement@vac-acc.gc.ca
Merci.
L’équipe Engagement des intervenants et Sensibilisation”
Recent CDA Institute Web Updates/Dernières mises à jour Web de l’Institute de la CAD:
http://cdainstitute.ca/charles-davies-on-defence-policy-for-mli-inside-policy-19-may-2017/
http://cdainstitute.ca/richard-cohen-on-donald-trumps-russian-connections-playing-with-fire/
http://cdainstitute.ca/lambert-et-clamadieu-sur-la-france-face-au-defi-de-la-corruption-dans-le-secteur-de-la-defense/
From our Associations:
CIDP: Details on the upcoming CIDP 12th Annual Kingston Conference on International Security “Developing the Super Soldier: Enhancing Military Performance” may be found at: http://www.queensu.ca/kcis/home
RCAA: As we recall the very successful and emotional national commemorations for the Battle of Vimy Ridge centennial, this in from a member of one of our Associations to serve as a reminder that what Canadians take for granted is not always perceived in the same manner by others:
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CDA Institute Aerograms – From our Research Fellow Howard Coombs
Below and attached are a number of recent articles on military contributions to NATO. I would like to thank Jane’s correspondent, Bruce Jones, Colonel (Retired) Alain Pellerin and Postmedia journalist, Matthew Fisher, for sharing these materials. VR Howard
Posted: 15-May-2017
Jane’s Defence Weekly
USAREUR chief urges stronger adherence to NATO Article 3
Bruce Jones, London
The commander of US Army Europe (USAREUR), Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, has underscored the requirement, under Article 3 of the NATO treaty, for certain alliance members in Europe to do more in order to achieve flexible deterrence, local media have reported.
Speaking at the Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn, Estonia, on 13 May, Lt Gen Hodges said that many EU member states were doing much in attending to their independent defence capabilities under Article 3, but that more pressure should be put on some members to make additional efforts.
Article 3 states that NATO members “separately and jointly, by means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid, will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack”.
The general emphasised that the way to deter crises is through the application of speed: of recognition; of political decision-making; and of the assembly of assets. The objective, he underlined, is to prevent any crisis on NATO’s eastern flank before it happens. He explained how improving capabilities to respond quickly under peacetime rules provided governments with wider options. “Better rail transport is an important way … to facilitate movement between allies,” said Lt Gen Hodges. Estonia remains, through a series of corporate and investment ‘log jams’, not fully connected by train with its neighbours and consequently the rest of the European Union.
Meanwhile, the president of non-NATO Finland, Sauli Niinisto, observed at the conference “the EU is hardly a true union if it does not play its part in ensuring the security of its own citizens,” adding: “There is a great deal we can do together under the banner of protecting Europe. The public has expectations.”
Lt Gen Hodges described Estonia as being at the “front and centre in living up to NATO Article 3”, stressing that the country “is a leader in the Alliance in this regard. The political, civilian leadership has made hard, smart choices to invest”. He expressed admiration for the quality of the country’s military at all levels and its ability to rapidly mobilise and deploy 10,000 reservists. The general gave assurances of continued commitments, citing the example of NATO’s Multinational Corps Northeast, which has established battlegroups and held exercises within 11 months of decisions being taken. “We changed administrations,” he summarised, “but everything we agreed in 2016 is happening in 2017.”
COMMENT
The Baltic states, Poland, and those nations contributing to NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP), including the United States, remain discontented with alliance countries not spending the stipulated 2% of GDP on defence. The same countries are arguably not compliant with Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Were, however, a strict look taken at countries unable realistically to defend themselves, there might be some embarrassing conclusions.”
170522 WoTR Abandon the 2 Percent Obsession A New Rating for Pulling Your Weight in NATO
News around the World:
China claims to have successfully mined and then extracted energy from “fire ice” (methane hydrate) taken from the South China Sea (Oil Price, 18 May)
Discussion by David MacNaughton, Canadian Ambassador to the USA, of the Boeing anti-dumping accusations against Bombardier. (CTV News, 21 May)
Attentat de Manchester: En France, la sécurité dans les salles est la plus drastique d’europe (Le Figaro, le 23 mai)
Further reporting and analysis from Australia on the WannaCry cyberattack of last week (ASPI Strategist, 24 May)
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/cyber-wrap-165/
China urges N. Korea talks, skirts questions on sanctions (Asahi Shimbun, 24 May)
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201705240011.html
Rapid leak of details gathered on the Manchester bombing attack provoke reaction by British security agencies. (BBC, 25 May)
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-40040210
The CDA Institute is pleased to provide our readers a focused summary of insights and recommendations from an initial examination of the terrorist attack on the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. While similar events have not occurred in Canada, increased attention towards the way that Canadian security agencies, both public and private, assure the safe and orderly conduct of events, keeping in mind the recommendations below, may be advisable. The CDA Institute thanks ASERO for making this summary possible:
“INSIGHTS
The report speculated that the suicide bomber elected to carry out the attack on the crowd as people left the Arena as opposed to risking detection while attempting to enter the venue. It also pointed to yet unverified reports that there was a limited security presence in or around the arena at the time of the attack and that bag checks carried out were largely superficial, which may have made the target appear more vulnerable and attractive in the eyes of the terrorist bomber. The analysis also pointed out that typically, toward the end of an event, coordinators begin to open doors to allow for event-goers to easily exit the venue, although it was unclear whether this was the case at the Manchester concert. The analysis did point out that such habits effectively negate any access control measures previously in place and potentially allowing for an adversary to penetrate the premises.
RECOMMENDATIONS
While the British security services have had many successes in thwarting planned mass casualty terror plots in recent years, it is must be assumed that despite best efforts made to monitor all potential threats, it is impossible for intelligence warnings to thwart all attacks before they can be carried out. In view of this, it is necessary to complement intelligence with robust protective security measures in all domains as a means of incorporating an additional layer of protection.
As part of an overarching risk management policy:
- it is advisable to carry out comprehensive threat, vulnerability and risk assessments (TVRAs) on all venues housing large and public events which may be perceived as attractive soft targets for terrorists and other adversaries.
- it is recommended to deploy visible security measures with the aim of increasing deterrence against possible attackers.
- it is recommended to train security personnel deployed at concert venues and stadiums on behavior recognition, among other security protocols
- it also necessary to implement protective measures aimed at securing crowds following the event, i.e. during crowd dispersal.”
