Federal Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced in Edmonton Wednesday the federal government is focusing on improving its cyber capabilities as part of its new defence policy.
Sajjan said Canada is moving from defensive cyber capabilities to offensive capabilities in order to defend against emerging technologies by potential enemies.
“Simply reacting to an attack takes too long and increases the level of risk. When operating on a military mission, our women and men in uniform need to be able to disrupt attacks before they happen,” Sajjan said during an event at CFB Edmonton.
“They must be able to deploy cyber capabilities in order to succeed on today’s battlefield.”
READ MORE: James Mattis praises Liberals decision to boost defence spending by extra $14B over next 10 years
A new Cyber Mission Assurance Program will be established to incorporate cybersecurity requirements into the military’s decision making, create new military cyber operator positions that will focus on training and education to make it easier to recruit top talent into the military.
“These cyber operators will be on the front line of a 24/7 cyber battle. They will be tasked to detect, detour and defend against cyber threats or attacks on Canada,” Sajjan said.
The government said Canada will also work to have the capability to access satellite-enabled technology, promote international norms on responsible behaviour in space, invest in capabilities like satellite communications, earth observation, and maritime domain awareness.
“This helps us detect ships and provide real-time transmission of information back from remotely piloted aircraft, especially in the Arctic,” Sajjan said.
The defence minister also announced the government is investing $1.6 billion towards a new program called Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security.
“We will establish world-leading research clusters comprised of academics and industry leaders, government scientists and other partners,” Sajjan said.
Earlier this month, Sajjan announced the federal government will raise military spending by more than 70 per cent over the next 10 years, from $18.9 billion to $32.7 billion.
“While today’s global security environment is complex and unpredictable, certain things are clear that the use of cyber technology in a military context is growing steadily,” Sajjan said.
“Canada must leverage that technology to maintain military advantage. Our forces need to be equipped with the ability to detect, organize and identify cyber threats and to be prepared to take appropriate action.”
Sajjan said cyber operations will abide by Canadian and international law and will only be conducted in support of government authorized military missions.
Overall, the federal government pledged $62.3 billion in new spending over the next two decades. But much of that money is back-loaded – earmarked for major purchases of new jets and ships – and the Liberals have just over two years left in their current mandate.
Watch below: The Canadian Military is about to get a major cash infusion, and more powers online. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was in Edmonton to sell his government’s plan for the future of the Armed Forces. Tom Vernon reports.
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