IIR 6 815 0015 05/CANADIAN AIR FORCE TRANFORMATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 07 OTTAWA 003267 SIPDIS CONFIDENTIAL NOFORN SIPDIS SERIAL: (U) IIR 6 815 0015 04. COUNTRY: (U) CANADA (CA). IPSP: (U) IFC1330; IFC1322; IFC1312; IFC1350; IFC1912; IFC1517; IFC151 2; IFC1343; IFC1344. TAGS: PARM SUBJECT: IIR 6 815 0015 05/CANADIAN AIR FORCE TRANFORMATION VISION -- CAN IT BE IMPLEMENTED? (U) WARNING: (U) THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE. REPORT IS CLASSIFIED C O N F I D E N T I A L/NOFORN. -------------- -------------- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE -------------- -------------- DOI: (U) 20041104. REQS: (U) DHCD127055; DHCD127051; DHCD204008; DHCD127041; DHCD127046; DHCD204011; A-TRI-1343-020-04. SOURCE: A. (C/NF) //6 815 0199//SENIOR HOST NATION MILITARY OFFICER WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO INFORMATION REPORTED. PREVIOUS REPORTING HAS BEEN RELIABLE. ¶B. (C/NF) //6 815 0357// SENIOR HOST NATION MILITARY OFFICER WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO INFORMATION REPORTED. PREVIOUS REPORTING HAS BEEN RELIABLE. ¶C. (C/NF) //6 815 0362// SENIOR HOST NATION MILITARY OFFICER WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO INFORMATION REPORTED. PREVIOUS REPORTING HAS BEEN RELIABLE. ¶D. (U) CANADIAN FORCES WEBSITE, WWW.AIRFORCE.FORCES.GC.CA/VISION , OTTAWA, CANADA, 20040719, (U) IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH. FACTUAL INFORMATION RELEASED BY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT. ¶E. (C/NF) //6 815 0224//SENIOR HOST NATION MILITARY OFFICER WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO INFORMATION REPORTED. PREVIOUS REPORTING HAS BEEN RELIABLE. ¶F. (C/NF) //OTS-6-815-0004-05// SENIOR HOST NATION MILITARY OFFICER WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO INFORMATION REPORTED. FIRST TIME REPORTER; PRESUMED RELIABLE. SUMMARY: (U) THE CANADIAN AIR FORCE'S TRANSFORMATION DOCUMENT IS LONG ON VISION BUT SHORT ON RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT IT. EXPECT THE CANADIAN AIR FORCE TO BECOME MORE HOMELAND AND CONTINENTALLY FOCUSED RATHER THAN A GLOBAL AIR FORCE. ENCLOSURE. TEXT: 1. (C/NF) THE CANADIAN AIR FORCE'S TRANSFORMATION VISION HAS BEEN RELEASED FOR SOME FIVE MONTHS BUT PRECIOUS LITTLE PROGRESS IS TAKING PLACE AND THE AUTHOR OF THE VISION HAS MOVED ON TO NEW RESPONSIBILITIES, LEAVING THE NEW DIRECTOR OF AIR FORCE DEVELOPMENT TO FIND A WAY TO IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGY WITH LIMITED RESOURCES. ¶2. (U) THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS SUMMARIZE THE AIR FORCE'S VISION FOR TRANSFORMATION. FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE ENCLOSURE OR SOURCE D WEBSITE. A SUBSEQUENT REPORT WILL DESCRIBE THE CONTEXT AND STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS (VECTORS) THE AIR FORCE HOPES TO TAKE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS TRANSFORMATION. ¶3. (U) ((BEGIN SUMMARY)) CANADIAN AIR FORCE VISION: AN AIR FORCE THAT IS EQUIPPED, TRAINED AND READY TO PREVAIL IN COMBAT REQUIRES FORCES ABLE TO WORK ALONGSIDE ALLIES TO CARRY OUT CHALLENGING MISSIONS AGAINST HIGH-QUALITY ADVERSARIES. THIS LEVEL OF CAPABILITY MEANS THE AIR FORCE REQUIRES: ¶A. (U) AIRCRAFT AND OTHER SYSTEMS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR ANTICIPATED OPERATIONAL ROLES. PROPER EQUIPMENT IS VITAL. WHILE AIRCRAFT ACQUIRED FOR COMBAT CAN GENERALLY PERFORM PEACETIME ROLES, THE REVERSE IS NOT TRUE. ¶B. (U) AIRCRAFT EQUIPPED TO OPERATE DURING THE DAY, AT NIGHT AND IN A VARIETY OF WEATHER CONDITIONS. SUCH AIRCRAFT MUST ALSO BE EQUIPPED WITH SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO WARN OF, AND HELP PROTECT AGAINST, INTEGRATED AIR DEFENCE SYSTEMS (IADS) COMPOSED OF ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY (AAA) AND SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE (SAM) SYSTEMS. ¶C. (U) PROPERLY TRAINED FORCES ABLE TO CONDUCT OPERATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SPECTRUM OF CONFLICT. SINCE AIRCREWS ARE MOST LIKELY TO DIRECTLY ENGAGE THE ENEMY AND SINCE COMBAT SKILLS ARE PERISHABLE, AIRCREW MUST BE PROVIDED ADEQUATE OPPORTUNITY TO REGULARLY PRACTICE THEIR SKILLS. ¶D. (U) UNITS HELD AT APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF READINESS. READINESS RELATES TO HOW QUICKLY A FORCE CAN RESPOND AND IS A DIRECT PRODUCT OF TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY. RESPONSIVENESS IS ONE OF THE KEY ADVANTAGES OF AEROSPACE POWER. TO BE RESPONSIVE, AIR FORCE UNITS MUST BE KEPT AT RELATIVELY HIGH STATES OF READINESS. ¶E. (U) SUFFICIENT DEPTH TO SUSTAIN OPERATIONS ONCE ENGAGED. DEPTH DEPENDS ON NUMBERS OF PEOPLE AND AIRCRAFT, PLUS STOCKPILES OF AMMUNITION AND OTHER CONSUMABLES. WHILE DEPTH DOES NOT OF ITSELF DETERMINE QUALITY, IT DIRECTLY AFFECTS THE ABILITY OF THE AIR FORCE TO SUSTAIN OPERATIONS OVER TIME. ¶F. (U) AN APPROPRIATE BALANCE BETWEEN OPERATIONS AND SUPPORT. WHILE THE RAISON D'ETRE OF THE AIR FORCE IS OPERATIONS, ROBUST SUPPORT CAPABILITIES ARE ESSENTIAL IF UNITS ARE TO BE CAPABLE OF DEPLOYING, CONDUCTING SUSTAINED OPERATIONS AND RE-DEPLOYING EFFECTIVELY. ¶G. (U) APPROPRIATE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT OPERATIONS AND ACCOMMODATE PERSONNEL. GIVEN THE REQUIREMENT TO OPERATE FROM AUSTERE BASES, AT LEAST SOME CAPABILITY MUST BE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE INFRASTRUCTURE ENHANCEMENTS AT BASES IN CANADA AND ABROAD. ¶H. (U) INTEROPERABILITY WITH OTHER SERVICES AND NATIONS. INTEROPERABILITY MEANS HAVING THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE SECURELY, AND, FOR COMBAT OPERATIONS, TO SHARE INFORMATION BY DATALINK. COMBAT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS ARE REQUIRED TO AVOID FRATRICIDE. FOR OFFENSIVE MISSIONS, PRECISION-GUIDED MUNITIONS (PGMS) ARE NEEDED TO ACCURATELY AND EFFECTIVELY ATTACK TARGETS WHILE MINIMIZING COLLATERAL DAMAGE. INTEROPERABILITY WITH THE U.S. IS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION GIVEN THE LEADING ROLE THE U.S. EXERCISES IN REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY OPERATIONS. AND, ¶I. (U) SUFFICIENT NUMBERS OF AIR FORCE PERSONNEL AND PLATFORMS TO ENSURE CRITICAL MASS. CRITICAL MASS MEANS HAVING AN ABILITY TO MAINTAIN READINESS AT ASSIGNED LEVELS OR CONDUCT OPERATIONS WHILE STILL CARRYING OUT APPROPRIATE FORCE GENERATION FUNCTIONS. ¶4. (U) REACH AND POWER. REACH AND POWER APPROPRIATE TO GLOBAL INTERESTS MEANS THE AIR FORCE MUST HAVE ABILITIES