The Voice of Reason
We produce peer-reviewed, evidence-based research and analysis on Canadian defence and international security. The CDA Institute brings together academia, government, and industry into the conversation through our flagship Expert Series and Ottawa Conference on Security & Defence. We are a community of Canadians who care about our nation’s role in the world, and who are committed to a principled and rational approach to Canada’s foreign policy.
Shaping Tomorrow’s Security & Defence Leaders
Through our education programmes, graduate conferences, internships, and mentorship opportunities, we are building the skill sets and expertise of the next generation of Canadian security and defence leaders.
Recognizing Excellence
We annually recognize inspiring Canadians through our Awards Program, which includes the Vimy Award, the Ross Munro Media Award, and the Nichola Goddard “Game Changer” Award.
Be sure to subscribe to our newsletters to learn more about the CDA Institute, research, publications and events.
Recent News
BOOK REVIEW: Gendered Militarism in Canada
By Charlotte Duval-Lantoine The years 2014 and 2015 were turning points for Canada and its military. The Canadian Armed Forces left Afghanistan in March 2014, ending its thirteen-year participation in a conflict that had a lasting mental and...
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Richard Fadden Vimy Award Acceptance Speech: “2020 and Beyond: Where Does Canada Fit?”
Richard B. Fadden, Order of Canada, served as Director of CSIS, Deputy Minister of National Defence, and National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister under Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau. Individuals are often told that self-awareness is an important...
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Spending the allocated defence funds… or trying to: an update
Sustaining the Canadian Armed Forces ability to conduct missions in the world involves complex, expensive, and multi-year procurement processes that are already difficult to fulfill when governments hold the majority in the House of Commons. Now that we...
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The Liberal Party Election Platform: Has it found the “Fix” for Defence Procurement?
By Charles DaviesBuried deep in the recently released Liberal Party election platform is the following commitment:And to ensure that Canada’s biggest and most complex defence procurement projects are delivered on time and with greater transparency to...
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VIMY AWARD 2019 LAUREATE: Former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and CSIS Director, Richard B. Fadden, O.C.
Press Release – For Immediate Distribution Ottawa // September 25, 2019 The Conference of Defence Associations Institute is convening the 29th annual Vimy Gala on November 8th at the Canadian War Museum, during which time it will be celebrating Richard B....
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Defending Democracy: Confronting Cyber Threats to Canadian Elections
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK TO ACCESS THE PDF. AUTHORS:Holly Ann Garnett, Assistant Professor, Department Political Science, Royal Military College of CanadaMichael Pal, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of OttawaChristian Leuprecht, Professor, Department...
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Former Vice Chief of Defence Staff LGen Guy Thibault (ret’d) is named President of the Conference of Defence Associations & Chair of the CDA Institute
PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release August 27, 2019 Ottawa, Ontario Former Vice Chief of Defence Staff LGen Guy Thibault (ret’d) is named President of the Conference of Defence Associations & Chair of the CDA Institute The Executive...
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Norman, Wynnyk, Vance: Drawing the line between politics and leadership in the CAF
Lieutenant General (Retired) Guy Thibault, Chair of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute and former Vice Chief of Defence Staff (2013-2016) *** Today in National Defence Headquarters marked the change of appointment of Vice Chief of...
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Canadian Foreign Intelligence Agency: Time for Action
by Alistair Hensler & Tyler Berry Canada’s diffuse and relatively decentralized intelligence community is unique among democratic nations. The incapacity to covertly collect foreign human intelligence (HUMINT) abroad places Canada among a...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT – July 2019
Now that I’ve been a few months in office, I owe you all an update about the direction that the organization has begun taking under my watch. My philosophy thus far has been to develop a higher impact / lower cost approach that is volunteer-driven and strategically focused.
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NATO at 70: A sign of the times?
Usually, every ten years, NATO member-states convene and negotiate a new Strategic Concept, a living document that gives purpose and direction to the Alliance. Since the last such discussion happened in Lisbon in 2010, when it was endorsed by NATO Heads of...
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Walk the Talk: Time to Operationalize Canada’s Whole-of-Government Approach to Twenty-First Century Conflict
The 2008 Manley Report highlighted significant machinery of government obstacles to the effective conduct of the Afghanistan mission, and in particular the operations of the interdepartmental Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT) which the Panel called “a...
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BUDGET 2019 OVERVIEW – Defence and Security
Not unexpectedly in an election year, and nearly two years removed from the publication of Strong, Secure, Engaged, Canada’s Defence Policy, Budget 2019 contains relatively little in the way of new defence commitments, although it does have a section on...
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Future of Canada’s Cybersecurity
*Image courtesy of itworldcanada.comBy Andriyha Soans Computer technology today is ubiquitous. In 2017, there was an estimated 3 billion hand held devices in circulation across the globe with a 50 per cent increase expected by 2020.[i] These...
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