Response to parliamentary committees external audits - DPR - 2012-13

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Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits

Response to Parliamentary Committees

Sixth Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Chapter 3, Reserve Force Pension Plan – National Defence, of the 2011 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada.

April 2012

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts examined the Office of the Auditor General of Canada chapter and made two recommendations that involved National Defence.

Original report

Government response

Committee recommendation:

1. That DND report to the Public Accounts Committee, by December 31, 2012, the status of all action plan items targeted for completion in 2012, as indicated in DND’s Management Action Plan.

2. That DND provide to the Committee a progress report on the status of the pension plan file backlog at the end of each calendar year, in order to determine if DND remedial actions have been effective to date and to determine if the 2017 target date for closing the pension backlog is achievable.

Government response:

Reservists are a vital part of the Canadian Forces and are instrumental to their success at home and abroad. Since the introduction of the Reserve Force Pension Plan in 2007, National Defence has worked to refine service delivery and ensure that reservists receive pension benefits comparable to those of their Regular Force counterparts.

National Defence continues to address the Auditor General’s recommendations and enhance service delivery through the management action plan. Indeed, since the Committee hearing in December, the department had processed an additional 275 applications as of March 31^st, 2012. Building on this momentum, the department will continue to seek efficiencies and make every effort to eliminate the backlog by 2017.

The Government shares the Committee’s views on the importance of the Reserve Force Pension Plan and accepts both of the Committee’s recommendations. Accordingly, National Defence will report to the Committee on the status of all action plan items targeted for completion in 2012, and provide the first annual progress update on the status of the pension plan file backlog, by December 31^st, 2012.

Status Update

In January 2013, DND provided the Public Accounts Committee with a progress report on the Management Action Plan, based on progress as of 30 November 2012. This report indicated that all action plan items had been completed with the exception of the service election backlog and Military Pension Renewal Project documents, which are still in progress.

In that same report, DND provided a progress update on the status of the pension file backlog. As of 30 November 2012, a total of 1,999 files had been completed and DND is on-track to meet the 2017 closing date.

Response to Parliamentary Committees

Fifth Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, "Intensifying Strategic Partnerships with the New Brazil"

May 2012

The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade conducted a series of reports that looked at the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. This particular study explored the implications of Brazil’s emergence as an economic and political force in the western hemisphere and internationally, and highlighted the economic, political and social opportunities that stand to be gained through stronger Canada-Brazil relations.

Original report

Government response

Committee recommendation:

7. That the Government of Canada, through the Department of National Defence and other relevant departments and agencies, continue to strengthen its security and defence cooperation with Brazil and develop strategic partnerships by:

• collaborating with Brazilian counterparts on training for remote patrols and surveillance, particularly by air and water;
• creating officer exchanges and projects that expand on relations established through the Military Training and Cooperation Program; and
• carrying out joint peacekeeping, humanitarian and disaster relief exercises with the Brazilian military.

Government response:

In keeping with the Government’s overall approach to engagement in the Americas, defence and security cooperation between Canada and Brazil has expanded significantly in recent years, with a series of high-level visits since 2009 and the establishment in 2010 of recurring political-military and military-to-military talks, as well as regular staff talks between our armies, navies and air forces. The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are also contributing to Brazil‟s preparations to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games by sharing lessons learned on security and border management for major events.

In January 2013, DFAIT’s Global Partnership Program sponsored a team from the RCMP to deliver specialized chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear critical incident training to Brazilian first responders, which will support Brazil’s weapons of mass destruction counter-terrorism preparations as they host high-profile international events including the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

In the future, Canada will continue to strengthen its defence and security cooperation with Brazil. For example, DND/CF is currently negotiating a treaty-level defence cooperation agreement with Brazil to help guide future cooperation in a wide range of areas, including humanitarian and disaster relief, peace support, combined exercises and operations, defence procurement and industry, personnel exchanges and training. In addition, the CBSA is negotiating a treaty-level customs mutual assistance agreement with Brazil that will allow for the sharing of customs information to prevent, investigate and combat customs offenses, helping to ensure the security and prosperity of both countries.

REMOTE PATROLS/SURVEILLANCE: Canada’s current collaboration with the Brazilian armed forces in the area of training for remote patrols and surveillance by air or water is limited, although our shared experience in defending vast, sparsely populated territories and operating in extreme environments has been discussed during recent bilateral defence talks and meetings and may be considered in future strategic dialogue. However, Canada and Brazil do engage in defence and security cooperation in Space through information sharing. For example, both Canada and Brazil are members of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. Founded in 1999 by the European Space Agency, France’s Centre national d’études spatiales and the Canadian Space Agency, the Charter is an international collaboration between the owners and operators of earth observation satellites to provide disaster management authorities, including military personnel, with rapid access to satellite data in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. Canada regularly provides data from its RADARSAT satellites to support this collaborative effort. The Brazilian Space Agency became the tenth to sign the Charter in 2011 and provides data from its China-Brazil Earth Resources satellites.

Brazil has also demonstrated an interest in collaborating with Canada on coastal weather and disaster monitoring using Space-based Synthetic Aperture Radar technology. However, this and other potential forms of additional space cooperation with Brazil are still at a nascent stage and will be subject to further dialogue. In December 2012, Canada and Brazil launched preliminary discussions for establishing a Space Cooperation Dialogue, an effort which was jointly announced by Prime Minister Harper and President Rousseff in Brasília in August 2011.

