CNR post Warontherocks

Changes to the Canadian Military after COVID-19

Moderator, 04 May 2020

In an article published by War on the Rocks, entitled “Five Ways the US Military will Change after the Pandemic,” authors David Barno and Nora Bensahel examine the US military after the dust has settled (for now) on COVID-19. They argue that “There are at least five key changes that will shape the choices and decisions that lie ahead for Pentagon leaders: cyber and space will be higher priorities than land, sea, and air; reliance on forward presence will diminish; the reserve component will become much more important; legacy programs and end strength will be cut — by a lot; and the prestige of the U.S. military will be dimmed.”

What will be the implications of the pandemic on the Canadian military? Some of these points are not really relevant for Canada, but some are. Will Canada focus more on cyber and space than before? The authors argue that the United States will do this as it realizes that external threats from the land, sea and air are lower security priorities than protecting against threats from “newly emerging and unconventional dangers” and/or a large-scale cyber attack on critical infrastructure. Will the Canadian Reserve force get more attention? And the burning question, will the Canadian defence budget be cut, and if so, by how much?

See “Five Ways the US Military will Change after the Pandemic,” https://warontherocks.com/2020/04/five-ways-the-u-s-military-will-change-after-the-pandemic/?utm_source=WOTR+Newsletter&utm_campaign

Share

Leave a Reply to DAVID DUNLOP Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

7 thoughts on “Changes to the Canadian Military after COVID-19”