National Defence committee  We have not, and it's because we do our best, in terms of how we define the navy's requirement, not to prescribe a solution to industry. As much as possible, we have a performance requirement specifying that the ship must be capable of doing this, to this extent, and to this success level.

National Defence committee  That's a good question. Presently, there is no project or plan for such a vessel, because it depends on the direction the government wishes to take. If the government engages on a course that includes anticipated missions, we will then conclude that we require the capacities of a ship of that type.

National Defence committee  The decision regarding submarines is not mathematical alone. As the admiral often says, it's a team sport. Canada is so vast, and its coastlines so long, that we could never have enough submarines to assign them everywhere. Teamwork consists of monitoring, communications, command and control.

National Defence committee  The only thing I would add is that it also recognizes that having that element of support for navy ships while they are under way is incredibly important. If you want to have the capability that the navy can provide, especially if you need to send it somewhere around the world, then the ability to get fuel and other supplies from a ship is incredibly important.

National Defence committee  For the Queenston class, the current plan sees cutting the steel in the 2018 time frame, with a view to delivering the first one to the navy in the 2021 timeframe. It's predicated, though, on the work that Vancouver Shipyards is currently doing on Coast Guard vessels, but that reflects the latest intent.

National Defence committee  We do work closely with ADM S and T, and the reason I'm—as the Admiral calls it—the point man is that much of what we want the R and D and the science and technology folks focused on is the future. They do some work for the here and now of today's navy, but mostly they're focused on the future.

National Defence committee  Right now I would say there's no specific procurement under way. The Department of National Defence is looking at submarines and submarine capability and where that needs to go. As we work through that analysis with a view to the future, I'm convinced that we'll look at all the different angles and look at the challenge of operating in the Arctic, look at the challenge of that environment, and provide the best advice we can in the future.

National Defence committee  I would say that in general, uninhabited vehicles, unmanned vehicles, and autonomous vehicles are clearly in the future of most navies around the world. In the context of the Royal Canadian Navy, in terms of what you referred to as driverless vehicles, we have been operating with vehicles like that for many years to date.

National Defence committee  Thank you for the question. It's a good one, because what I think many people may not see or appreciate is that requests for proposals are the reflection of a massive team effort. The Royal Canadian Navy does have a team of individuals who represent the navy and its development and defining of the requirement.

National Defence committee  There are specifications that would be met in the Canadian surface combatant project, and all of our ships, pertaining to the fuels that are required in those ships. Typically those specifications and the details of them are more the purview of our materiel group, because they get into very specific types of fuel items, such as flashpoint and viscosity.