A death spiral.” Those are the words Minister of National Defence Bill Blair used to describe the current military personnel crisis. For years now, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is over 15,000 people short of the target established in Strong, Secured, Engaged (SSE) – the 2017 defence policy. And the spiral is not showing any sign of resolving in the short term. The defence policy update of April 2024, Our North, Strong and Free (ONSAF), projected that the military will not reach its goal of 101,500 strong until 2032. The consequences of such a shortage are significant. The latest Department Plan for 2024-25 show a worrisome state of readiness, and the CAF is losing the human resources necessary to effectively and successfully introduce, operate, and maintain the new capabilities promised in SSE, the 2022 NORAD Modernization investments, and ONSAF. Despite the majority of capabilities listed in ONSAF to be explored, the equipment section in the defence policy is the most advanced one. The personnel discussion, despite including noteworthy investments, fail to reflect the urgency in which the CAF finds itself. This is not to say that the CAF is not working hard to resolve the issue. During a March 7, 2024 panel of the Conference of Defence Association Institute’s 92nd Ottawa conference, Chief Military Personnel Lieutenant-General Lise Bourgon outlined the work her office had done to improve recruitment.
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Table of Contents
- Table of Contents 1
- Introduction 2
- Missing in Action Data 3
- Unhelpful Conversation Lowering the Standards and Allowing Permanent Residents to Serve 4
- Lets be Smarter about Recruitment 5
- End Notes 6
- About the Author 7
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute 7
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