Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm not sure I would use adjectives as strong as the ones just suggested.
I'd like to thank the chief of the defence staff and the two deputy ministers for being with us and answering our questions.
My first question is about the supply of spare parts and software and the maintenance of devices, for example, that are done in the United States. We've seen the President of the United States start blocking exports, including to Colombia. The export of American engines for the Saab Gripens was blocked and we were told that all we had to do was buy American F‑16V planes instead. The U.S. President has also blocked $400 million in weapons and munitions purchased by Taiwan because he is currently negotiating with China. If the U.S. President wanted to put pressure on Canada, he could block software updates or shipments of spare parts to make our devices ineffective.
In this context of great uncertainty, what are the risk analyses for dependence in the United States? What are the contingency plans for the Canadian Armed Forces or the department?