Mr. Chair and members of the committee, on behalf of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, thank you for inviting us to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
My name is Sophie Martel, and I am the acting chief information officer. I am the functional authority responsible for the department's entire information and communication technology program. I ensure that National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces have a reliable, secure and integrated digital environment that meets operational needs.
My team delivers information and communication technology to support the core functions of defence, which are intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, communications, cyber-warfare, command, management and cybersecurity. The defence chief information officer is also responsible for the development and operational availability of the cyber-force within the Canadian Armed Forces cyber-command.
I'm joined today by the director general of cyber and command and control information systems operations, Brigadier-General Yarker.
Brigadier-General Yarker is responsible for the organization and execution of cyber operations and exercises within the Canadian Armed Forces, including the digital forensic function and the maintenance of key national command and control infrastructure.
I would like to emphasize that the protection of personal information is a top priority, and the Department of National Defence is committed to doing everything possible to protect that information. However, there has to be a balance. There's only a limited expectation of privacy when using our IT systems and mobile devices because they are subject to monitoring for the purposes of system administration, maintenance and security, and to ensure policy compliance.
Our monitoring is compliant with applicable government policies and standards.
In conclusion, I wish to reiterate that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces will continue to deliver on their mandate while protecting personal information.
My colleague and I would be pleased to address any questions you may have. As a matter of policy and to ensure operational security, we cannot disclose details on the use of specific equipment or on systems used operationally.
Thank you.