December 7th, 2020
Public awareness of Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) aid to civilian governments and agencies has once again come to the fore in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Military assistance to civil authorities is routine in Canada and variously includes emergency help in law enforcement, humanitarian relief, natural disaster recovery, and search and rescue. From the […]
Read MoreJuly 20th, 2020
Ernie Regehr and David Bercuson debate the issue in a “Face to Face” discussion in Legion Magazine, July 2, 2020. Ernie begins the debate: “Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Armed Forces declared it was ready to mobilize up to 24,000 troops to “assist with humanitarian support, wellness checks, natural disaster responses and other tasks […]
Read MoreJune 8th, 2020
One of the more troubling manifestations of re-emerging big power competition in the Arctic is the apparent determination of both the US and Russia to demonstrate their willingness to mount destabilizing anti-submarine warfare operations in the Barents Sea and the North Atlantic. Trepidation of having another heart attack or fading during intercourse emerges wide in […]
Read MoreMarch 14th, 2020
When a Canadian Armed Forces official recently told an Ottawa security conference that “we cannot deter what we cannot defeat, and we cannot defeat what we cannot detect,” his audience may well have heard it as the credible proclamation of a prudent and resolute defence posture. In truth, the statement seems to run If you […]
Read MoreArctic Security, Defence and Human Security, Nuclear Disarmament
February 11th, 2020
UN officials are not usually given to overstatement, which makes the recent assessment by the UN’s top disarmament diplomat that “the barriers to the use of nuclear weapons are lower than they’ve been since the darkest days of the Cold War,” all the more arresting. The Secretary-General’s High Representative for Disarmament, Izume Nakamitsu offers a […]
Read MoreJanuary 23rd, 2020
Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention have written a letter, signed by 89 prominent Canadians, to the Prime Minister, urging specific Canadian actions in support of nuclear disarmament broadly and key measures to ensure a positive outcome at the April Review Conference of the Treaty on the Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT. … You should […]
Read MoreJanuary 9th, 2020
It is now seemingly routine for pundits and security professionals to warn of an impending militarized scramble for dominance over the lands, seas, and resources of the Arctic, with Russia enjoying a formidable advantage – all evidenced by the undeniable expansion of military facilities throughout the It conjointly has functions within the skin, skeleton, muscles, […]
Read MoreJanuary 2nd, 2020
The American commander of Norad claims that today’s security environment is “more competitive and dangerous” than any in recent generations, and that makes the case for modernizing the North Warning System. But upgrades to this northern transcontinental line of surveillance radars—deployed in support of sovereignty, air defence and frontier controls—are necessary regardless of threat levels. The […]
Read MoreArctic Security, Defence and Human Security, Nuclear Disarmament
July 9th, 2019
Ernie Regehr and Douglas Roche GLOBE AND MAIL 27 July 2019 The existence of 13,865 nuclear weapons held by nine countries has not been enough, seemingly, to demonstrate political power. Now science and technology are giving us faster, more precise methods of destroying “the enemy.” The name of this new danger: “hypersonic” missiles. The United […]
Read MoreJuly 2nd, 2019
July 2, 2019 by Legion Magazine David J. Bercuson says “yes” and Ernie Regehr says “no.” Read the debate at Legion Magazine. Regehr side of the debate follows: The secure and uninterrupted operation of satellites has become an essential requirement for contemporary civil-ian life and military operations. Communications, earth observation, navigation, positioning and scientific/technological advancement are all heavily dependent […]
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