National Defence Committee on March 23rd, 2015

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Okay.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

The time is up, Madame Michaud.

Mr. Bezan, go ahead, please, for five minutes.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Thank you, Chair.

I want to thank our witnesses for being here.

Admiral Bennett, it's always good to see you.

I want to get back to our topic at hand, which is the defence of North America and the role the reserve force is playing in that. I was interested in your comments earlier about CIMIC being a specialty we may want to employ within the reserve force. I know that within the reserves—and, I would expect, in the regular force as well—there is an opportunity to get more people with diverse languages and ethnicities, enabling us to carry out various training opportunities, previously in Afghanistan, and now in Iraq, Ukraine, and eastern Europe. There may be some opportunities especially with regard to the issues you mentioned already: health services, medical professionals, and CIMICs.

Could you talk on that basis with regard to how the reserve force can augment what we are doing with those types of opportunities within the overall sphere of the defence of North America?

[RAdm J.J. Bennett]

One of the things we have to improve first is our inventory of civilian skills. Our database is fairly restrictive right now, in that it only records the two official languages we have. In our personnel management system that's being developed across the Canadian Armed Forces, we will have an inventory that will allow for greater space to provide civilian qualifications, civilian employer, languages beyond English and French.

At this point when we have a need identified, we often have to send out a message looking for native speakers or cultural awareness. We've used that to great effect in special operations as well. Special operations have utilized civilian skills with police, dog handlers, people in law enforcement. Medical health services, as we said, has developed a way to attract, retain, and train medical professionals so they don't have to deploy or be employed in the same traditional model of a year-long or a six-month deployment.

Again, on domestic deployment in particular, we've also utilized local knowledge and connections in the case of local disaster emergency response—someone who is connected through the city council or the chamber of commerce, or has professional skills. Unfortunately, it's often been a happy coincidence or discovery. Once we establish that inventory of civilian skills, that will go a long way.

It's ironic, though, that a number of reservists prefer not to work in their civilian realm; they would rather apply their military skills. It isn't that they're reluctant to do that, but oftentimes they will be trained in two very diverse situations.

We do think there is a great opportunity for cost saving, as well, with people who can be better trained or more extensively trained and bring their civilian experience. That's why we're looking at things like cyber. That is an area of expertise that someone could bring into the force, as opposed to simply sharing a qualification or a background.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Cyber has been a major issue that we have talked about at this committee. It will be a large component of the report: how we best defend, and also conduct warfare, in cyber.

If you're looking at that from a reserves capability, are you looking at this broad spectrum, or specialized units?

[RAdm J.J. Bennett]

I would say it's a bit of both.

It isn't us looking at it specifically—it's through our chief of cyber—but we're looking at the experience of other nations and their use of reserves. The U.K. and the U.S. have a reserve component with cyber capability, and we're looking at that, whether it's a standing capability, a capability that is brought to the Canadian Armed Forces in a different way, so that these people are working from home or they're....

I think the reason we call it a reserve capability is that they will be held within the Canadian Armed Forces in a different manner. It's not that they will necessarily be part-time or after-supper soldiers or sailors; it would be resident.... It's much like we hold our professionals in the health service reserve in a slightly different way—they're not required to come out every Tuesday or Thursday, or one weekend a month—but considering across the gambit of both, in terms of the protection, the warfare, and I guess a more diverse cyber capability than we had originally considered.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

That's time, Mr. Bezan.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Already? I just got started.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

Mr. Harris, you will have three minutes before we must suspend to set up for our next witness via teleconference.

If you could, you have three minutes, sir.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you very much.

I was very glad that Ms. Gallant brought the question of Resolution 1325 to the committee. It's an important resolution.

I didn't acknowledge your role as a champion for women, although it's for the entire armed forces, not just for reserves, as I understand.

[RAdm J.J. Bennett]

It's for DND and the Canadian Armed Forces.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

I would like to follow up by noting Resolution 1325. There are several other resolutions that are related to that as well. NATO adopted a series of action plans, the latest one being June 2014, with 14 outcomes and special goals.

Is that action plan that NATO adopted what you follow in terms of an action plan for Canada? Is that something you follow, and is there any report that indicates a measure of our success as a country and a military in following those goals and seeking those outcomes?

[RAdm J.J. Bennett]

DFATD actually has the lead on that, and through our policy section—ADM Policy—we do have desk officers who work both with the UN and NATO resolutions and action plans. It isn't my specific area of responsibility as the champion, but, yes, Canada's report is through DFATD.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

But is that your menu, as it were, in the action you might undertake in your role as a champion for women in Defence?

[RAdm J.J. Bennett]

No, my role, as I've said, is more specific to the employment equity and diversity portfolios, although I have an interest in that UN resolution and the NATO work that follows because I am a member in uniform. I'm not the lead for that, but I do work with our team in ADM Policy and I provide input into our report that then goes to DFATD that produces Canada's report.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

So effectively you report through the chain of command and DFATD handles the international aspect?