TO: ¶A. (U) FLY COMBAT AIRCRAFT (USING AIR-TO-AIR REFUELLING IF NECESSARY) TO, FROM AND WITHIN AN INTENDED AREA OF OPERATIONS. ¶B. (U) PRECISELY LOCATE, IDENTIFY AND DESIGNATE TARGETS FROM THE AIR DURING THE DAY, AT NIGHT AND IN A VARIETY OF WEATHER CONDITIONS. ¶C. (U) APPLY FORCE FROM THE AIR WITH PRECISION AGAINST AIRBORNE, SURFACE-BASED AND SUB-SURFACE TARGETS DURING THE DAY, AT NIGHT AND IN A VARIETY OF WEATHER CONDITIONS. ¶D. (U) CONFIRM THE EFFECTS OF APPLIED FORCE AND THE NEED TO RE-APPLY FORCE TO ACHIEVE DESIRED EFFECTS. ¶E. (U) TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND PERSONNEL TO, FROM AND WITHIN AN INTENDED AREA OF OPERATIONS. ¶F. (U) CONDUCT AND SUSTAIN OPERATIONS (INCLUDING COMBAT OPERATIONS) IN THOSE REGIONS WHERE THE GOVERNMENT DETERMINES IT HAS (OR MAY HAVE) SECURITY INTERESTS. AND ¶G. (U) WORK EFFECTIVELY WITHIN A COMBINED, INTER-AGENCY OR JOINT ENVIRONMENT IN TERMS OF C4ISR (COMMAND, CONTROL, COMMUNICATIONS, COMPUTERS, INFORMATION, SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE),COMBAT IDENTIFICATION, DOCTRINE, TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT. ¶5. (U) AEROSPACE CAPABILITY FRAMEWORK. TRANSFORMING CANADA'S AIR FORCE IS ABOUT BUILDING THE RIGHT AIR FORCE FOR THE CANADA OF THE FUTURE AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW. IT IS ABOUT AN AIR FORCE THAT EFFECTIVELY CONTRIBUTES TO THE SECURITY OF CANADA AND ITS PEOPLE, AND ONE OF WHICH CANADIANS CAN BE PROUD. AFTER THE COLD WAR, THE AIR FORCE AGGRESSIVELY REACTED TO A SERIES OF SUBSTANTIAL RESOURCE REDUCTIONS AND ADAPTED TO A SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT. AS A RESULT OF THESE CUTS, CANADA'S AIR FORCE HAS BECOME A FRAGILE ORGANIZATION; ONE THAT REQUIRES FURTHER CHANGES - A TRANSFORMATION - TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE FUTURE. THROUGH PRUDENT PLANNING AND FORWARD THINKING, THE AIR FORCE HAS DEVELOPED AN INNOVATIVE AND REASONED STRATEGIC VISION FROM WHICH TO BASE THIS TRANSFORMATION. IN ADDITION TO STRENGTHENING HOMELAND SECURITY, THIS VISION DESCRIBES A FORCE THAT WILL HAVE CAPABILITIES TO STRENGTHEN NORTH AMERICAN SECURITY AND INCREASE CANADA'S INFLUENCE ON INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. THIS VISION WAS BUILT ON A COMPREHENSIVE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE THAT CAN ASSIST THE GOVERNMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, THE CANADIAN FORCES, AND THE AIR FORCE IN MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS FOR THE FUTURE. ¶6. (U) THE STRATEGIC PATH TO TRANSFORMATION - FROM AIR TO AEROSPACE. AEROSPACE, MEANING AIR AND SPACE, DEFINES THE ENVIRONMENT THAT SURROUNDS THE EARTH AND EXTENDS VERTICALLY INTO SPACE FROM THE EARTH'S SURFACE.WE USE THE TERM DELIBERATELY TO UNDERSCORE THE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE THAT SPACE WILL PLAY IN FUTURE MILITARY OPERATIONS. OUR EXPLOITATION OF SPACE IS LIMITED TO COMMUNICATIONS, NAVIGATION, SURVEILLANCE AND WARNING, ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND INTELLIGENCE AND RECONNAISSANCE ACTIVITIES. BY USING THE TERM AEROSPACE, WE DO NOT ENVISAGE OR SUGGEST THE 'WEAPONIZATION' OF SPACE, SOMETHING THAT CANADA OPPOSES. ¶7. (U) CHARACTERIZING THE FUTURE FORCE. THE VISION STRATEGIC