The River-class destroyer is needed to address the aging and retiring fleet of Iroquois and Halifax-class warships, whose capabilities no longer meet current and future operational demands. These new ships will ensure Canada maintains a credible naval presence to support national defence, international alliances, and emerging security challenges, particularly in strategic regions like the Indo-Pacific and the Arctic.

On this week's Expert Series podcast, Tim Addison, Director of Naval Affairs, NAC & President, Ottawa Branch, discusses the River Class Destroyer’s intended role in international deployments and sea control missions, the integration of advanced sensors and an upgraded command and control system including cooperative engagement capabilities, the potential to adapt these systems for use in other naval and Coast Guard assets, the implications of integrating the Canadian Coast Guard under the Department of National Defence, the political and financial challenges of the procurement process including cost estimation and risk of politicization, the significance of the National Shipbuilding Strategy in maintaining industrial capacity and economic benefits, and the expected technical and operational challenges associated with building Canada's most complex warship to date.

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The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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Through Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s ongoing support for Ukraine demonstrates the critical role of middle powers in combatting contemporary security challenges. Since 2015, Op UNIFIER has provided training and advisory support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Helping to strengthen their capacity, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has served as a bridge to increase Ukrainian’s interoperability with other NATO partners. Particularly since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the mission has adapted to sustain Ukraine’s defence and institutional reforms by moving to third-country locations (remaining under Canadian direction).

In this week’s Expert Series, Lieutenant Colonel Cole Petersen, (ret'd) Major General Bill Seymour, and Jill Sinclair examine the evolution and ongoing impact of Op UNIFIER. They discuss the mission’s early stages, the Ukrainian request for assistance, and the collaborative NATO response, including the Multinational Joint Commission. The panelists highlight Canada’s unique contributions to building trust and capacity, the integration of new operational technologies such as drones, and the challenges of adapting training and support to Ukraine’s changing needs.

In discussion, panelists also highlight the broader implications of Canadian involvement in Op UNIFIER, through emphasis on the strategic value of international cooperation and lessons learned for the CAF. By doing so, they examined the vital role this mission has played in reinforcing Canada’s role as a cornerstone of Allied defence.

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The rapidly shifting international environment has sparked renewed interest in CANZUK cooperation as a potential axis for middle powers seeking to safeguard their autonomy and security. While Canada, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand have a long history of informal defence collaboration through arrangements like the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, formalizing CANZUK into a robust security partnership faces practical hurdles.

In this week’s Expert Series, John Blaxland and Srdjan Vucetic explore the feasibility of Canada pivoting toward deeper defence cooperation and engagement within hypothetical alliances like CANZUK, given its geographic and economic dependence on the U.S. They discuss the existing defence collaboration between Canada and “ANZUK”, the impact of shifting U.S. foreign policy on the international system, and the emergence of a multipolar world. They also touch on the strategic rationale for hedging against the U.S. and other regional powers, the challenges Canada faces in diversifying its defence partnerships, and why CANZUK is likely to remain more of a concept than a concrete alliance.

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The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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As Arctic tensions rise, missile technologies advance, and U.S. foreign policy veers toward unilateralism, NORAD faces mounting pressure to evolve. But can it? And will Canada rise to meet the challenge alongside the United States, or risk being left behind? Furthermore, will Canada step into the BMD conversation?

In this week’s installment of the Expert Series, Dr. James Fergusson joins us to unpack whether and how Canada and the U.S. can overcome political, technical, and geographic challenges to modernize NORAD effectively and ensure integrated, resilient North American defense against evolving missile and space-based threats. Fergusson discusses NORAD modernization efforts—including over-the-horizon radar and leveraging AI, the need for stronger binational collaboration on continental defence, the strategic implications of growing adversarial activity in space, and the need for Canada to seriously consider ballistic missile defence.

James Fergusson is the former Director or the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba. 

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The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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The war in Ukraine is not just a regional conflict, it is a pivotal struggle over the future of liberal democracy, Western unity, and the global balance of power. With Russia pursuing expansionist aims, the West divided, and President Donald Trump reshaping U.S. foreign policy, the outcome of this war could determine whether democratic values or authoritarian spheres of influence define the next world order.

Steven Pifer and Angela Stent joined this week’s Expert Series to unpack the evolving stakes of the war in Ukraine and its broader geopolitical consequences. Drawing on their deep expertise in U.S.-Russia relations and European security, they discuss the latest developments of the Ukraine war, Russia’s geopolitical ambitions, the impact of Donald Trump’s return to the white house on America’s position on the war and European security broadly, and how the war’s outcome could reshape NATO cohesion, the broader international security landscape, and the potential emergence of a multi polar-world order

Angela Stent is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute. Steven Pifer is a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute.