[RAdm J.J. Bennett]

Not me personally as the champion of women. I am one of the people who provides input to DFATD for our departmental report.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

Thank you very much, Mr. Harris.

Thank you, Admiral Bennett and General Bury, for your time with us this afternoon. You have made a worthy contribution to our study of the defence of North America, and we thank you for it.

[RAdm J.J. Bennett]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

Colleagues, we will suspend and set up for the teleconference with our next witness.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

Colleagues, we will resume with our second witness of the afternoon from the Department of National Defence, Colonel David Lowthian, commander of 8 Wing Trenton.

Colonel, thank you very much for joining us this afternoon.

[Colonel David W. Lowthian, Commander, 8 Wing (Trenton), Department of National Defence]

Thank you very much for the kind introduction.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

Thank you for making time available for us today. Could you offer us your opening remarks, please, sir?

[Col David W. Lowthian]

Members of the Standing Committee on National Defence, ladies and gentlemen, I'm honoured to extend greetings on behalf of the men and women of 8 Wing at Canadian Forces Base Trenton. From delivering supplies to the High Arctic to airlifting troops, equipment, and humanitarian loads worldwide, 8 Wing takes pride in being the hub of Canada's air mobility operations and remains committed to contributing to the defence of North America.

As a host of NORAD's quick reaction alert, 8 Wing Trenton provides essential ground support so that the CF-18 Hornets can be airborne immediately to protect our airspace from potential air threats. 8 Wing at Canadian Forces Base Trenton is at the forefront of Canadian military airlift, with its fleets of tactical and strategic transport and search and rescue aircraft. We are responsible for search and rescue operations over a large area under the jurisdiction of the joint rescue coordination centre at Trenton.

The 424 Squadron, which operates the CH-146 Griffon helicopter and the CC-130H Hercules fleet, has been serving Canadians within the 10,000,000 square kilometres of the Trenton search and rescue region, comprising most of the province of Quebec, all of Ontario, the prairie provinces, and the entire Arctic.

Over the years the 424 Squadron members have committed themselves to saving lives and have supported international relief missions such as in Haiti and in Jamaica. In December 2013 a crew from 424 Squadron rescued a crane operator who was trapped above a massive building fire in Kingston, Ontario, which gained global coverage. In 2014 the squadron launched more than 170 search and rescue missions.

We also have a major air disaster capability, also known as MAJAID, which is readily deployable when needed. In August 2011 while on exercise during Operation Nanook, the MAJAID capability was tasked to help the victims of the First Air flight 6560 crash.

Daily flights to the four corners of the globe are routine for 8 Wing, which is highly responsive to international events. The CC-177 Globemaster operated by 429 Squadron, the CC-130J Hercules operated by 436 Squadron, the CC-150 Polaris aircraft operated by 437 Squadron, and the CC-144 Challenger aircraft operated by 412 Squadron supported by air movement professionals from 2 Air Movements Squadron have provided essential airlift support to Canadian Armed Forces operations within Canada and abroad.

Some of these missions include our 10-year mission in Afghanistan, Operation Mobile in Libya, Air Task Force Mali, and most recently our air bridge and sustainment flight support to various Canadian Armed Forces missions, such as Operation Reassurance in eastern Europe, Operation Sirona in Sierra Leone, Operation Calument in Egypt, Operation Impact in Kuwait, and Operation Nanook in support of Canada's Arctic sovereignty. 8 Wing looks forward to the upcoming delivery of a fifth C-17 Globemaster aircraft. This incredible strategic airlift capability permits the Canadian Armed Forces to fly higher, heavier, faster, farther, and deeper in support of domestic and global operations.

Along with higher profile deployments, aircraft and personnel from 8 Wing Trenton are involved with resupplying Canadian Forces Station Alert, the world's most northerly inhabited location and a station that upholds Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. We also provide the equipment warehouse for the Disaster Assistance Response Team, the DART. This quick response team has provided humanitarian aid to Pakistan following a devastating earthquake in 2005 during Operation Plateau; to Sri Lanka in 2005 following the tsunami that hit the region during Operation Structure; to Turkey in 1999 after a severe earthquake during Operation Torrent; to Haiti after a devastating earthquake in 2010 during Operation Hestia; and to the Phillippines in 2013 to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan during Operation Renaissance.

Currently there are approximately 3,200 regular force, 600 reserve force, and 500 civilian members who make up the workforce at 8 Wing at Canadian Forces Base Trenton. We are honoured to serve Canadians and take pride as the home of Canada's air mobility forces, and as a centre of excellence for global operations.

8 Wing at Canadian Forces Base Trenton remains committed to the defence of North America and the promotion of Canadian interests worldwide.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

Thank you very much, Colonel.

We'll begin now with our first round of questions in seven-minute segments.

Mr. Norlock, please.