VECTORS ANNOUNCES OUR INTENT TO TRANSFORM THE AIR FORCE FROM A PRIMARILY STATIC, PLATFORM-FOCUSED ORGANIZATION INTO AN EXPEDITIONARY, NETWORK-ENABLED, CAPABILITY-BASED AND RESULTS-FOCUSED AEROSPACE FORCE TO EFFECTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO SECURITY AT HOME AND ABROAD WELL INTO THE 21ST CENTURY. WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A QUALITY FORCE BASED ON TEAMWORK, EXCELLENCE AND PROFESSIONALISM. ¶A. (U) THE MISSION. THE MISSION OF THIS AEROSPACE FORCE WILL BE TO CONTROL AND EXPLOIT THE AEROSPACE ENVIRONMENT FOR MILITARY PURPOSES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO CANADIAN SECURITY AND NATIONAL OBJECTIVES. ¶B. (U) THE ATTRIBUTES. THE ATTRIBUTES OF THIS FORCE WILL INCLUDE COMBAT CAPABILITY AS THE BASIS FOR OTHER CAPABILITY, INTEROPERABLE AND NETWORKED FORCES, MEANINGFUL AND SUSTAINABLE FORCES, EXPEDITIONARY REACH AND POWER, AND RESPONSIVENESS IN OPERATIONS. IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR MILITARY ETHOS OF SERVICE BEFORE SELF, THE MISSION COMES FIRST; HOWEVER, WE RECOGNIZE THAT PEOPLE ARE OUR FOUNDATION AND FUTURE. IT IS THEY WHO WILL PROUDLY BUILD THIS AEROSPACE FORCE THROUGH LEADERSHIP, PROFESSIONALISM, AND EXCELLENCE. ¶C. (U) BECOMING THE FUTURE FORCE. AN AEROSPACE FORCE TRANSFORMING THE AIR FORCE OVER THE LONG-TERM INTO AN AEROSPACE FORCE MEANS BECOMING RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING PERSONNEL WITH THE SPACE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE CANADIAN FORCES OPERATIONS. AN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE BECOMING AN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE MEANS HAVING THE CAPABILITIES TO BE RESPONSIVE, DEPLOYABLE, SUPPORTABLE AND SUSTAINABLE WHEREVER THE GOVERNMENT SENDS US, DOMESTICALLY AND ABROAD. NETWORK-ENABLED BECOMING A NETWORK-ENABLED FORCE MEANS CONNECTING SENSORS, OPERATORS, AND DECISION-MAKERS IN ORDER TO SHARE HIGHER QUALITY AND MORE TIMELY INFORMATION, WHICH WILL FACILITATE IMPROVED JOINT SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, DECISION-MAKING, COLLABORATION, SYNCHRONIZATION, AND OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS. ¶D. (U) CAPABILITY-BASED AND RESULTS-FOCUSED. BECOMING CAPABILITY-BASED MEANS FOCUSING ON OUR CORE COMPETENCIES AND HAVING THE CAPABILITIES TO MEET OUR NATIONAL SECURITY RESPONSIBILITIES. BECOMING RESULTS-FOCUSED MEANS FOCUSING ON STRATEGIC LEVEL OUTCOMES, OR RESULTS, THAT CONTRIBUTE TO CANADIAN SECURITY, OUR BOTTOM LINE. ¶E. (U) VECTORS TOWARDS THE FUTURE. RESULTS-FOCUSED OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY MEANS ACQUIRING THE CAPABILITIES NEEDED TO KEEP CANADIANS SECURE AND TO PROTECT NATIONAL INTERESTS ABROAD: (1) (U) DOMESTICALLY - A DEFENDED AND SOVEREIGN CANADA WHOSE CITIZENS AND NATIONAL RESOURCES ARE PROTECTED; (2) (U) ABROAD - NATIONAL INTERESTS PROTECTED, AND WHEN NECESSARY, DEFENDED. ¶F. (U) RESPONSIVE EXPEDITIONARY CAPABILITY MEANS ACQUIRING THE CAPABILITIES NEEDED TO SWIFTLY AND EFFECTIVELY RESPOND TO CHALLENGES AT HOME AND ABROAD BY BEING GLOBALLY DEPLOYABLE, SUPPORTABLE AND SUSTAINABLE. TRANSPARENT INTEROPERABILITY MEANS ACQUIRING CAPABILITIES NEEDED TO EFFECTIVELY OPERATE WITH THE UNITED STATES, COALITION PARTNERS, OUR ARMY AND