A VOICE OF REASON
We produce peer-reviewed, evidence-based research and analysis on Canadian defence and international security. 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 Captain Nichola Goddard Award.
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NORAD Modernization: Report One: Awareness & Sensors
Introduction The CDA Institute, in partnership with NDIA and NORAD/USNORTHCOM hosted a three-part virtual roundtable focused on NORAD modernization. The goal was to allow experts from industry, academia, and government to break down silos and engage in direct...
China’s Arctic Ambitions and What They Mean for Canada By P. Whitney Lackenbauer, Adam Lajeunesse, James Manicom, and Frédéric Lasserre
By Dean Coslovi In China’s Arctic Ambitions and What They Mean for Canada, authors P. Whitney Lackenbauer, Adam Lajeunesse, James Manicom, and Frédéric Lasserre examine how China’s increasing interest in the Arctic should be viewed from a Canadian perspective....
‘In a Narrow Alley’: Burn-In Isn’t a Novel About Robots A review of Burn-In by P.W. Singer and August Cole By Christopher Ankersen
By Christopher Ankersen The scholar of classics Adrienne Mayor concludes her important essay “Biotechne” with the following warning: We are approaching what some call the new dawn of robo-humanity. When that day comes, what myths will we tell...
Peter Jennings (ASPI): Canada + Australia in the Indo-Pacific
Q: In what ways has Australia’s defence policy changed in the new strategic outlook? How has China responded? Peter Jennings: Australia has a tradition of producing what we call “defence white papers” every five years or so. [This one] is essentially a policy update...
TRACKING THE STORYLINE: Media Impacts on CAF Recruitment
In the spring of 2020, the CDA Institute and Ipsos Canada conducted a survey of 2000 Canadians. The objective was to measure knowledge and familiarity with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), consumption of positive and negative storylines about the CAF in media sources,...
Roland Paris: Threats, Allies, and Canadian Strategy
Q: What is the state of Canadian American relations and how can Canada successfully manage this relationship if current trends in U.S foreign and domestic policy continue? Should Canada look to other allies for cooperation? Roland Paris: The United States is...
Stephanie Pezard (RAND): Emerging Challenges & Strategic Competition in the Arctic
Q: what are Russia and china’s ambitions in the Arctic and what steps are they taking to secure these interests? Is cooperation with Russia in the Arctic still feasible? Stephanie Pezard: Russia and China have very different ambitions in the Arctic, which are...
Marcus Kolga: The Covid-19 Vaccine Hack, Russian Information Warfare & Cyber Resiliency
Q: There have been Russian hacking attempts aimed at US, British and Canadian COVID-19 vaccine research. How has Canada dealt with this and what do you recommend we do so we can protect intellectual property and national sovereignty against these intrusions? A: This...
Deep Fake, Twitter Hacked: Welcome to Disinformation on Steroids. An Interview with tech expert Branka Marijan
Q: The July Twitter hack has been confirmed as the largest in the social media company's 14-year history. It is also being called just the tip of a very large iceberg with vast security implications. What to you is most concerning about this attack from an electoral...
Amb. David Mulroney: On Hong Kong, Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, and Canada’s next move
Q: What kind of calculations determined President Xi’s decision to impose the new security bill in Hong Kong and why is it being implemented now? A: I think it's the distraction of the pandemic. [China] is hoping to get away with this while the world is focused...
Executive Director’s Update
Dear members of the growing Conference of Defence Associations community, Already, a year has passed since I joined the Conference of Defence Associations Institute. It has been quite a ride. In a good way. Before I dive into all the things I'm excited...
INTERVIEW: Amb. Dennis Horak on Saudi Arabia / Canada relations
1) Ambassador Horak, you were sent back to Canada on a tweet. Is the medium the message? Tweets are not an effective tool of diplomacy. “Twitterplomacy” (as I have come to call it) is PR aimed at supporters or the already converted. By their very nature and limited...
Engaging Silent Enemies: NATO’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Challenge
Roger Hilton, GLOBSEC Security and Defence Fellow In the classic film The Hunt for Red October, Soviet Admiral Ramius addresses his crew prior to diving and declares, “They (the West) will tremble again at the sound of our silence”. The essence of the quote could not...
Quantum Supremacy Webinar
WEBINAR DETAILS July 10, 2020 - 10:00 EDT We'd like to thank IBM Canada for providing the tech support and online platform to host this international event. WHY ATTEND: Top American and Canadian experts will comment on the fast approaching national security challenges...
Free Webinar: All Five Eyes on 5G
Click on the image below to redirect to event page & registration.
Looking towards CANSEC 2021
Col. Charles Davies (Retd) The Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) announced on March 31st that its annual trade show in Ottawa, scheduled for May 27-28, has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a necessary decision...
9 out of 10 Canadians believe the Canadian Armed Forces should help in the fight against COVID-19
A new survey conducted by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute and Ipsos Canada shows that 9 in 10 Canadians (88%) believe that the Canadian Armed Forces have a role to play in supporting civilian authorities manage and mitigate the COVID-19...
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...
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...
NORAD MODERNIZATION: REPORT TWO: DEFEAT CAPABILITIES
Introduction NDIA/CDAI hosted the second of three webinars on 26 August 2020, intended to examine key capability requirements for the modernization of continental defence under auspice of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The goal was to allow experts...
