Meritocracy, not wokeness, badly needed in Canadian Armed Forces
Warrior culture is necessary
We are living in one of the most complex, dangerous, and unpredictable times in human history. We are witnessing increasing global instability and a broader range of threats, now state-on-state as well as from non-state actors. The world will not become less complex or more predictable. Only a few years ago, no one could have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic, a war in Europe, or the bloody attack by Hamas on Israel and its justified response. The only way for Canada to manage these new complexities, each seemingly more challenging than the preceding one, is to be better prepared to meet them. Unfortunately, our military is woefully unprepared, even though national security and the defence of democratic values are more important than ever.
The rapid development of information technology, cyber warfare, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence seems to be the enabling force of the new strategic environment, having propelled us from the industrial age beyond the information age. This explosion not only increases the efficiency of delivering force, but also increases the efficiency of those who seek to do grave harm. Drones and unmanned aerial and land weapons are proliferating, with commercial, inexpensive, off-the-shelf solutions being offered to military and unconventional forces. The international and domestic regulations required to harness and control these new developments lag behind, which leads to their unbridled use by individuals and states with the potential to do harm. Canada and other nations must therefore structure, organize, equip, train, educate, and fund their forces and capabilities to capitalize on the new innovations, while preparing to counter the threats they pose.
Canada’s top operational military commander, Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, stated in December 2023, “We are in the middle of this and I’m not sure everybody understands that the security and defence situation globally has deteriorated significantly.” The international security situation should be a source of worry even for us Canadians who have long believed we lived in a “fireproof house.” We do not view these threats as ones that can directly target Canada. That is a mistake.
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