MTCP: Since 1998, 283 members of Brazil’s armed forces have received training sponsored by Canada’s MTCP, in areas including civil-military relations, public affairs, peace support operations, English and French languages and junior command and staff training. DND/CF is already building on this ongoing collaboration by creating officer exchanges and projects. For instance, Brazilian military personnel are regularly offered student exchange positions with the national security studies, command and staff courses at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. In recent years, CF personnel have also travelled to Brazil to participate in jungle and ranger training and to take courses at the Brazilian Command and Staff College. In addition, a significant number of unit-level exchanges and technical visits have taken place since 2011, in areas including search and rescue, budget planning and coordination, weapons range operation, aerospace defence, logistics and engineering.

JOINT EXERCISES: Canada and Brazil already participate in a number of multilateral exercises and operations, including the MAPLE FLAG and CRUZEX air combat exercises, the Multilateral Naval War Game, the PANAMAX interoperability exercise and Operation CARIBBE, which interdicts drug traffickers in the Caribbean basin and East Pacific. In 2012, for the first time, the CF flew CF-18 aircraft to Brazil on a familiarization exercise and participated with Brazil in the Fuerzas Comando counter-terrorism and special operations competition in Colombia, while Brazil sent observers to the SAREX search and rescue exercise in Canada. Both Canada and Brazil are recognized as international leaders in the area of peace support operations and are also increasing multilateral and bilateral cooperation in this area. In 2011, our militaries participated in exercise HUEMUL, a multilateral peacekeeping operations exercise run by the Conference of American Armies. DND/CF, the RCMP and Canadian police partner agencies also continue to collaborate with Brazil on peace support operations in the Americas and around the globe, including MINUSTAH.

Status Update

A MTCP sponsored Peace Support Operations (PSO) Senior Strategic Seminar was conducted by the Canadian Defence Academy in Brazil in August 2012.

In FY 2013-14, Brazil will remain a priority member state of the MTCP as well as the most important recipient of MTCP sponsored training in the Americas. Training offered to Brazil will cover the areas of language (English and French), junior and senior staff training, civil military relations, PSO, and public affairs. In addition, a Brazilian officer will take up a position of English teacher at the Canadian Forces Language School in Saint-Jean.

Response to Parliamentary Committees

Fifth Report of the Standing Committee on National Defence, “The State of Readiness of the Canadian Forces”

December 2012

The Standing Committee on National Defence conducted a study on the state of readiness of the Canadian Forces.

Original report

Government response

Committee recommendation:

1. That the Government of Canada continue to provide financial support to employers of Reservists to offset costs such as hiring and training replacement workers or increasing overtime hours for existing employees in order to compensate for the Reservists’ absence.

Government response:

The Government values the unique sacrifices of employers who allow Reservists to deploy on operations and will continue to work to enhance the availability of Reservists for their military duties by obtaining the support and co-operation of business leaders in Canada. For instance, the Canadian Forces Liaison Council, comprised of more than two hundred senior business executives and education leaders, a full-time Secretariat and a national network of Reserve officers, runs several educational outreach programs as well as an awards and recognition program that celebrates supportive employers from across Canada at an annual National Awards Ceremony. Along with this and other non-financial support incentives for employers already in place, National Defence is actively working to develop a financial support mechanism for employers who employ Reservists who volunteer for full-time duty on operations. This initiative will deliver on the Government's Economic Action Plan 2012 commitment to provide financial support to employers of reservists to offset costs such as the hiring and training of replacement workers or increasing overtime hours for existing employees.

Status Update

National Defence continues to advance work to support the implementation of this recommendation.

Committee recommendation:

2. That the Government of Canada engage the provinces and territories to strengthen job protection legislation for Reservists.

Government response:

Every provincial and territorial jurisdiction across Canada has enacted job protection legislation for Reservists. The Government remains committed to working with all levels of government to strengthen job protection legislation through the harmonization of terminology and by fostering a greater understanding of Reserve requirements for training and operations. In this regard, National Defence will work with these jurisdictions to assist in aligning the terminology used and encourage the strengthening of legislation by obtaining a common understanding of terms such as "required training," "Operation," "deployment," and "Reservist". National Defence is also committed to assist any jurisdiction wishing to conduct a review of legislation, and will promote the strengthening of all legislation to support training and operational objectives for Reservists.

Status Update

National Defence continues to advance work to support the implementation of this recommendation.

Committee recommendation:

4. That the Government of Canada continue to develop and invest in the protection and security of the Canadian Forces’ cyber infrastructure.

Government response:

National Defence recognizes that fulfilling the responsibilities articulated in the CAFDS requires a robust ability to operate in the cyber environment, and that this capability is just as important to a modern military as the ability to operate in the land, sea and air environments. That is why the Government has made key investments in projects to improve cyber security measures for National Defence’s computer networks. For example, in 2012 National Defence allocated approximately $14M to projects designed to enhance the departmental Public Key Infrastructure capabilities, improve workstation security, upgrade firewalls, and enhance network Intrusion Detection Systems.

