Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Lieutenant-General, Sergeant-Major, thank you for being with us today.
I am more interested in numbers. So, I would like to present some of the data we have been given and ask you to comment.
According to the 2010-2011 Report on Plans and Priorities for National Defence, in terms of readiness, the regular land force complement should increase from 17,400 to 18,200 between 2011 and 2013. That is an increase of about 800. Since we are withdrawing from Afghanistan, is that additional strength necessary?
How do you explain the fact that, even while the complement is increasing in size, funding will be 3.7% lower over the same period? So there will simultaneously be an increase in the land force complement, in terms of readiness, and lower base funding.