Mr. Chair, members of the committee, my name is Jeannot Boucher and I am the acting chief of force development at the Department of National Defence.
I lead a community of planners who specialize in future force design, which is often referred to as “force development”. This community comprises military and civilian experts, defence scientists, operational researchers, academics and industry planners. The community also accesses NORAD planning and processes, such as those led by NATO.
My role is to lead this collaborative planning effort to develop investment strategies and propose priorities.
In my role, I work closely with Mr. Quinn and his defence policy team, as well as with Lieutenant-General Pelletier and his team.
The department's force development program provides the analytical basis to anticipate changes to threat and security and provide advice on capability requirements in the 5- to 20-year horizon. It does so by conducting deliberate analysis that leverages academic and defence research as well as a review of current platform systems and capacity.
We use a three-year review cycle. Defence needs are evaluated through scenarios and modelling to objectively consider the future demands of the Canadian Armed Forces.
This then informs decisions around the modification, divestment or introduction of new defence capabilities to ensure that the defence team has what it needs in the future.
With that short overview, I look forward to answering your questions.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.