The Government of Canada will continue to develop and invest in the protection and security of the CF’s cyber infrastructure in line with Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy. This whole-of-government strategy commits National Defence to strengthen its capacity to defend its networks, work with other Government departments, such as CSEC, to identify threats and possible responses, and continue to exchange information about cyber best practices with allied militaries. National Defence will also continue to work with allies to develop the policy and legal framework for military aspects of cyber security.

Status Update

In the three months between the December 2012 Government response and the end of the fiscal year, there are no new updates to report.

Committee recommendation:

5. That the Government of Canada continue to develop the Canadian Forces’ cyber capacity with respect to personnel. Important to this development is to invest in analysts who can incorporate both the social sciences and data analysis.

Government response:

Ensuring that National Defence has sustainable human resources and training processes in place to provide personnel with the right mix of technical and analytical skills and knowledge is a top priority. To deliver on the commitments contained in Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy, National Defence is currently examining personnel and human resources requirements which are integral to the ongoing Force Development programme for the cyber environment. This includes identifying the skill sets and training required to ensure that National Defence has the appropriate personnel to successfully operate in the cyber environment. Work is also underway to identify the best mechanisms for recruiting, retaining and managing the careers of personnel working in the cyber field as National Defence continues to strengthen the CF’s cyber capacity.

Status Update

In the three months between the December 2012 Government response and the end of the fiscal year, there are no new updates to report.

Committee recommendation:

6. That the Government of Canada continue to maintain a readily deployable, balanced, multi-purpose combat-ready force.

Government response:

Defending Canadians from threats to their safety and security is a critical and enduring role for the Government of Canada. To deliver on this core responsibility, the Government will continue to maintain a readily deployable, multi-role, and combat-ready military capable of protecting Canada, defending North America in cooperation with the United States, and contributing to international peace and security. This calls for balanced investments across the four pillar of military capability – personnel, equipment, readiness, and infrastructure. Government investments across all four of these pillars have produced notable results: the CF have grown to 68,000 Regular Force and 27,000 Reservists and the Government is providing personnel with the highest level of health care possible; the CF have undergone the largest recapitalization of equipment since the Korean War, with the Government acquiring tanks and vehicles, tactical and strategic airlift, and modernized ships; key infrastructure has been built to support new capabilities; and the CF have been trained and equipped to maintain to the highest operational tempo in 60 years. Going forward, the Government will continue to build on this record of success, ensuring the CF are positioned to achieve excellence in all the tasks we call on them to undertake.

Status Update

The Canadian Forces continue to provide a highly trained and equipped force ready to deploy quickly and effectively on a wide range of missions, both at home and abroad.

Committee recommendation:

7. That the Government of Canada maintain sufficient air mobile forces at high readiness to respond, on short notice, to natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies, NATO responsibilities or other overseas missions.

Government response:

The CF manage the Force Posture of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), Canadian Army (CA) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to ensure that sufficient units, personnel, equipment and resources are maintained and ready to perform domestic crisis response tasks and to respond to international crises. As a part of its Force Posture, the CF maintain immediate response capabilities such as the Major Air Disaster Response Plan, the Disaster Assistance Response Team, and the Non-combatant Evacuation Task Force comprised of joint, immediately deployable sea, land and air units capable of responding to unfolding events on specified notice.

The CF also maintain high readiness units that can support standing NATO Response Force tasks as part of our Alliance commitments, or can be redirected to support other tasks in an emergency. The RCN, CA and RCAF manage the placement of their respective CAF units through internal readiness programs that cycle units through various training programs to ensure that they are able to support the broadest range of potential tasks. This ensures that CAF units are capable of being reassigned to new missions and tasks. Through these readiness programs, the Government is able to maintain the necessary forces to perform the full range of domestic and international security tasks.

Status Update

Every effort is continuously made to ensure the CF are ready to face all the missions and commitments assigned to them.

Committee recommendation:

8. That the Government of Canada enhance the readiness and reach of Canadian Forces ISR capabilities and continue to promote NATO’s role as a hub for allied ISR assets in the widest possible range of potential missions.

Government response:

The Government continues to enhance the readiness and reach of the CF’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability through a series of ongoing projects including Polar Epsilon 2, and the Canadian Army’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) program, CF Joint exercises, and exercises with our closest international allies and NATO. In support of the key missions of National Defence, as outlined in the CAFDS, the CF also position ISR capabilities to support surveillance and monitoring of air, land and sea approaches to Canada, and international crisis response and sustained expeditionary operations.

Canada continues to pursue ISR interoperability with our allies in order to mutually leverage capabilities and expand its reach, thus enhancing the collective response to a wide variety of potential contingencies. This includes active participation with NATO Response Forces and NATO’s Connected Forces Initiative to ensure that CF assets remain interoperable with our allies and are effectively postured to deliver an appropriate response and level of commitment to NATO or coalition-led missions. Canada has been actively engaged in the development of Joint ISR within NATO and is at the forefront of the development and implementation of the latest NATO JISR interoperability standards.

