Reserve Force Academic Symposium 2026
A Call to Action: Reserve Force Renewal
Conference details
Date: October 16-17, 2026
Time: 0830-1630 EDT Friday, 0830-1630 EDT Saturday
Location:
Virtual via MS Teams; or in-person at:
Canadian Forces College
215 Yonge Blvd
North York, ON M5M 3H9
Dress: Business casual or No. 3B for military personnel.
Theme
The Reserve Force Academic Symposium 2026 will unite researchers across Canada and abroad devoting their efforts and interest related to Reserve Force Renewal through a hybrid conference. The focus will be on talent management and professional development, recruiting and retention, and training from a Reserve Force perspective.
About
The fourth annual Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Force Academic Symposium is sponsored by the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and hosted by the Chief of Reserves.
The symposium seeks to highlight, share, and unify research related to developing, employing, and supporting Canada’s reserve forces and their capabilities. It emphasizes the unique skills and experiences reservists offer due to their dual employment roles.
Agenda
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Day 1 - Friday, 16 October 2026
Time Schedule 8:30 AM In-person Registration 8:45 AM Land acknowledgement 9:00 AM Opening Remarks Session 1: Australian and Canadian Perspectives 9:15 AM Panel Discussion: Reserve Force Renewal 10:15 AM Questions and Answers 10:30 AM Break Session 2: Reserve Force Studies 11:00 AM NATO Science and Technology Workshop 11:30 AM Primary Reserve Capabilities and Readiness Study 12:00 PM LUNCH Session 3: Talent Management 1:00 PM A National Partnership Model: Mobilizing Canadian Colleges and CEGEPs to Enable Reserve Force Growth, Training, and Retention 1:30 PM Building Reserve Capacity: A Case for Canada’s Colleges and Universities to Become Employers of Choice for Reservists 2:00 PM Break Session 4: Professional Development 2:30 PM Transmigration or Third-Party Identities: The Reservist Between Two Worlds 3:00 PM Transforming Civilian Research Expertise into Military Capability: Developing a Health Services Reserve Research Framework Session 5: Keynote Speaker 3:30 PM Major General Fulvio Poli, Chairman, NATO Committee on Reserves 3:45 PM Closing Remarks for Day 1 - CRes -
Day 2 - Saturday, 17 October 2026
Time Schedule 8:30 AM In-person Registration 9:00 AM Opening Remarks Session 6: Recruiting and Retention – International Reserves 9:15 AM Recruiting and Retention in Reserve Forces under High-Intensity Conflict: Lessons from Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces 9:45 AM Bringing the UK’s Strategic Reserve out of Abeyance: Lessons for the CAF? 10:15 AM Break Session 7: Recruiting and Retention – Canadian Reserves 10:45 AM Panel Discussion on Recruiting and Retention 12:15 PM Lunch Session 8: Training 1:00 PM What Instructors Carry: Culture and Inclusion in Basic Training 1:30 PM Maintaining Our People and Our Readiness: Applying the Fleet Readiness Cycle Model to Reserve Force Availability 2:00 PM Break 2:30 PM Reserves in the Digital Battlespace and the Future of Military Adaptation 3:00 PM Renewing the Reserve Force in the Age of Hybrid Threats: Comparative Perspectives on Training and Institutional Integration 3:30 PM The Supplementary Reserve: A Mobilization Capacity to Exploit and Update 4:00 PM Closing Remarks - VCDS
Registration
We invite Canadian and international military personnel, defence stakeholders, academics, and interested members of the public to register for the 2026 Reserve Force Academic Symposium.
Conference leads
- Colonel Martin Barrette, Director Reserve Force Knowledge Management, Chief of Reserves, Vice Chief of Defence Staff
- Lieutenant-Colonel David Sweeney, Academic Engagement, Director Reserve Force Knowledge Management, Chief of Reserves
Contact
LCdr Jenn Martin, CD
Telephone: 705-441-2181
Email: Jennifer.Martin@forces.gc.ca