When we begin a new mission, orders come directly from the strategic level--in other words, from the Chief of Defence, through strategic staff, who send us the guidelines. If it is an expeditionary mission, such as in Afghanistan, the responsibility is given to the Commander of the Expeditionary Forces, which would be Gen Gauthier.
As far as I'm concerned, my task is to develop the operational support Gen Gauthier requires. That is what our activities revolve around, such as setting up the theatre of operations. Once they are in theatre, it is really Gen Gauthier's theatre. They are the ones who check the levels of materiel that's available, and so on. When they see that materiel levels are beginning to drop, they tell me what they're missing and what the priority is. I have to ensure that is delivered to the theatre of operations. That is where I use my lifeline, my pipeline, airlift, and so on, to provide all the equipment they need in the appropriate timeframe.