As a cornerstone of Canadian defence and security policy, Canada is committed to ensuring that NATO continues to effectively fulfill its essential core tasks, all of which contribute to safeguarding Alliance members. NATO is the singular collective defence Alliance and, as such, provides an important platform for Canada to address a range of current and future international peace and security challenges. Leveraging interoperability gains from recent multinational operations, Canada continues to consolidate and build upon operational experiences to maintain its combat effectiveness within NATO while seeking to ensure that the Alliance remains modern, flexible, and agile. The Government continues to promote NATO as a collective defence Alliance and its unique role as a multilateral political-military hub that allows Canada to 'plug and play' capabilities into an established command and control structure on exercises and operations.

Status Update

The Government continues to promote NATO’s role as a hub for allied assets and capabilities, including participation in NATO’s JISR initiative.

Committee recommendation:

9. That the Government of Canada ensure that the Royal Canadian Navy’s submarine capability be maintained.

Government response:

The Government of Canada remains committed to maintaining the RCN’s submarine capability. In late 2013, three of four submarines will be available for operations. This will include a high-readiness submarine on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and one submarine in the rotation for an Extended Docking Work Period. With the achievement of this steady state in 2013, the CF will be well-positioned to enhance readiness of the submarine fleet by providing at-sea experience for submarine crews and increase their numbers. This will be achieved by conducting domestic and limited deployed operations through to 2015, after which the Victoria-class will be available for full operational deployments.

The Victoria-class submarines provide the RCN and the CF with a unique strategic capability that helps protect and defend Canadian sovereignty and contribute to national law enforcement and international operations. To be successful in maritime operations, it is necessary to have the ability to maintain control above, on and below the surface of the sea and Canada’s territorial waters. Without the capability provided by Canada’s fleet of Victoria-class submarines, the effectiveness of Canada’s other maritime assets are diminished. As a result of their persistence and lethality, the mere possibility that a submarine may be operating under the surface of the water can provide a powerful deterrent to potential adversaries and alter the entire nature of a theatre of operations.

Status Update

The RCN continues to progress the Victoria-class submarine readiness towards an operational steady state of one operational submarine on each coast, a third engaged in a tiered readiness program while the fourth submarine is in deep maintenance. HMCS VICTORIA has achieved High Readiness and deployed from the Pacific Fleet in FY 2012-13, HMCS WINDSOR has commenced sea-going operations in Halifax, N.S and will undergo engineering maintenance that will delay the plans in place to have the unit achieve full operational status this calendar year. Plans for HMCS CHICOUTIMI are being developed to conduct a tiered Readiness program in 2013. Deep maintenance is also being executed on HMCS CORNERBROOK as part of the submarine Readiness cycle. The significant progress made towards steady state in FY 2012-13 will enhance readiness of the submarine fleet by providing greater at-sea experience for submarine crews and increase the number of qualified submariners.

Committee recommendation:

10. That the Government of Canada ensure that the Royal Canadian Air Forces’ fighter jet capability be maintained and that this capability be fully interoperable with our allies.

Government response:

The Government has invested in a comprehensive structural and technical modernization program to ensure the RCAF CF-18 fleet will remain fully capable of maintaining Canadian sovereignty, contributing to the defence of North America and participating in coalition operations abroad with our allies. The RCAF also continues to enhance key enabling capabilities, such as ISR, communications and sustainment, to ensure that the RCAF remains capable of deploying fighter jets as part of a NATO or Coalition Air Task Force, as was the case recently in Libya. In addition to these investments, the RCAF trains and participates in international exercises with allies to maintain and enhance interoperability.

The National Fighter Procurement Secretariat is also implementing the Government’s Seven-Point Action Plan to ensure that the RCAF acquires the fighter aircraft it needs to complete the missions asked of it by the Government, and that Parliament and Canadians have confidence in the open and transparent acquisition process that will be used to replace the RCAF CF-18 fleet. As a part of the Seven-Point Plan, the Government is undertaking a full evaluation of options which will involve a thorough assessment of all available fighter aircraft and necessary fighter capabilities. Until the Seven-Point Action Plan is complete, the Government will not make a decision on the replacement for the CF-18 fighter aircraft fleet.

Status Update

Work to complete the evaluation of options is ongoing.

Committee recommendation:

11. That the Government of Canada issue an update of the Canada First Defence Strategy, with a particular focus on emerging capabilities, more rapid and efficient force projections and operational readiness.

Government response:

When the CFDS was released in 2008, the Government recognized that global security challenges and the capabilities required to meet them will continue to evolve, and as such, committed to reviewing the Strategy on a regular basis to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the military in service of Canadians. With the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan, National Defence has the opportunity to re-evaluate its requirements and rebalance defence resources, through renewal and transformation, to adapt to an evolving fiscal and strategic environment.

Status Update

In the three months between the December 2012 Government response and the end of the fiscal year, there are no new updates to report.

Committee recommendation:

12. That the Government of Canada ensure that the Canadian Forces continue to participate, on a regular basis, in NATO and other international training exercises with allies and partners.

Government response:

The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that the CAF continue to participate, on a regular basis, in NATO and other international training exercises with allies and partners. These events provide an unparalleled opportunity for the CF to enhance interoperability with key allies, gain experience operating in a multinational setting and build, maintain and strengthen relationships with allies and partners around the globe. As such, all branches of the CF participate in bilateral, multinational and NATO exercises on an annual basis. Through venues such as NATO’s Training and Exercise Group, the US World-wide Training and Exercise Conference and coordinating bodies in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe, the CF identify opportunities that support defence diplomacy and whole-of-government engagement priorities while offering venues for CF units to exercise and enhance their skills and operational potential.