NAVY, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES. ¶G. (U) TRANSFORMED AEROSPACE CAPABILITIES MEANS EXPLOITING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, NEW CONCEPTS OF OPERATIONS AND SYNTHETIC, DISTANCE, AND E-LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS TO SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE EFFECTIVENESS IN OPERATIONS. TRANSFORMATION-ENABLING LEADERSHIP MEANS NURTURING COMPETENT, EFFECTIVE, AND ETHICAL LEADERSHIP TO EFFECTIVELY CONDUCT OPERATIONS AND PREPARE US FOR THE FUTURE. ¶H. (U) MULTI-SKILLED AND WELL-EDUCATED PEOPLE MEANS DEVELOPING MULTI-SKILLED PEOPLE TO ENHANCE PERSONNEL FLEXIBILITY AND VERSATILITY, AND PROVIDING THESE PROFESSIONALS WITH THE EXPERIENCE AND AEROSPACE POWER EDUCATION NEEDED TO EFFECTIVELY CONDUCT OPERATIONS AND PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. ¶I. (U) ACTIVELY ENGAGING CANADIANS MEANS ACTIVELY REACHING AND INFORMING CITIZENS, BUSINESS LEADERS AND OUR POLITICAL LEADERSHIP ON HOW THE AIR FORCE CONTRIBUTES TO THE SECURITY AND OBJECTIVES OF THE NATION. ¶J. (U) IMPROVED RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP MEANS CONTINUING TO BE INCREASINGLY EFFICIENT WITH THE NATIONAL RESOURCES WITH WHICH WE ARE ENTRUSTED. ¶8. (U) COMPETENCIES AND CAPABILITIES. WHILE TRANSFORMING, WE NEED TO CAPITALIZE ON OUR CORE COMPETENCIES, WHICH ARE THOSE AREAS OF INSTITUTIONAL EXPERTISE THAT DESCRIBE WHY WE EXIST. THEY ARE: ¶A. (U) DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL AIRMEN (A DND/CF APPROVED TERM THAT WE USE TO DESCRIBE THE COLLECTIVE OF OUR PERSONNEL); ¶B. (U) GENERATING RELEVANT AEROSPACE POWER CAPABILITIES FOR THE CANADIAN FORCES; AND ¶C. (U) EFFECTIVELY APPLYING JOINT AEROSPACE POWER TO MEET MILITARY OR NATIONAL OBJECTIVES. ¶D. (U) CAPABILITIES ARE THOSE ABILITIES THAT ALLOW THE AIR FORCE TO GET THE JOB DONE. THESE CAPABILITIES ARE MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN THE AEROSPACE CAPABILITY FRAMEWORK. FUNDAMENTAL CAPABILITIES, SUCH AS AEROSPACE CONTROL, ARE ESSENTIAL FOR CONTROLLING AEROSPACE AND ENABLING JOINT MILITARY OPERATIONS. CONTRIBUTING CAPABILITIES, SUCH AS COUNTER-LAND OPERATIONS AND MARITIME SURFACE AND SUB-SURFACE SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL, ALLOW FOR ESSENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE OPERATIONS OF THE ARMY AND NAVY, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS. ENABLING CAPABILITIES, SUCH AS AIR MOBILITY, AND INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE, ARE ESSENTIAL TO MANY CANADIAN FORCES OPERATIONS. SUPPORT CAPABILITIES, SUCH AS AIR MAINTENANCE AND LOGISTICS, ARE ESSENTIAL TO SUPPORT AND SUSTAIN AIR FORCE OPERATIONS. ¶9. (U) COMBAT-CAPABLE AND MULTI-PURPOSE FORCES. COMBAT-CAPABLE, MULTI-PURPOSE FORCES PROVIDE THE FLEXIBILITY AND FREEDOM OF ACTION TO RESPOND TO A RANGE OF CHALLENGES ACROSS A SPECTRUM OF ACTIVITY AND CONFLICT. THESE CHALLENGES CAN, AND HAVE INCLUDED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE, DISASTER RELIEF, SEARCH AND RESCUE, PEACEKEEPING, PEACE ENFORCEMENT, AND COMBAT. THESE TYPES OF FORCES WILL CONTINUE TO BE IMPORTANT IN A VOLATILE AND UNCERTAIN SECURITY ENVIRONMENT. ¶10. (U) IDENTIFYING THE CAPABILITIES REQUIRED BY OUR VISION. