Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2023-24 with actual spending for the current year and the previous year.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2020-21 to 2025-26

Departmental spending trend graph

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory expenditures) spending over time.

Budgetary planning summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023-24 and other relevant fiscal years.

Sources: Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff Group / Assistant Deputy Minister (Finance) / Chief Financial Officer Group (CFO).

Notes: Due to rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown.

Planned human resources

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ core responsibilities and for its internal services for fiscal year (FY) 2023-24 and the other relevant years.

Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Total planned human resources – Reserve Force personnel

The Reserve Force is a valued and integrated component of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). It is divided into four distinct sub-components:

• Primary Reserve;
• Cadet Organization Administration and Training Service;
• Canadian Rangers; and
• Supplementary Reserve (Strategic Reserve).

The Primary Reserve (P Res) consists of predominately part-time professional CAF members, located throughout Canada, who respond with appropriate notice to conduct or contribute to CAF defence and security objectives domestically, on the continent, and internationally. Strategic initiatives outlined in Strong, Secured, Engaged, and amplified by the CDS-DM Directive for Reconstitution, will remain a priority for the P Res and include growing the force as well as further developing its integrated capability contributions to a modernized CAF. A key focus on personnel generation and retention and enabling Reserve Force units and formations to provide full-time capability through part-time service will ensure that the P Res achieves the directed level of an average paid strength of 30,000 in value-added areas of effort. The concurrent implementation of the Defence Team professional conduct and culture change is critical during this period as a vital enabler to succeed in generating and sustaining a diverse, dispersed, and connected P Res force.

The Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (COATS) sub-component consists predominantly of part-time CAF members, located throughout Canada, primarily assigned to duties relating to the supervision, administration and training of cadets who are members of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, Royal Canadian Army Cadets and Royal Canadian Air Cadets. It currently comprises 6 483 CAF members in three military occupations: Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC) officers, General Service Officers and General Service Non-Commissioned Members (NCMs). The current target strength of 8 000 COATS personnel is required to support the CAF’s responsibility for the department’s Youth Program (Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers).

The anticipated growth of new patrols as outlined in the Canadian Ranger 2019 Master Implementation Directive was paused during FYs 2020-21 and 2021-22 due to public health measures. These efforts have resumed with, in addition to new patrols, a focus in FY 2023-24 will include efforts to ensure that Canadian Ranger headquarters organizations are fully staffed and able to support he accomplishment of mandated tasks.

The following table provides the total planned human resources for Reserve Force personnel for the next three FY’s, from 2023-24 to 2025-26.

Estimates by vote

Information on the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ organizational appropriations is available in the 2023-24 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future‑oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces’ operations for 2022–23 to 2023–24.

The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.A more detailed future‑oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ website.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending  March 31, 2024 (dollars)

Note: The variance between the 2023–24 planned results and 2022–23 forecast results is mainly due to a decrease in salary and employee benefits, as well as an increase in amortization expense.