These events range from small unit exchanges and small headquarters staff exchanges to enhance command and control interoperability, to major combined and joint training events such as the US Exercise RIMPAC, that includes the participation of tens of thousands of personnel, hundreds of aircraft and dozens of major warships from Pacific Rim nations. In 2012, the CF had roughly 10,000 personnel participate in more than 100 international training events in over 40 countries. The CF Collective Training and Exercise Schedule for fiscal years 2013-14 and 2014-15 aims to engage the CAF in a similar level of activity as that of 2012. CF participation in exercises is primarily aligned regionally to NATO, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, with training priorities focused on enhancing command and control interoperability, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, crisis intervention and capacity building.

Status Update

There was little if any measurable deviation from the planned national level CF collective training and exercises program between December 2012 and 31 March 2013. Nonetheless, as a normal process, the CF re-examined its participation expectations for NATO Response Force (NRF) 2014 certification exercises, including Exercise Steadfast Jazz and Exercise Baltic Host 2013 in the near term, in sequence with future NATO exercises culminating with the high-visibility Live Exercise 2015. The expected outcome of this process is to ensure that Canada’s contribution to NRF 2016 certification is in hand; however, these and other related regional and defence partnership combined exercise programs are also expected to leverage expanding global interoperability defence objectives in the cyber, information operations and defence intelligence domains.

Committee recommendation:

13. That the Government of Canada continue to promote basic and advanced individual and collective training, higher education and specialized skills developments as fundamental prerequisites for the overall readiness of Canada’s armed forces.

Government response:

The Government of Canada recognizes training as an essential aspect of the readiness of the CAF. That is why the Government continues to make significant investments to ensure the continued delivery of the complete spectrum of individual, collective, academic and specialized skills training and development activities. To ensure that training is delivered in the most efficient and effective manner, the CF have demonstrated innovative approaches that leverage information technology, public-private partnerships for the delivery of education and specialist skills training, and contracted solutions for special knowledge and technology services.

CF training and education is world-class, with various CF training modules gaining international recognition and adoption by NATO, the United Nations and several other key allies and partners. RCAF basic pilot training methods have also been adopted and used as a model for the development of similar programs for other nations. CF training is guided by over a century of experience and a commitment to deliver innovative, approaches to ensure that the CF will continue to be a relevant, capable and professional force that is able to respond to the challenges of a 21^st century security environment and protect the interests of Canada and Canadians.

Status Update

The DND/CF remains committed to ensure that the CF have the training, education and skills development required to maintain the necessary readiness to meet Canada’s security needs.

Committee recommendation:

14. That the Canadian Forces ensure that annual exercises be conducted at the brigade level or higher.

Government response:

The Government is committed to ensuring the CF participates in major exercises and the enabling training events which lead up to them. These events, combined with other major Canadian training events like Exercise JOINTEX, aimed at enhancing CAF joint readiness and interoperability amongst services and the annual Arctic sovereignty operation, NANOOK, facilitate practicing higher levels of command and control within a multinational, joint and whole-of-government context. Exercising the command and control of the CF at this level is essential to ensuring that the CF are capable and ready to perform all domestic tasks and take a leading role in international missions.

All services of the CF are required to conduct major formation exercises on an annual basis. The CA conducts annual brigade-level training as a part of its Training for High Readiness cycle for forces assigned to potential expeditionary operations. This training consists of a two week computer assisted exercise entitled Exercise UNIFIED RESOLVE, followed by a 16-day field training exercise, Exercise MAPLE RESOLVE. Exercise MAPLE RESOLVE is conducted jointly between the CA and RCAF to allow personnel to gain experience in a complex warfighting scenario involving joint action between land and air forces. This training also involves brigade-level “enablers” such as the All Source Intelligence Centre and Coordination Centres.

The RCN participates in the biennial Exercise RIMPAC, hosted by the U.S. and involving tens of thousands of personnel, hundreds of aircraft and dozens of major warships from Pacific Rim nations, as its major formation exercise. During alternate years, the RCN seeks to participate in a major U.S. Navy formation exercise or NATO maritime exercise to ensure the fleet command structure is exercised within a Naval Task Group setting.

Status Update

CF national exercise participation continues to progress key objectives including deployable, Combined Joint Inter-agency Task Force command and control capability as successfully demonstrated in Spring 2013 by JOINTEX Stage 5, held in Wainwright, Alberta.

Committee recommendation:

15. That the Canadian Forces ensure that army units, preferably a battle group, participates in an international joint exercise in an environment outside Canada on an annual basis.

Government response:

The CA regularly participates in several international joint exercises on an annual basis, although primarily at the sub-unit level due to the prohibitive cost of participating in large exercises. These exercises include RIMPAC (biennially, hosted by the U.S.), the Joint Operational Access Exercise (annually, hosted by the U.S.), and Exercise BOLD ALLIGATOR (annually, hosted by the U.S.). In addition, smaller CA elements participate in numerous international exercises, including bi-lateral exercises with key Allies such as the U.S., the United Kingdom and France, and multilaterally in NATO training exercises.

