You seem to be asking if the current way we distribute the fleet between the west and the east should remain in place. The question, as you suggest, has to be viewed in light of the rising concerns about the Asia-Pacific as the dominant cockpit of future rivalry and competition and conflict. The current system goes back to the Cold War. The fleet was based in the Atlantic, and there was almost nothing in the Pacific. But in this world we're going into, the threats are going to be in the Pacific, and the fleet should shift over there. There should be less concentration in the Atlantic.
Do we need to modernize the conventional forces of the Canadian navy? Yes, we do. They need to be replaced because we are not going to be doing World War II-style escorting of convoys. That type of war is part of history now. I think some of my colleagues need to realize that. As for our presence there, the need to commit advance forces and integrate and be interoperable with the advanced navies of the world, the U.S. navy in particular, drives us down that path. That's why I think it's still a very important investment for us.