Thank you, Chair.
Minister, Deputy and Chief, thanks to all of you for your time here today. Thank you for your service to all Canadians, especially those in uniform, many of whom serve in Halifax. As you know, significant elements of all three branches call Halifax home.
In fact, the Royal Canadian Air Force is celebrating its centennial birthday this year. I was very fortunate to be present at 12 Wing Shearwater last week to help mark that milestone with serving members in the air force. A little later this week, HMCS Montréal will embark to the Indo-Pacific on Operation Horizon, so there's lots going on in Halifax that is touched by this defence policy update.
Minister, given the events over the weekend in the Middle East and the overall security environment in the world, I was particularly struck by the commitment to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Navy, those two branches, with the striking power to deter threats at an appropriate distance and the exploration of options to acquire long-range air- and sea-launched missiles.
Can you expand on why those investments in that particular hardware are necessary in the current security environment?