In 2012, a CA infantry battle group participated in Exercise COLD RESPONSE in Norway, focused on Arctic training. In addition, two smaller units contributed to the CAF presence at RIMPAC, and Exercise Croix du-sud in the South-West Pacific Ocean, a joint exercise including France and New Zealand. The CA has confirmed the participation of up to 900 personnel in Exercise QUOROM VIGILANT in November 2013, and CA personnel will also participate in company-sized or smaller units in a number of Exercises in South America and Europe for 2013-2014.

Status Update

During this reporting period, Land Force Central Area (LFCA) deployed a battalion group from CFB Petawawa to Fort Bragg, NC from 24 February to 2 March to participate in the US Army’s Joint Operations Access Exercise (JOAX). JOAX is executed to ensure airborne units are current and able to perform full-spectrum operations within an airborne assault context. The battalion group worked in concert with the 82nd Airborne Division and elements of the RCAF.

In preparation for Exercise DAWN BLITZ 2013 (occurring from 11 to 28 June), Land Force Quebec Area (LFQA) conducted the planning for a company group deployment from CFB Valcartier to Camp Pendleton, CA. Exercise DAWN Blitz is a multinational, combined, joint, scenario-driven exercise designed to test Navy and Marine Corps forces at the Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Expeditionary Strike Group level. Exercise DAWN BLITZ promotes military-to-military cooperation and interoperability with partnered nations, while refocusing their ability to conduct complex amphibious operations essential for global crisis response across the range of military operations.

LFQA deployed Reservists from 34 and 35 Canadian Brigade Groups to Fort Pickett, VA on Exercise NOBLE GUERRIER from 2 to 9 January. Exercise NOBLE GUERRIER allowed Reservists to participate in various company-level scenarios, including combat simulations within a complex operating environment. The exercise ensured these Reservists maintained their combat skills within a modern, urban operations context in preparation for the future demands of the Canadian Army.

Committee recommendation:

16. That the Canadian Forces continue to have regular and reserve units training and operate jointly as frequently as possible to ensure readiness and interoperability, as well as to enhance their ability to adapt to new environments.

Government response:

The CF conducts several annual exercises which require Regular and Reserve Force units to participate jointly. Most notably, the annual Arctic sovereignty operation, NANOOK, involves participation by maritime, land and air reserve units alongside Regular Force units. In addition, each of the six Joint Regional Task Force Commanders and the four Land Force Area commanders conduct collective training events to enhance interoperability between Regular and Reserve units. Through established affiliations between Regular and Reserve Force units, Regular Force units regularly support Reserve Force training by providing observer, controller and mentoring support. Opportunities are also provided for Reserve Force units to participate in Regular Force training events, including for training to operate in specific environments such as Arctic or littoral (i.e. the zone of a coast between high and low tide levels) environments.

With respect to operational integration, Regular and Reserve Force elements are prepared to be deployed side-by-side in response to domestic contingencies. Reserve Forces are also trained and provided with skill-sets to provide critical enabling capabilities to Regular Force units during deployed international operations. The Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force have reserve units fully integrated into their force posture and Reserve Force elements are integrated into the Canadian Army’s Managed Readiness Plan and can be deployed in support of sustained major international deployments.

Status Update

During this reporting period Reserve Force members from Land Force Western Area’s 38 Canadian Brigade Group exercised as part of Exercise ARCTIC BISON from 15 to 25 February, which is part of an ongoing initiative to establish and train an Arctic Response Company Group (ARCG). The ARCG is a company-sized element that was supported by Regular Force Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Canadian Ranger elements. The ARCG began its training in 2009 with a basic winter survival exercise outside of Churchill, Manitoba, and has since begun alternating training locations each year between the high Arctic and austere areas within its region. This year, the ARCG worked in and around Candle Lake, SK.

LFCA conducted a joint, inter-agency and Regular and Reserve Force training exercise, Exercise TRILLIUM RESPONSE, from 8 to 26 February in the vicinity of Cochrane and Moosonee, ON. The Reserve Forces worked alongside Regular Force Canadian Army Forces, as well as Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Ranger elements. The exercise scenario started as a domestic situation by providing assistance to law enforcement agencies and then changed to a defence of Canada scenario. It involved deploying personnel by air, vehicle, light over snow vehicle and train in support of simulated reports of a lost aircraft south of Moosonee and a lost piece of surveillance gear between Island Falls and Otter Rapids, ON.

Committee recommendation:

17. That the Government of Canada ensure that the Canadian Forces continue to restructure, to increase the tooth-to-tail ratio, and to place the highest priority on combat training and joint and combined exercise for deployable units to ensure that the readiness of the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy and Special Forces remains second to none.

Government response:

The Government of Canada remains committed to protecting and enhancing the readiness of the CF and ensuring that our investments support the readiness of the forces. National Defence has embarked on a significant period of transformation and renewal, improving the way they do business by aggressively targeting corporate and institutional overhead and reinvesting in operational capability. The Government of Canada is focused on a comprehensive strategy that will reduce the administrative “tail” across the Defence organization while strengthening the operational “teeth” of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Status Update

In the three months between the December 2012 Government response and the end of the fiscal year, there are no new updates to report.

Committee recommendation:

18. That the Government of Canada ensure that the Department of National Defence evaluates the shortage of CF members in distressed trades and that the Department puts forward an action plan to overcome personnel shortages within the Canadian Forces.

