Canadian Armed Forces co-hosts the Kingston Conference on International Security

Nuclear weapons and deterrence. Those are just a few of the serious topics being discussed at the 13th annual Kingston Conference on International Security.

The annual conference is co-organized by the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre, the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen’s University, the Strategic Studies Institute at the United States Army War College, and the NATO Defense College in Rome. This year’s theme is The Return of Deterrence: Credibility and Capabilities in a New Era, examining the implications of re-emphasizing deterrence in defence policy.

KCIS brings together perspectives from academia, military, government and industry in an endeavour to explore issues of importance to international security. The aim is to generate discussion and policy recommendations.

KCIS 2018 will examine the evolving role and posture of Canada, the United States and its allies in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Topics to be discussed include history and theory of deterrence; the relationship between reassurance and deterrence; and cyber deterrence, missile defence and nuclear deterrence.

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Major-General Simon Hetherington, Commander, Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre, said, “Discussing deterrence at the 2018 edition of the Kingston Conference on International Security with the international community is very timely. Ideas are shared that provoke informed dialogue.”

“These discussions assist with developing policy and contributing to our inter-operability with our allies,” Hetherington added.

According to Lieutenant-General Stephen Bowes, Commander, Canadian Joint Operation Command, deterrence is a cornerstone of Canada’s defence policy. “Credibility is what supports and sustains the Canadian Armed Forces’ deterrent effect,” he said. “Canadian Joint Operation Command is all about deploying forces that are credible and can be relied upon by our allies — that’s what keeps us strong, secure, and engaged”.

The conference runs from June 11th to 13th.