Mr. Chair, and distinguished members of the committee, I'd like to add my thanks for the invitation to appear before you to answer questions relating to your study of the defence of North America.
As assistant deputy minister, Material, for the Department of National Defence, I am responsible for the acquisition and support of all military equipment. In other words, I focus on the technical readiness of the Canadian Armed Forces. I also oversee the material certification of military equipment in the same way that the Department of Transport does for the civilian equivalent.
With a budget of approximately $6 billion a year, a team of 4,000 people dedicated to the task, and over 12,000 contracts under management with my colleagues at PSPC, the work is complex and plentiful. The vast majority of procurements unfold as planned on an ongoing basis. Procurements for key equipment are, however, in a different category.
Defence procurement is a complex undertaking, particularly for large systems such as aircraft, ships, and armoured vehicles. The decisions made on equipment are often half-century ones. The next combat ships we deliver will still be in service in 2070. Many of the aircraft we are pursuing will be flying beyond the middle of this century.
At the same time, the threats this equipment will face are continuously evolving. This means that we must strike a balance between the anticipated life of the equipment measured in decades with the need to update the equipment on a continuous basis to meet evolving threats. This also means that the supply chain and support mechanisms must be adaptable and enduring to meet the needs of the Canadian Forces.
Equipment is de facto never in its final configuration, as upgrading aircraft, ships, and combat vehicles is a continuous process and bringing the new configurations into service is a complex undertaking that requires very close cooperation with various elements of the Department of National Defence.
That said, we continue to advance and deliver on various programs that will continue to increase the capability of your Canadian Armed Forces. From an aerospace perspective this includes:
the delivery of the fifth C-17 aircraft and bringing that project to effective project closure; the introduction of the C-130J aircraft and their upgrades to the block 7.1 configuration; the enhancements of the Aurora aircraft and their life extension, with block III aircraft well into delivery and block IV in definition; the introduction of the Chinook helicopters back into the order of battle; the transition to the Cyclone maritime helicopter, with training on the block 1.1 aircraft to start in the coming months; the completion of the evaluation process for the fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft to be completed this summer.
DND is not only introducing these aircraft into service, but is also well positioned to provide the necessary support to ensure their appropriate operational employment.
We in the materiel group are very proud to be able to work closely with the Canadian Armed Forces in the defence of Canada and Canadian values abroad.
Thank you for allowing me to provide opening comments.
I would be pleased to answer your questions.