Government response:

The Government agrees that maintaining the trained effective strength of all military occupations is important and that overcoming personnel shortages in distressed trades is a priority. The CF already have a process in place to review each military occupation annually. If any issues, including personnel shortages, are identified for an occupation, a plan to overcome these challenges is developed. As a part of this process, each occupation’s trained effective strength is compared against the required number of personnel for each occupation across the CF.

The results of this annual review inform the Strategic Intake Planning process to determine how many new personnel will be recruited and how many Reservists will be transferred to the Regular Force each year to meet personnel requirements. The resulting Strategic Intake Plan is used by the CAF Recruiting Group and career managers to guide recruitment and career planning to appropriately staff positions across all of the occupations across the CAF, including distressed trades.

This approach has reduced the number of distressed military occupations significantly, from 35 distressed trades in 2007 to 10 in 2012. Of the ten occupations identified as “distressed occupations” for the current fiscal year, five are occupations composed of less than 50 CAF personnel. As such, small year-to-year changes in the number of personnel in these trades can result in a situation where they would be declared as a “distressed occupation.”

Status Update

In the three months between the December 2012 Government response and the end of the fiscal year, there are no new updates to report.

Response to Parliamentary Committees

First Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, 40^th Parliament, 2^nd Session, “Chapter 4, Military Health Care – National Defence of the October 2007 Report of the Auditor General of Canada.”

February 2009

Original report

Government response

Committee recommendation:

2. National Defence to provide information in its annual Departmental Performance Report (DPR) on the aggregate costs of the military health care system, as well as the number of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, medical technicians and physician's assistants employed in that system.

Government response:

The Government accepts this recommendation. DND will report this information in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2009-10 DPR. In future years, DND will also look for other ways to make this information available to the public.

Status update:

The current budget for Health Services is $423.8 million which represents the majority of the expected expenditures for the CAF health care system, noting that it excludes pay for Regular force military members and costs for current operations.

In FY 2012-13, the military health care system consisted of 426 Physicians, 639 Nurses, 112 Pharmacists, 2589 Medical Technicians and 192 Physician Assistants from the Regular Force, Reserve Force and Public Service.

Committee recommendation:

4. National Defence to report in its annual Departmental Performance Report on the status and implementation of the Canadian Forces Health Information System (CFHIS), including whether the system is on budget and on time.

Government response:

The Government accepts this recommendation. DND will report this information in the FY 2009-10 DPR. In future years, DND will also look for other ways to make this information available to the public.

Status update:

CFHIS has been implemented on budget and on time.

Response to Parliamentary Committees

Eleventh Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, 39^th Parliament, 1^st Session, "Chapter 2 of the May 2006 Report of the Auditor General of Canada on National Defence – Military Recruiting and Retention."

December 2006

Original report

Government response

Committee recommendation:

8. The Department of National Defence determine the rate of attrition for female members of the Canadian Forces and, in its exit surveys, seek to establish which factors prompt female members to leave the Forces before full service is completed. The results, along with corrective measures taken to encourage women to complete their full service should be reported in the Department's annual Performance Reports, beginning with the Report for the period ending 31 March 2008.

Government response:

A comprehensive survey analysis that will be conducted in the fall of 2007 will allow the Government to better understand the reasons female members of the Canadian Forces decide to leave the military. Should trends be identified that indicate a need for change, the Government will initiate appropriate corrective measures. The results of this survey analysis, together with any corrective measures undertaken, will be reported in the DPR, beginning with the report for the period ending 31 March 2008.

Status update:

Attrition research continues to include research focussed on attrition and retention of women in the CF. A comprehensive 20 year comparison of overall male and female attrition rates is included in the Annual Reports on Regular Force Attrition (FY 2007-08 and 2011-12 (in progress)). In addition, research is underway to compare attrition/retention patterns of men and women by occupation group and career phase, and during basic training.

In support of the CAF Retention Strategy, the CF Retention Survey and CF Exit Survey continue to be administered to gather data on turnover intentions of CAF personnel. The physical fitness requirements for military service have been a key factor in loss rates for both men and women during basic training, but even more so for women. While remedial training has been in place for some time, additional measures being trialled at the CAF Leadership and Recruit School show promise in substantially improving women’s success rates in meeting physical fitness standards and thereby their success rates in basic training.

The attrition rate for women in FY 2012-13 was slightly lower than that for men.

Committee recommendation:

9. The Department of National Defence begin to report the results of the exit surveys it conducts among members of the Canadian Forces in its Departmental Performance Reports (DPR) beginning with the Report for the period ending 31 March 2007. References to the methodology and scope of the surveys should be included.

Government response:

The Department of National Defence will ensure that the information identified in this recommendation is included in its annual DPR. However, since the comprehensive analysis of survey results will not commence until the fall of 2007, the reporting of these results can only begin with the report for the period ending 31 March 2008.

Status update:

The Exit Survey is given to all Regular Force members who are leaving the CF voluntarily. Survey completion is voluntary. The objective of the analysis of Exit Survey data is to assess departing members' satisfaction with several organizational issues as well as to determine the extent to which these organizational issues and dissatisfiers influence their decision to leave the CF. Analyses of 2008-11 data indicate that, although none of the organizational issues were identified as salient dissatisfiers or strong influential factors on members’ decisions to leave, the areas of greatest concern included concerns over work-life balance, the effects of postings and deployments on families, and the career management system.

