National Defence committee  I imagine that I have less than two minutes to respond.

National Defence committee  That's less than two minutes. I think I will describe this very generally and give you some specifics. What we need to do is to make the family experience in the armed forces more consistent and even across the country. Families deal with different housing markets, different tax rates, different costs of living in different parts of the country, and so we have to look at that.

National Defence committee  The government has not decided yet where the troops will be sent. We have troops on a UN mission right now. I think we have to remember that. There are over 1,000 troops deployed right now.

National Defence committee  I beg your pardon, madam.

National Defence committee  Okay, I think I'll let the submarine expert at the table answer that question. But suffice it to say, any modernization effort is going to be designed to ensure that the platform is able to function in a threat environment that we intend to use it in. It's going to involve all the systems of the submarines to ensure that we can defend the underwater approaches to Canada, in combination with underwater RPSs, remotely piloted systems, as well as to project offshore.

National Defence committee  I think that we need to see the defence policy not as a wish list but as the equipment necessary to do the job that the Government of Canada has given us. So we consider the four submarines, with the additional anti-submarine and water column defence mechanisms that we'll have, sufficient to do the job that the Government of Canada has asked us to do in the maritime domain.

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  It's 88 aircraft. That consists of a statement of operational requirements that I'm responsible for. I'm responsible for ultimately signing off to the minister that this is what the military needs, and the threat horizon, the time, and the likely scope of use of our aircraft. The RCAF has the expertise to put it together.

National Defence committee  The capability gap that I'm describing is the need to have 88 airplanes. I think you would agree that it is the ability to do simultaneous operations in NATO and NORAD. None of those former people, or Tom Lawson, were commenting on that. In fact, when they were in the forces, they didn't have that policy.

National Defence committee  No. The policy change is a result of what our allies and we face in the world. I would challenge anybody, you included, to paint me a world—

National Defence committee  —where we would be in a shooting war in Europe and we'd be all safe at home here in North America. It won't exist. Threats are transregional—

National Defence committee  I beg your pardon?

National Defence committee  Eighty-eight planes are better than 65.

National Defence committee  Thank you. I'll pick up on the question about NATO and NORAD defence. The capability gap is about the 88 planes: being able to have an 88-plane output and closing that ability to have an 88-plane output in the safest and best way possible with a capability we can rely on. The minister has answered the question about the interim fleet.

National Defence committee  I won't comment on the case specifically. Again, with everything, there is balance. Absolutely, we want to have and celebrate anybody, whatever type of family you have, or whatever way your family happens to be rolling at the time, we want you to be able to serve in the armed forces and serve with distinction.