The New Defence Agenda: Transforming National Defence Administration Conference

[MdB]

For those who might be interested in attenting or commenting after it's held, here's the official press release:

The Chair of Defence Management Studies at Queen's University; the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP); the Canadian Defence Industries Association (CDIA); and the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDAI) are pleased to announce an upcoming conference on:

The New Defence Agenda: Transforming National Defence Administration

to be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Ottawa on 6 April 2005.

The appointment of General Rick Hillier as Chief of the Defence staff and the significant, multi-year defence budget announced by government signal an intention to radically transform and rebuild the Canadian Forces. Bringing defence policy intentions and administrative outcomes into harmony, is the next great challenge for the Canadian Forces, the Department of National Defence, and government as a whole.

This conference is the first public forum assembled to consider the transformation of defence administration as a fundamental concern and a necessary component in the grander policy to transform and rebuild the Canadian Forces.

Speakers include:
Mr. Hugh Segal, President Institute for Research in Public Policy; Dr. Douglas Bland Chair, Chair of the Defence Management Studies, Queen's University; Dr. JJ Jockel, Professor and Director of the Canadian Studies Program, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York; The Honourable Bill Graham, Minister of National Defence (invited); Honourable Colin Kenny, Chair the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (invited); Honourable Pat O'Brien, Chair, The Standing Committee on National Defence and Veteran's Affairs (invited); Lieutenant General Patrick O'Donnell (Ret'd) Canadian Defence Industries Association; Colonel Howie Marsh (Ret'd), Senior Defence Analyst, CDA Institute; Colonel Brian Macdonald (Ret'd) President Strategic Insight Planning and Communications; and Dr. Chris Ankersen.

DON'T MISS OUT -- SEATING IS LIMITED -- REGISTER NOW

Agenda:
http://www.queensu.ca/sps/the_policy_forum/conferences/DMF_April05_Ottawa3.pdf

Registration:
http://www.queensu.ca/sps/the_policy_forum/conferences/DMS_registration_form2.pdf

or contact Lois Jordan + Tel: 613-533-6483
registration deadline - March 31. Cost - $125, with reduced student fee

 

[SlipStream]

OMG NOOOOOO its all the way in ottawa..i cant take time off school to go

 

[Brad Sallows]

I wish these people much fortune.  Sawing off a sizeable chunk of administrivia would do wonders.

 

[I_am_John_Galt]

I keep getting 404 Errors when I try to follow those links ... I can't go to this, but is there any way of getting the lecture notes?

 

[JasonH]

If something was held in Vancouver I'd be glad to take the 3-4 hour trip downtown to catch it.  But Ottawa is a bit too far for my likeing  :crybaby:

 

[MdB]

The links have been updated. They work now.

It's all I have for now. I don't know if they'll post transcripts. Check CDAI, CDIA, IRPP or Queen's University website for more.

Cheers,

 

[MdB]

Never thought there would be an article on this conference, here's the result (http://www.canada.com/components/printstory/printstory4.aspx?id=d92f77bb-d438-4575-8b99-2935246be9e2):

Defence chief to alter the way military works
Hillier wants focused leadership under U.S.-style CanadaCom banner

Mike Blanchfield
The Ottawa Citizen
April 7, 2005

Canada's new defence chief wants to revamp the command structure of the Canadian Forces under a new "CanadaCom" banner that unites the army, navy and air force under leaner, more focused leadership similar to the U.S. military's approach.

Defence Minister Bill Graham told a military symposium in Ottawa yesterday the upcoming defence policy review will make that key recommendation, which he said is the brainchild of his new chief of defence staff, Gen. Rick Hillier.

Earlier this week, Gen. Hillier told the House of Commons defence committee the integrated command approach is better suited to the realities of fighting terrorism and other non-traditional military threats.

"It's a reorganization of the structure," Mr. Graham told a military conference sponsored by Queen's University and the Institute for Research on Public Policy. "CanadaCom, or whatever you call it, is the structure."

Gen. Hillier, who has more international command experience than any other Canadian military leader, is basing the idea on the Pentagon's integrated regional commands throughout the world, known as NorthCom, which is responsible for North America, and CentCom, which conducted the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The new structure would integrate the three branches of the military, plus special forces, into combined commands that would make the units more agile and better able to respond to crises at home and abroad.

Though the plan hasn't been made public, it will likely involve streamlining the Forces' nine regional commands in Canada.

"This is very much Gen. Hillier's vision for his Forces and he will be articulating this as we go ahead," said Mr. Graham, who was asked about the command structure during a question-and-answer session following his speech. "It's just an idea at this time."

Mr. Graham said the new Canadian command would also give the Forces more inter-operability with the U.S., and the policy review would firmly emphasize the need for strong military co-operation between Canada and the U.S.

In recent days, Mr. Graham has spoken forcefully about the need for closer military co-operation with the U.S., despite the government's decision to opt out of the Pentagon's ballistic missile defence shield for North America.

Mr. Graham favoured participation in the shield, but says despite the missile defence decision, Canada still has a duty to vigorously work with the U.S. to defend North America.

Gen. Hillier has extensive knowledge of the American military command structure, having served as a high-level exchange officer with the U.S. army Third Corps, where he was second-in-command. He was commanded of NATO's International Assistance Force for Afghanistan, which put him in charge of troops from 36 countries.

Steven Staples, an analyst with the left-leaning Polaris Institute, which opposed Canada's participation in missile defence, asked Mr. Graham if he was "concerned Canadians would feel that we're restructuring our Forces only to mirror what's happening in the United States."

"We share the continent with them. We shared the sea-line approaches, we share the air space with them," Mr. Graham replied. "We certainly want to have a look at how they're doing things."

Morale is soaring among senior Defence Department personnel as Gen. Hillier has assembled "Tiger Teams" to implement the plan. The chief of defence staff "has articulated his vision of transformed, integrated operations," said Maj.-

Gen. Doug Dempster, director-general of strategic planning. "We're trying to make the Defence Department as adaptable and agile as the Canadian Forces need to be in operations."

Mr. Graham also said he wants to fix a nagging problem in the Forces -- its long procurement process that he said resulted in a "12-year quest" to buy new backpacks, and the recent decade-plus process to replace the aging fleet of Sea King helicopters.

Mr. Graham said he will ask Public Works Minister Scott Brison to consider the possibility of allowing the Defence Department to take over responsibility of tendering future contracts for large military purchases.

The departments now split the tendering process.

©  The Ottawa Citizen 2005

 

[tomahawk6]

It will be interesting to see the plan when it comes out. However, I doubt that you will actually see anything streamlined unless Hillier
is prepared to CUT existing headquarters. Only then will the structure be able to be streamlined. Otherwise all you will see is a joint headquarters superimposed over existing headquarters.

In the US we have gone too far in creating joint headquarters and believe me the structure is far from streamlined. Let's take NORTHCOM for example. Why create a new joint hq to be responsible for north america when an existing hq could have been used. NORAD could have been given that role for example and we would have 1 less hq and one less 4 star job. Just one example.