As well, the CF Retention Survey, which is administered biennially, is used to provide information regarding work and organizational factors that influence retention and attrition of CF personnel. Results of the 2012 survey indicate that CF personnel are satisfied with most of the work and organizational variables assessed. Respondents most frequently cited job satisfaction, satisfaction with pay, benefits and pension, job security/stability, and family obligations as contributing to their decisions to stay in the CF. Areas identified as needing some additional focus included perceptions of organizational support, recognition, fairness and consistency in the way decisions are made, satisfaction with second language training, career management and work-life balance. Further, respondents reported that they chose to stay in the CF because they experienced a sense of pride associated with being in the military and that working for the CAF allowed them to serve their country. Preparations for the administration of the 2014 Retention survey have commenced.

Committee recommendation:

10. That the Department of National Defence establish a target for the maximum acceptable rate of attrition of its trained effective strength and monitor the performance of the package of measures it has instituted to meet that target. The Department should begin to report its progress in its annual DPR beginning with the report ending 31 March 2007.

Government response:

The Government will include data regarding attrition rates in the Department of National Defence annual Departmental Performance Report beginning with the report ending 31 March 2007. However, the data will be based on trend analysis as opposed to pre-determined targets.

Status update:

Due to the number of factors influencing attrition that are beyond the control of the CAF, including the state of the Canadian economy, instead of establishing a target for the maximum acceptable rate of attrition of its Trained Effective Strength (TES), the CAF closely monitors all aspects of attrition and uses statistical modelling to forecast attrition for each occupation for each fiscal year. These forecasts are used in formal, structured processes to determine the number of personnel who need to be recruited for each occupation for each fiscal year, and are published as the Strategic Intake Plan (SIP). During the reporting period, actual recruiting and attrition are monitored on a month-by-month basis and the Strategic Intake Plan is adjusted as required.

The current rate of attrition, which reached an historical low in 2012, is projected to remain relatively low for the next few years. As a result of several retention initiatives targeted at high-loss stages of service and reduced pressures on the recruiting and training systems, most occupations are either at their authorized strength levels or have sufficient personnel in the training pipeline to make up current shortages. The overall trained strength of the Regular Force has been steady and at the end of FY 2012-13, was at 57,805 in relation to the trained establishment requirement of 60,396.

The attrition rates above were calculated based on data obtained from the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) in June 2013. Note that the attrition rates calculated for FY 2012-13 may still change as the data is updated in HRMS.

Response to Parliamentary Committees

Fifteenth Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, 39^th Parliament, 1^st Session, "Chapter 5 – Relocating Members of the Canadian Forces, RCMP, and Federal Public Service of the November 2006 Report of the Auditor General of Canada."

May 2007

Original report

Government response

Committee recommendation:

5. That the Department of National Defence, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Treasury Board Secretariat include, in their annual DPR, references to the Integrated Relocation-Program as it relates to their employees. Information on the numbers of employees using the Program, the costs, and the extent to which the purposes of the Program are being achieved must be included. This performance information must be included in DPRs beginning with Reports for the period ending 31 March 2008.

Government response:

The Government accepts this recommendation.

Status update:

The purpose of the Integrated Relocation Program (IRP) is to relocate CAF personnel and their families in the most efficient fashion and at the most reasonable cost to the public while having a minimum detrimental effect on the employee and family, and on departmental operations.

In 2012-13, the following moves were coordinated through the Brookfield Global Relocation Services (GRS), by quarter:

Response to the Auditor General (including to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)

The DND/CF was the primary organization involved in two OAG audits completed during FY 2012-13:

Chapter Four of the Fall 2012 tabling titled Transition of Ill and Injured Military Personnel to Civilian Life

In this Chapter the Auditor General (AG) concluded that although the DND/CF and VAC have taken some steps, and have plans to address most of the issues identified in the audit, they have not taken sufficient steps to adequately manage the selected services and benefits examined during the audit. Specifically, the AG reported that CF members, veterans and responsible administrative staff all find the transition process to be complex, lengthy and difficult to navigate. The AG also reported that both departments have difficulty communicating and meeting service delivery standards, particularly as they relate to assessments and case management services. In addition, the AG noted that there are problems with information sharing and data reliability; a need to improve performance management; and gaps in the overarching governance framework, particularly as it relates to the mandate and functioning of the joint CF-VAC steering committee. Finally the AG reported that the existence of similar income support and vocational rehabilitation programs in both DND and VAC continues to create confusion and difficulties.

Chapter Five of the Fall 2012 tabling titled Real Property – National Defence

In this Chapter the OAG concluded that the DND/CF has exercised some requirements of sound stewardship and has started to put in place some of the components required to transform the way it manages real property, but the Department has not yet implemented all of the required elements of sound stewardship. The areas identified for improvement are: planning; management practices for acquiring, maintaining, and repairing real property assets; performance management; compliance with health and safety policies; and management of financial and human resources. The audit also concluded that DND is falling behind in meeting the targets set out in the Canada First Defence Strategy for real property infrastructure investment.

External audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

There were no external audits by the Public Service Commission or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages completed and reported in the year ending 31 March 2013.