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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With the Royal Canadian Navy facing urgent demands to grow its workforce, maintain aging ships, and prepare for increasingly complex security challenges in the Arctic and Indo-Pacific, can it balance immediate operational needs with long-term modernization?

Today, Vice Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the royal Canadian navy, joins us for a discussion on the future of the RCN, its challenges, priorities, and evolving role in a more contested global security environment.

VAdm Topshee details the RCN’s efforts to rebuild its force through accelerated recruitment and training, sustain aging fleets while transitioning to next-generation platforms, and project Canadian naval presence in both the Indo-Pacific and Arctic. He also reflects on the Victoria Class replacement and its role in Arctic security, infrastructure needs in the North, Canada’s evolving Indo-Pacific posture and multilateral naval cooperation, technological modernization, including the pursuit of unmanned systems and ISR platforms, as well as Canada’s interests in Antarctica.

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The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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Charles Davies Joined the Expert Series to discuss the need for Canada to rethink its approach to national defence in response to a rapidly changing global security environment.

Davies analyzes the impact of the changing global security environment on Canada’s defence posture and strategy, why its essential for Canada to shed its identity as a “small power” punching above its weight and embrace its potential on the world stage, the need for long-term whole-life management of defence capabilities, a long-term, strategic approach to defence industrial policy, the importance of maintaining interoperability with the United States, and ultimately, the need for the government to pivot from a transactional to a strategic approach when it comes to defence management.

Charles Davies’ latest book, True North, Strong provides a clear framework for understanding Canadian defence, breaking down complex topics like force development, procurement, and governance into accessible components. Davies aims to foster a more informed public debate that drives accountability and ensures Canada’s defence capabilities are robust and aligned with national priorities in an increasingly fragmented and volatile international security environment.

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The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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This week, Canada sat with its allies at the Hague and agreed to triple its defence funding over the next 10 years.

Former Defence Minister Peter MacKay joined us to discuss the outcomes of the 76th NATO Summit in The Hague, which saw commitment from all 32 NATO members to increase defence spending, the geopolitical drivers behind this shift, concerns over Canada’s deteriorating military capabilities and systemic challenges in defence procurement, as well as the need for economic growth to sustainably fund defence increases.

It is yet to be seen the exact strategy Canada will take to meet the 5% and whether Canada will suffer the same obstacles it faced during the 2% era. It is also largely speculative how allies will respond to this new funding increase and whether the tumultuous inconsistent approach from the Americans will threaten NATO's unity towards major transatlantic security issues. 

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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On Monday, June 9th, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada will accelerate its defence spending to reach 2% of GDP by the end of the 2025–2026 fiscal year, moving the target forward by several years.

With Canada accelerating defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2025-26, how can the government and the CAF prepare for the far greater challenges and restructuring needed beyond just hitting the target?

Former Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and former Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (VCDS) VAdm Mark Norman (Ret’d) joined us to unpack Prime Minister Carney’s Monday defence spending announcement and the complex challenges ahead for Canada as it prepares to meet 2% and possibly 3.5% soon. 

Norman discusses the importance of disentangling from U.S. dependencies, the need to support Canada’s advanced but underappreciated defence industry capabilities and addressing government-created barriers for Canadian suppliers, Rearm Europe and the need to restructure Canada’s defence industrial base, how bureaucratic inefficiencies hinder capacity, and the need for Canada to carve out its own strategic path by redefining its alliances.

Reaching 2% of GDP is only meaningful if it comes with deep structural reform as well as a willingness to confront long-standing inefficiencies in a procurement process plagued by delay and complexity, a bureaucracy that struggles with agility and throughput, and a military personnel system facing a recruitment and retention crisis. Canada needs to prepare, institutionally and culturally, to take ownership of its own security in a rapidly changing world.

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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On Monday, June 9th, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada will accelerate its defence spending to reach 2% of GDP by the end of the 2025–2026 fiscal year, moving the target forward by several years.

CDAI Board Member and former NSIA to the Prime Minister, Vincent Rigby, joined the Expert Series to analyze the announcement, discussing the challenges of getting to 2%, matching new investments with appropriate personnel amid a recruitment and retention crisis, and the necessity of procurement reform in reaching the 2% target on time. He also addresses  the challenges inherent in juggling the stated goal of diversification away from the U.S. while maintaining cooperation on continental defence, defence integration, and shared security concerns.

What are the main challenges Canada faces in actually reaching the accelerated 2% target goal by 2025–26, and what does the timeline suggest about Canada's understanding of global security threats?

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The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

Learn more: CDA Institute (https://cdainstitute.ca/)

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

Learn more: CDA Institute