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE CAPABILITIES REQUIRED BY OUR VISION WHICH: ¶A. (U) EMPHASIZE HOMELAND SECURITY, ¶B. (U) ANTICIPATE THE CONTINUATION, AND POTENTIAL STRENGTHENING, OF CANADA-UNITED STATES COOPERATION ON NORTH AMERICAN SECURITY, AND ¶C. (U) ANTICIPATE THE CONTINUATION OF CANADA'S ENGAGED-INTERNATIONALISM. ¶11. (U) TO ENHANCE HOMELAND SECURITY CANADA NEEDS IMPROVED AIRSPACE SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL CAPABILITIES TO EFFECTIVELY DETECT AND ACTIVELY RESPOND TO UNWANTED AND UNAUTHORIZED ACTIVITY, EITHER APPROACHING OR OPERATING, WITHIN OUR NATIONAL AIRSPACE. THESE CAPABILITIES ARE NEEDED TO BETTER PROTECT CANADIAN CITIES, CANADIAN CITIZENS AND CANADA'S CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. ¶12. (U) ALSO NEEDED ARE CAPABILITIES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL OF CANADA'S MARITIME APPROACHES. TO ADD FLEXIBILITY, THESE CAPABILITIES SHOULD ALSO BE CAPABLE OF OVERLAND SURVEILLANCE. TO EFFECTIVELY AID PEOPLE IN DISTRESS FROM SUCH THINGS AS MARINE INCIDENTS AND AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS, WE NEED TO IMPROVE ELEMENTS OF OUR DOMESTIC SEARCH AND RESCUE CAPABILITY. FINALLY, THE CANADIAN FORCES NEEDS CAPABILITIES WITH THE SPEED, RANGE, AND CAPACITY NECESSARY TO EFFECTIVELY AND RESPONSIVELY CARRY PEOPLE, CARGO AND EQUIPMENT, WHEN AND WHERE NEEDED ACROSS CANADA. ¶13. (U) TO CONTINUE, AND POTENTIALLY STRENGTHEN, CANADA-UNITED STATES COOPERATION ON NORTH AMERICAN SECURITY CANADA NEEDS TO ENSURE THAT OUR AEROSPACE AND MARITIME SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL CAPABILITIES ARE INTEROPERABLE WITH UNITED STATES CAPABILITIES, ESPECIALLY IN COMMAND AND CONTROL, COMMUNICATION, DATA SHARING, SURVEILLANCE, WARNING, AND ACTIVE CONTROL OF AEROSPACE AND MARITIME AREAS. ¶14. (U) TO CONTINUE CANADA'S ENGAGED-INTERNATIONALISM CANADA WILL REQUIRE THE ABILITY TO RESPOND TO THREATS AGAINST INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND STABILITY. TO DO THIS AND TO EXERCISE AN INDEPENDENT AND DISTINCTIVE CANADIAN VOICE IN CONTRIBUTING INTERNATIONALLY, EXPEDITIONARY CAPABILITIES ARE NEEDED THAT PERMIT THE AIR FORCE TO OPERATE FAR ABROAD WITH JOINT, ALLIED, OR COALITION PARTNERS. TO CONFRONT THREATS AT THEIR SOURCE, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SWIFTLY PROJECT AND APPLY FORCE WITH PRECISION FROM THE AIR. TO DO THIS EFFECTIVELY, WE NEED AN ABILITY TO PROJECT DOMESTIC AEROSPACE CONTROL CAPABILITIES ABROAD TO PROTECT FRIENDLY MILITARY FORCES AND PROVIDE THEM WITH THE FREEDOM OF ACTION NEEDED TO EFFECTIVELY ACCOMPLISH THEIR MISSIONS. EFFECTIVE MISSION ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THE FUTURE WILL DEPEND ON HAVING INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE CAPABILITIES THAT CAN DETECT AND TRACK TARGETS IN THE AIR, ON THE SURFACE, AND UNDERWATER. WE ALSO NEED AEROSPACE CAPABILITIES THAT DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE OPERATIONS OF CANADA'S ARMY AND NAVY AND AIRLIFT CAPABILITIES TO MOVE CANADIAN FORCES PERSONNEL, EQUIPMENT, AND SUPPLIES TO, FROM, AND WITHIN AREAS OF OPERATION WHEN AND WHERE NEEDED. ¶15. (U) ADVANCING TRANSFORMATION. TRANSFORMATION WILL REQUIRE APPROPRIATE INVESTMENT IN NEW CAPABILITIES AND, POTENTIALLY, THE