National Defence Committee on Nov. 27th, 2014

Evidence of meeting #40 for National Defence in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was surveillance.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Defence of North America

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Fraser Holman As an Individual

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

I want to switch over to the joint unmanned surveillance and target acquisition system, JUSTAS. This has been in the planning stages since September of 2000. In your opinion what has caused this delay? Is the delay such that the project will no longer be viable, that it will be obsolete by the time it gets off the ground?

5:25 p.m.

As an Individual

MGen Fraser Holman

I'm sorry I don't have any real insight or detail on that. I ought to probably, but I'd only find out through the press in any event, so I don't have an answer that's helpful on that.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

In your paper titled “The Future of Drones in Canada: Perspectives from a Former RCAF Fighter Pilot”, which types of drones and which uses were you referring to?

5:25 p.m.

As an Individual

MGen Fraser Holman

I tried to describe all the possible drone applications I could see. I am skeptical of the use of armed drones of any type in Canada, particularly skeptical of armed for air combat, or air to air. I find the opportunities in surveillance to be the most attractive, and there are a lot of ranges of surveillance: weather, ice. It's not just tracking moving bad guys in their tanks. Those things are, to me, the more compelling.

I'm sorry I don't have system names to apply to those in particular. The biggest example and the most compelling case in my mind is that long endurance surveillance of the north and the high altitude system. There's only one to my knowledge. Global Hawk is the one I would mention. But in a NORAD context, that seems to be the most compelling case of the many opportunities.

Transportation might well end up being automated and put into drones. It's not quite here yet, I don't think, but it should be. I apologize for running on, Mr. Chair.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Peter Kent

Not at all. Thank you very much, General, for sharing the time with us and travelling to meet with us today to share expertise and insight.

The meeting is adjourned.