'Deter by punishment': New Canadian naval strategy takes helm at U of C conference

Canada’s incoming naval strategy will take a more aggressive tack in a dangerous world, one of its authors told a University of Calgary conference Thursday.

The strategy document, titled Clear for Action, leans heavily on innovation and projecting a message of deterrence in a world shaped by an increasingly warlike and chaotic world, Capt. Rob Watt told the Canadian Seapower 2026 conference.

“We need to defend ourselves in a more violent world, to deter by punishment if necessary,” said Ward, the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) director of naval strategy.

“We have not seen that term (punishment) used in an RCN document before.”

He made the comment amid the background of the nearly five-year war in Ukraine where crucial battles have been fought in the Black Sea, and an expanding Mideast conflict that comprises the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Also raising concerns are increased tensions between China and Taiwan.

The objectives of the draft strategy — which has U of C contributions and is expected to be released by year’s end — includes ensuring strategic manoeuvres, delivering design advantage through innovation and a resilient navy, and enhancing combat power.

Building that fighting capability is being furthered by $63 billion in defence spending, which will include the procurement of three river class destroyers and a dozen German-built submarines to replace Canada’s aging fleet of Victoria-class vessels.

That procurement has to be done through the lens of how precisely the navy expects to use it at its sharpest end, and private contractors need to know it, said Watt.

“The companies know the effect we want, the small companies are better, but if we just say ‘this is the effect we need,’ they’re often better at coming up with an innovative solution,” he said.

He said consulting with Ukrainian naval officers a few months ago reiterated the importance of drones that have ravaged the Russian navy.

But they told him what’s more important is how they streamline their detection, decisions and strike sequence, said Watt.

“Everyone in their navy, every one of their intelligence directors, think about what part they play in the kill chain, how they’re contributing to putting, as we say, warheads on foreheads,” said the Alberta-born officer.

“That was a matter of minutes — we need people to start thinking in that mindset, because if we can compress that kill chain more efficiently than our enemy, we gain strategic advantage.”

Another crucial part of the strategy, said Watt, is achieving an affordable response to drone and missile attacks that won’t exhaust the supply of costly ammunition against inexpensive attackers — lessons learned in current conflicts.

“We need to do better with those threats without expending our exquisite systems,” he said.

Another example of innovation and the use of unmanned systems that’ll be an evolving part of the RCN’s future is (literally) “not putting people in minefields,” said Watt.

And hard lessons learned by the U.S. navy, that has seen its logistics and repair abilities devastated by Iranian attacks on American Mideast bases, is being taken to heart by Canadians, added Watt.

“(The strategy) is not just acquiring ships and systems, it’s building a training system, it’s building a supply chain, it’s building magazine depth not just on ships but ashore in the supply chain,” he said.

Academics at the conference praised the new strategy as one that responds firmly to global realities at a watershed moment for Canada’s navy.

“It really does tackle those threats head on . . . and what you’re seeing is this generational recapitalization, that the navy, the coast guard and every capability that we have is being renewed,” said Dr. Adam Lajeunesse, chair of the public policy and governance program at St. Xavier University in Nova Scotia.

But he noted it takes many years for such procurement to come to fruition, particularly highly complex submarines.

His U of C political science colleague agreed, saying the presence of Prime Minister Mark Carney is essential in the commitment to build up Canada’s military to at least two per cent of the country’s GDP.

“You need to have a government that isn’t just doing lip service to some other variant of security that doesn’t address the core issue of defending Canada as a society and as a state,” said Dr. Rob Huebert with the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies.

“As long as you have that willingness of a government (it can proceed), and let’s be honest here — it’s the prime minister.”

Both academics contributed advice to the RCN on its new strategy, said Watt.

Huebert noted the U of C is one of only three Defence Innovation Security Hubs in the country that contributes to national defence strategies.

“The U of C is going to be your central location — we’re landlocked, so it’s only natural,” he said.

Catch up with the day’s headlines, curated by our editors and delivered to your email inbox at lunchtime on every business day. Sign up now for the Calgary Herald Noon News Roundup.