ELIMINATION OR REFOCUSING OF OTHERS. IT WILL REQUIRE CHANGES TO AIR FORCE STRUCTURE, CULTURE, AND OPERATIONS. WHILE THIS STRATEGIC REORIENTATION WILL NOT BE EASY, IT IS ESSENTIAL. EACH NEW CAPABILITY HAS RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS, BOTH HUMAN AND FINANCIAL, THAT WILL NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AS TRANSFORMATION IS EFFECTED. AIR FORCE TRANSFORMATION WILL REQUIRE A COMBINATION OF REPRIORITIZATION, REALLOCATION, AND THE INFUSION OF NEW RESOURCES. THE AIR FORCE IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUING ITS EFFORTS TO MAKE THE MOST EFFICIENT USE OF THE RESOURCES THAT ARE ENTRUSTED TO IT. TO BEGIN TRANSFORMATION, THE AIR FORCE IS COMMITTED TO FINDING RESOURCES THROUGH REPRIORITIZATION AND REALLOCATION. WHILE SUCH MEASURES WILL BE TOUGH, THEY ARE OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE. WHERE THESE MEASURES MAY BE INSUFFICIENT, THE AIR FORCE WILL SEEK ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. ¶16. (U) SUCCESSFUL TRANSFORMATION. THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS VISION WILL RESULT IN AN AEROSPACE FORCE THAT IS TRANSFORMED IN ITS ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO HOMELAND SECURITY, NORTH AMERICAN DEFENCE AND GLOBAL STABILITY. AS A MAJOR ELEMENT OF THE CANADIAN FORCES, THIS AEROSPACE FORCE WILL BE A VITAL NATIONAL SECURITY INSTITUTION, A USEFUL INSTRUMENT OF NATIONAL POLICY AND AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF NATIONAL POWER. THE DEDICATED MEN AND WOMEN OF THIS FORCE WILL EFFECTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO THE SECURITY OF CANADIANS AND THE PROTECTION OF CANADIAN NATIONAL INTERESTS WELL INTO THE 21ST CENTURY. ((END SUMMARY)). COMMENTS: 1. (C/NF) FIELD COMMENTS. INCREDIBLY THIS AIR FORCE VISION WAS RELEASED BEFORE THE LAST ELECTION, OVER SIX MONTHS AHEAD OF THE DEFENCE REVIEW, AND WAS LITTLE INFORMED BY THAT DOCUMENT WHICH IS STILL BEING REVISED. WHILE THE AIR FORCE VISION IS STRONGLY ADAPTED FROM U.S. AND ROYAL AIR FORCE TRANSFORMATION VISIONS AND DOCTRINE, IT IS LIKELY TO RECEIVE PRECIOUS FEW OF THE RESOURCES IT ENVISIONS TO BECOME A TOTAL AIR FORCE. ¶2. (C/NF) THE VISION WAS WORKED ON FOR OVER TWO YEARS AND RESULTED IN A SERIES OF GLOSSY BROCHURES WHICH WERE DESIGNED TO BUILD PUBLIC AND DEFENSE INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE AIR FORCE AND ITS REQUIREMENTS. THE AIR FORCE IS PAYING A HEAVY PRICE FOR BEING PROACTIVE AT THE END OF THE COLD WAR, CUTTING ITS FORCE STRUCTURE DRAMATICALLY ON ITS OWN WHILE THE OTHER SERVICES MADE FEWER CHANGES. AS THE MOST EXPENSIVE SERVICE (ENVIRONMENT) THE AIR FORCE IS ALWAYS UP AGAINST RESOURCE LIMITS AND HAS FURTHER ERODED ITS RESOURCES BY THE REQUIREMENT TO POUR VAST AMOUNTS OF MONEY INTO LEGACY SYSTEMS WHICH ARE ALMOST TEN TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE TO OPERATE THAN MODERN ONES. ¶3. (C/NF) WHILE THE FUNDAMENTAL THRUST OF THE TRANSFORMATION VISION IS EXCELLENT AND ALIGNS NICELY WITH WHAT THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AND U.S. AIR FORCE ARE DOING IN TERMS OF CAPABILITY AND DOCTRINE, IT REALLY PRESENTS A FANTASY WITH ALMOST NO CHANCE OF BEING FULFILLED GIVEN CURRENT BUDGETS. A DECLINING NUMBER OF AGEING FIGHTERS COUPLED