Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much to the witnesses for being here. It is an honour to have them here.
General Eyre, it is an honour to meet you in person. Thank you for everything you and your colleagues are doing to keep Canadians safe. I have a number of questions for you.
I've been reviewing some of the media that you've been doing in recent months. I'm quite concerned by some of the things you've been sharing with Canadians on the state of our military and our military preparedness.
In May 2022, you mentioned, “Given the deteriorating world situation, we need the defence industry to go onto a wartime footing and increase their production lines.” You went on to say, “We're facing a security situation in the world that is as dangerous, or more dangerous, than the end of the Cold War.” You also said, “Canada is not nearly as secure as it once was.”
Our understanding throughout the study we've been having is that since the conclusion of the Cold War, our infrastructure and defence capabilities that went along with our NORAD infrastructure have been neglected, as has our Canadian military, perhaps.
Can you comment on that, given the context of what you're saying about how we may be in a more dangerous situation than during the Cold War?