Canadian commander warns 'the army we have is not the army we need'

CALGARY — The Commander of the Canadian Army has said the country’s armed forces are embarking on an ambitious modernization effort to prepare for an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment and warned the current force is no longer sufficient to meet emerging threats.Speaking at DEFSEC West — the Defence and Security Conference of Western Canada — in Calgary on Wednesday, Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright framed the new initiative as a critical turning point for national defence, emphasizing that Canada faces a more “contested and uncertain” world and growing threats to sovereignty — particularly in the Arctic.“The army we have is not the army we need,” Wright told the audience.“We're building a ready, resilient, and lethal force that's fully interoperable with partners and allies... The future army must be capable of deploying and sustaining a fifteen-thousand-strong war-fighting division.”The current Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) model of four regionally focused divisions is also set to be replaced by a streamlined, mission-driven structure built around three divisions and a training command, with a newly designated “Defence of Canada” division, headquartered in Montreal but operating nationwide, which will take on responsibilities ranging from protecting critical infrastructure to asserting sovereignty in the Arctic regions..The modernization initiative comes amid a major financial commitment from Ottawa.Last year’s federal budget allocated more than $81 billion over five years to rebuild and rearm the CAF, which is part of a massive push to meet NATO spending targets and strengthen national security.“No later than 2030, Canada will be able to field enhanced fighting forces capable of operating within an allied division in major combat operations,” Wright stated.“No later than 2035, we will be ready to field a war-fighting division able to deter by denial, and no later than 2040, we will be in a position to support national mobilization and ensure that we have the necessary reserves and resilience to sustain a prolonged conflict.”He added that the investment is already having an impact on the military, citing improvements in recruitment and retention, as well as expanded capabilities and upgrades to equipment and command systems designed to integrate with forces from allied countries.However, Wright stressed that funding alone will not determine success.“It’s not just about dollar figures,” Wright said.“It’s about turning investment into real capability, both faster and at scale.”.New defence strategy aims to rebuild Canada’s military industry.To achieve that, the Army is placing heavy emphasis on partnerships with industry, which Wright described as “central” to delivering new capabilities.“We need sufficient quantities of modern equipment that is survivable, lethal, and sustainable in both training and in operations. That means fielding capability quickly, then iterating it based on real use,” Wright said.“It means integrating advanced technologies and innovative solutions, but it also means trusting soldiers as the end users to provide us with real-world feedback and leveraging their ingenuity and their problem-solving, because classrooms are not battlefields.”Among the Army’s priority investments are long-range precision strike systems, upgraded artillery and indirect fire capabilities, ground-based air defence, and enhanced Arctic mobility platforms to replace aging tracked vehicles.“The Canadian Army has worked closely with our procurement counterparts, both those within the Department of National Defence and across the Government of Canada, and we can do better and we must do better,” Wright stated.“We've heard the Prime Minister loud and clear on the intent to buy Canadian moving forward.”

Canadian commander warns 'the army we have is not the army we need'

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