Readiness

Canadian Armed Forces Readiness

• People are at the core of everything the Canadian Armed Forces does to deliver on its mandate.
• We recognize that personnel and staffing issues, combined with a changing demographic and expectations of our workforce, continue to challenge the Forces' strength and readiness.
• That is why we continue to prioritize efforts that strengthen how we recruit, retain, and take care of our people.
• Our North, Strong and Free will see Canada's defence spending increase by $8.1 billion over the next five years and will continue to strengthen the defence of Canada by investing in our people, capabilities, and capacity at home and abroad.
• Beyond the initiatives set out in Our North, Strong and Free, the Canadian Armed Forces continues to participate in domestic, continental, and international exercises, with allies and partner nations, to further increase interoperability and readiness.
• Earlier this year, approximately 1,000 of our sailors, soldiers, aviators, as well as special forces participated in Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER in Europe, the largest NATO exercise in decades.
• We are also making key investments to equip our soldiers, sailors, and aviators with modern and effective equipment, including new F-35 fighter aircraft, Armoured Combat Support Vehicles, and new air defence systems.
• Our goal remains to grow the Canadian Armed Forces and to enhance the military's readiness, so we continue to meet international and domestic operational commitments to protect Canadians now and in the future.

If pressed on CAF readiness presentation:

• We've made significant strides to equip the CAF and improve recruitment, but there remains much work ahead.
• The recently published Our North, Strong and Free highlights our commitment to bring the Canadian Armed Forces back to its authorized size by 2032, while also laying the foundations for future sustained growth.
• For example, we are committed to undertaking a wide array of new and innovative measures to attract more Canadians to the unique opportunities of service. This includes investing in new capabilities for our military, as well as maintaining existing equipment and assets.

Background

Readiness Levels

• The 2024-25 Departmental Plan outlines the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)'s current readiness levels, as well as its objectives for the next fiscal year.
• Notably, the Departmental Plan highlights that in fiscal year 2022-23, only 61% of force elements were ready for operations in accordance with established targets. This represented a decrease of 10%, compared to fiscal year 2021-22.
  • The Plan sets a target for 90% of force elements to be ready for operations by 31 March 2025.
• In fiscal year 2022-23:
  • 51.2% of maritime fleets were serviceable to meet training, readiness and operational requirements.
  • 56% of key land fleets were serviceable to meet training, readiness and operational requirements.
  • 43.9% of aerospace fleets were serviceable to meet training, readiness and operational requirements.

Increasing Readiness

• Training – To increase all domain integration, interoperability, and engagement between Canada and other nations, the CAF conducts and participates in training scenarios in domestic, continental, and international contexts in support of force readiness.
  • For example, the CAF has recently participated in Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER 24 in Europe and Exercise RIMPAC 24 in the United States and will participate in KEEN SWORD in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as a number of other multilateral exercises over the coming year.
  • RIMPAC 2024, is led by the US and includes 29 nations, who provide a combined 25,000 personnel, 14 land forces, 40 ships, three submarines, and over 150 aircraft. Aimed at contributing to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, RIMPAC provided an invaluable opportunity for partners to hone their skills in the world's largest joint, combined maritime domain.
    • CAF participation included approximately 650 personnel, three aircraft, and three ships, who worked tirelessly to develop and demonstrate interoperable capabilities and showcase Canadian professionalism to the world.
    • NOTE : During RIMPAC 2024, HMCS Max Bernays suffered flooding and mechanical issues that prevented its participation in the latter stages of the exercise. This incident was widely reported in the media in late June 2024.
  • The CAF also participates in Ex KEEN SWORD, a naval exercise with about 50,000 personnel from the US and Japan designed to increase combat readiness and interoperability of U.S. forces and the Japan Self-Defence Forces (JSDF). While the CAF previously had an observer status, the HMCS Winnipeg was invited to be an active participant this year.

Responsible Principals: Military Personnel Command, Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel), Canadian Joint Operations Command, Royal Canadian Air Force

August 27, 2024