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For the 2024 Sandbox,
we are focusing

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on a physical defeat
of the drone threat,

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that includes with weapon
systems such as guns,

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but also with directed energy

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such as the laser
that you see behind me here.

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♪

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The Counter UAS Sandbox
here, in Suffield, allowed us

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to host 15 companies
over the last 4 weeks.

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And we got to test
their counter drone technology

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to help us discover
what better technologies are.

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As general technology evolves,

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it's important for us to know
what the better ways

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to counter those technological
advancements are.

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We also had a number
of observers and visitors

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from a number
of NATO countries,

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other allied partners

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and as well as the Ukraine armed
forces that sent observers,

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which is outstanding,
because it allows us

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to learn from their own
experience and allows them

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to learn from the testing
that we do here in Suffield.

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In this year's sandbox,
we've seen lasers

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to be a promising technology.

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They're effective
and fast means in defeating UAS,

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and have been shown
to effectively defeat

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at long ranges and their ability
to track fast moving drones.

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I think it's important to note
that Canada doing

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one of the first laser firings

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over the horizon for a laser
weapon system

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is quite an important
milestone for us to achieve,

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because it's
technically challenging

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in order to do it
in a safe manner.

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And it's an important
achievement

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for the Canadian Armed Forces
at DND to be able to showcase

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the capabilities that we have
in Suffield, here,

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and for us to learn
a lot more

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about how to operate a directed
energy system like a laser.

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As the battlefield innovation
advances so rapidly,

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we need to keep doing those
sandboxes in a continuous manner

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in order for us
to adapt the technologies

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that are being presented

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for us to be able to inform
our requirement

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when it comes time
to acquire systems

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to protect our own troops
and assets.

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♪