The CAF is considered a separate institution from the Department of National Defence headed by the Chief of Defence Staff. The Canadian Armed Forces’ mandate is to defend the country’s sovereignty and protect its citizens. It also seeks to contribute to global peace and security in collaboration with its international allies. Some CAF units and personnel are deployed abroad for this purpose. Canada takes responsibility for securing the entire North American territory along with the United States of America. This is a joint endeavour of the North American Aerospace Defence Command which monitors and preserves continental airspace and bodies of water.

Branches of Service

Three major branches of service of the military are the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force.

As the land component, the Canadian Army is made up of combat-ready forces and conducts land surveillance operations. The army supports civil authorities in preserving public order and security. It renders assistance in times of natural calamities and various emergencies. The Canadian Army consists of roughly 70,000 full-time soldiers, 30,000 reservists, and 5,000 rangers.

The Royal Navy is tasked with protecting nautical entryways, sea resources and carries out search and rescue missions. The navy has 8,400 permanent and 5,100 part-time sailors. On the other hand, the Royal Canadian Air Force secures the country’s airspace, supports rescue undertakings and airlifts troops, armaments and supplies. There are approximately 13,000 regular and 2,000 reserve personnel.

National, Regional & Domestic Security

Protection of natural borders is the primary duty of the Canadian Armed Forces. During the Cold War, the major concentration of national defence policy was to neutralize possible Soviet military threats. Most of the land and air forces were deployed in Europe from the fifties until the early part of the nineties. With the end of the international tension, the focus moved to the Middle East where the Canadian armed forces were involved in military operations particularly in Afghanistan beginning 2002. Canadian naval personnel also served with the United States Navy in the waters off south western Asia.

Since 2006, the defence policy of Canada was called the First Defence Strategy in which the CAF is equipped and familiarized in performing six principal missions in North America and other parts of the world. The armed forces also participated in diplomatic activities like involvement in bilateral/multilateral forums such as the System of Cooperation among American Air Forces, military exercises, foreign visits, joint training programs, and deployment of military attaches all over the world.

In the past, members of the Canadian Armed Forces were called on to help maintain peace within the country’s territories. For the duration of the 1970 October Crisis, the federal government invoked the War Measures Act. Canadian soldiers spread out in Ottawa and Quebec to maintain security because of the significant rise in kidnapping and bombing incidents. In 1990, troops were sent to a Quebec community west of Montréal to help resolve an Aboriginal-Canadian land dispute, during the Oka Crisis. From time to time, the military also assists the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in dealing with international drug smuggling syndicates and entry of illegal immigrants.

Modernization Initiatives

Canada may have a large land area but the population is comparatively small. It is quite ironic that it has a small number of armed forces. That is why a reserve force was activated like the Canadian Rangers primarily to patrol the northern areas and distant parts of the East and West coasts. The 4,000 volunteers number more than 4,000 and are mostly Arctic or Aboriginal-Canadians.

The First Defence Strategy signalled the start of CAF’s modernization program. In 2008, the armed forces leadership began procuring sophisticated equipment as well as improving training and preparedness. The Canadian Special Operations regiment was also established. Additional funds were channelled towards recruitment because the numbers of soldiers declined in the eighties. The armed forces acquired more arms and equipment like artillery, battle tanks, unmanned air vehicles, aircraft transport (C-130), and armoured vehicle fleets.

Notwithstanding these efforts, the commitment of Canada to multi-lateral efforts showed through its total support for peacekeeping efforts. The country became prominent for its peacekeeping role in the 20th and 21st centuries. However, starting 1995, the participation of the CAF in United Nations’ peacekeeping functions started to decrease because it concentrated on NATO operations.