Thanks for the opportunity again.
The NSS is emblematic of the extent to which defence procurement is highly politicized, especially by opposition parties looking to score points, and of how politicians prioritize spreading largesse to industry in targeted ridings over effective and efficient procurement.
Challenges that plague air defence procurement and the NSS are mere symptoms of a system that has to contend with vexing problems that are not of its making. Central agencies and Parliament have imposed procedures and controls that make it increasingly impossible for DND and the Canadian Armed Forces to deliver on the operational effects that governments and taxpayers are looking for.
As long as opposition parliamentarians look to score political points by going after the Clerk of the Privy Council and others over jet fighters and shipbuilding, central agencies are going to exercise enhanced due diligence, which ensures that the pace of progress will be glacial and costs will escalate accordingly. As a result, procurement projects either end up in a death spiral or result in the military getting much less for the money spent than government could have gotten had projects stayed on track.
The AOPs are a good example. Take the F-35s and compare the estimated costs of the purchase that was announced with the original costing over a decade ago.
A partial solution would be to make major votes on defence policy and expenditures all-party votes, as is done in Australia. Endorsement by all removes some of the incentive to politicize defence procurement.
Similarly, is the aim to enable the Canadian Armed Forces to acquire the required kit in the most efficient manner possible, or to spread political largesse across the country? If the objective is the latter, then it is disingenuous for parliamentarians to promise the military that it will get the kit that it needs on time and on budget. Both jet fighters and shipbuilding are caught up in this. The problem is not the military improperly defining the requirements, but government trying to maximize return for industry in specific ridings.