Veteran and Xpertise Defense president Simon Bernard discusses the challenges and opportunities regarding defense in Canada. The rise in geopolitical tensions, globalization, and technological disruptions are forcing Canada to rethink its sovereignty models. Hybrid conflicts, incorporating cyber attacks, disinformation, and economic pressures, are blurring the lines between military and economic security. Local industrial capabilities are now crucial for strategic resilience, emphasizing the need to produce critical equipment locally, secure supply chains, and innovate in defense technologies to maintain sovereignty.
Strengthening the Defense-Industry Partnership
The partnership between the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Canadian businesses goes beyond supplying materials. It requires mutual adaptation – forces sometimes prioritize speed and flexibility, while companies adjust their industrial cycles to complex operational needs. Developing a common culture based on trust, transparency, and mutual understanding is essential.
Reserve and Transition: Towards an Inclusive Approach
Integrating the reserves and transitioning veterans are key to strengthening the link between defense and civilian society. A Canadian program inspired by the European “ProMilès” could encourage employers to support the reserve force by recognizing military skills like leadership, crisis management, teamwork, and adaptability. A national charter for defense employers would provide structure, aiming to adapt HR policies, value military careers, and facilitate veterans’ professional reintegration.
Towards an Innovative and Resilient Defense Economy
Canada’s sovereignty cannot depend on foreign partners. Supporting a national defense economy to meet CAF needs while boosting civilian innovation is crucial. Strategic sectors like cybersecurity, autonomous systems, drones, secure communications, energy resilience, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies require targeted investments. Public-private partnerships fueled by strategic investments can create dual-use innovations beneficial for both defense and civilian sectors, promoting innovative SMEs, strengthening national industrial expertise, and generating skilled employment.
Shared Values and Collective Culture
Shared values such as responsibility, innovation, leadership, teamwork, and resilience underpin the cultural alignment between the armed forces and businesses. Transitioning military professionals bring valuable experience in managing complexity and uncertainty. Encouraging exchanges between military command and business leadership, hosting regional forums, and integrating Canada into allied defense industrial networks can foster a strategic culture of innovation.
Call to Action for a Shared Sovereignty
Strengthening the bond between the CAF and businesses is an investment in national security and collective sovereignty. Every organization, regardless of size, can contribute by supporting the reserve, developing critical technologies, or engaging in continuous dialogue with defense institutions. This evolving cooperation among the CAF, businesses, and civilian society is vital for a new national cohesion to tackle 21st-century challenges.
This ambitious and inclusive vision of Canadian sovereignty, based on the synergy between the CAF, businesses, and civilian society, will be a tool for strategic autonomy, sovereignty, and independence. Building a robust “defense-industry” ecosystem is crucial for Canada, demanding collective mobilization, policy adaptation, and recognizing military skills in the economic realm to enhance resilience, preserve sovereignty, and confidently confront contemporary challenges. Let’s move forward on this journey together.
