I agree that we're seeing activities from Russia. One of the things we see certainly is that they're challenging us militarily. They're also challenging us significantly in the cyber environment, and I think you highlighted in your question the importance of misinformation and disinformation. They are making efforts to destabilize our society, our institutions, important institutions like our political system, by engaging in polarizing rhetoric, misinformation, fearmongering, threats and coercion against some of our citizens. All of those behaviours are a non-kinetic form of warfare. It's asymmetrical, but it's something that Canada needs to respond to because they are direct threats.
For the Canadian Armed Forces and through our people at CSE, we are very much engaged in countering those threats and making sure that the connection between national defence and national security.... I think, it's very clear, and I think we all have a responsibility. It's going to require advances in our approaches and closer work with our allies.
I would share with you as well one thing from my experience—Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as an example. I think their intention was to destabilize the western alliance and to cause rifts between us. It's had exactly the opposite effect. In my experience, all of the nations of NATO, including Canada and the United States, have become far stronger, far more united, far more resolute in our purpose of making sure that we have the capabilities to counter the threat that Russia and China represent, and others too, by the way. We are also seeing that type of hostile activity from state actors such as Iran and North Korea. There is, unfortunately, a growing list of people who are clearly demonstrating that they are willing to engage in a number of very aggressive, assertive and negative behaviours towards our society, our culture, our institutions and our country.