WITH INCREASED NORAD COMMITMENTS POST-9/11 HAVE STRETCHED THE FIGHTER FORCE. WHILE THEY ARE BEING MODERNIZED, CANADIAN CF-18S STILL FALL SHORT IN USABILITY WITH NO ALL-WEATHER PRECISION-GUIDED MUNITION (PGM) CAPABILITY AND NO MULTI-SENSOR RECONNAISSANCE OR BDA CAPABILITY; AND IN DEPLOYABILITY WITH A DECLINING NUMBER, HOMELAND COMMITMENTS, AND LIMITED SUPPORT AIRCRAFT. TACTICAL UAV'S ACQUIRED FOR AFGHANISTAN NEED TO BE INTEGRATED INTO THE CANADIAN FORCES, AND A PREDATOR B SOLUTION IS YEARS AWAY. MARITIME PATROL AIRCRAFT (MPA) AVAILABILITY IS LOW BECAUSE OF MODERNIZATION EFFORTS AND THE TRANSPORT CAPABILITY OF THE CANADIAN AIR FORCE IS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO ALL. WITH ANCIENT C-130S MISSION CAPABLE ONLY 20 PERCENT OF THE TIME, ALL AIRLIFT CAPABILITY IS USED TO SUPPORT INTERNAL MUST-SUPPORT MISSIONS IN CANADA AND THEATER AIRLIFT ABROAD. THERE IS ZERO EXCESS CAPACITY AND MANY AIRLIFT SUPPORT MISSIONS ARE NOW BEING FLOWN BY LEASED OR CONTRACT AIRCRAFT (AT VERY HIGH COST PER FLIGHT HOUR). ¶4. (C/NF) WHILE THE DEFENCE REVIEW UNDERWAY MAY CALL FOR A STRATEGIC AIRLIFT SOLUTION IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO GET THE RESOURCES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CHIEF OF THE LAND STAFF IS NOT ACTIVELY SUPPORTING A CANADIAN ORGANIC STRATEGIC AIRLIFT CAPABILITY IN LIEU OF RENTED TRANSPORT WHICH THE ARMY SAYS HAS ALWAYS GOTTEN THE JOB DONE. THE AIR FORCE WILL ALSO ONLY GET A HANDFUL (LESS THAN 50) OF THE 5,000 NEW TROOPS THE PRIME MINISTER HAS PROMISED. ¶5. (C/NF) WHILE CHIEF OF THE AIR FORCE LGEN KEN ((PENNIE)) HAS BEEN CALLING HIS AIR FORCE 'FRAGILE' FOR THE PAST YEAR, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS IT IS DANGEROUSLY NEAR THE BREAKING POINT. THERE ARE TOO MANY AIRBASES WHICH ARE OPEN ONLY FOR POLITICAL REASONS; PILOTS ARE NOT GETTING ENOUGH HOURS; MAINTENANCE TROOPS ARE BEING DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND MAINTAINING OLD SYSTEMS; LONG AND FREQUENT DEPLOYMENTS HAVE SAPPED MORALE; AND A MAJOR PORTION OF SENIOR MAINTENANCE SUPERVISORS ARE SLATED TO RETIRE IN THE COMING TWO YEARS. THE NAVY JUST HAD A SUB ACCIDENT WHICH RESULTED IN A FLURRY OF INQUIRIES; AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE A SIMILAR RESULT - A HUNT FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME, BUT NO MENTION OF FURTHER FUNDING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE VISION SOUNDS GOOD BUT UNLESS A LOT OF RESOURCES (2-3 BILLION CANADIAN DOLLARS) FOLLOW IT, THE AIR FORCE IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE ON ITS PATH OF ATROPHY. ¶6. (U) SOURCES REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER EXPLOITATION. ¶7. (C/NF) THIS REPORTING SUPPORTS PRIORITY 2, PARAGRAPH 2A, AND PRIORITY 3, PARAGRAPHS 1A, 1B AND 1D OF THE DAO OTTAWA OPERATING DIRECTIVE. ¶8. (U) DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS IIR TO DHO-1 AT STU III (703) 907-0541, OR GRAY 981-8236. COLL: (U) AB; AC; AD; AH; AI. INSTR: (U) US NO. PREP: (U) 6-03048. ACQ: (U) CANADA, OTTAWA (20041115). DISSEM: (U) FIELD: AMEMB OTTAWA. WARNING: (U) REPORT CLASSIFIED C O N F I D E N T I A L/NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS. SIPDIS DRV FM: DO HUMINT SCG SEPTEMBER 2003 DECL ON: X1