The Torch
Illuminating Security and Defence Issues
Canada
Canada at the defence crossroads: The challenges of thinking long-term
13 December 2025
Witnessing the ongoing public debate about fighter jets and submarines this fall has felt a lot like watching people argue over baseball, hockey or some other team sport. Naturally, it has been particularly uncompromising online where the characteristics and quirks of each aircraft and boat have been analyzed to the nth degree with the kind of fan worship usually reserved for pro franchises....
Pan-Domain Command & Control (PDC2) Concept Paper
13 December 2025
The global security environment is complex and dangerous, characterized by the re-emergence of strategic competition, proliferation of advanced technologies, and evolving multi-domain threats. Traditional domain-centric approaches to command and control (C2) are inadequate to address these evolving challenges. The Pan-Domain Command and Control (PDC2) concept establishes a transformative framework for how the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) conducts C2 across complex operating environments....
DND scrambles to figure out how to mobilize and equip a citizens’ army: documents
13 December 2025
The Department of National Defence is scrambling to figure out how it will clothe, equip and train hundreds of thousands of new reservists envisioned under an ambitious mobilization proposal that Canada’s top military commander describes as a work in progress....
Canada and Philippines sign a defense pact to deter China’s aggression
12 November 2025
Canada and the Philippines, both staunch critics of China's increasingly coercive actions in the disputed South China Sea, signed a key defense agreement on Sunday to boost combat drills and expand security alliances to deter aggression, officials said.
Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy will include sovereign space capabilities
12 November 2025
Parliament’s Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (INDU) is currently holding meetings to discuss the forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), a key pillar of Prime Minister Carney’s new budget. The new Defence Industrial Strategy is championed by both Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and the Department of National Defence (DND), and seeks to align defence procurement, industrial growth, and technological innovation under a single strategic vision.
Canadian Army to “Flood the Zone” with Drones, Commander Says
12 November 2025
In a candid interview, Lieutenant General Wright outlines plans to dramatically overhaul how the military fights
As China explores the Arctic, Canada’s military is preparing for confrontation
13 October 2025
Beijing wants critical minerals. The North is rich in them....
German or South Korean subs? Ottawa’s pick will hinge on economic windfall
13 October 2025
Spending on major military projects must boost economy, says Carney's defence procurement secretary of state....
How Canada Lost the Drone Race (And How We Can Win It Back)
13 October 2025
We slipped from pioneer to bystander, but the war in Ukraine is forcing a reboot....
Parts shortages, snarled supply chains are sidelining Canadian vehicles and troops in Latvia: documents
5 September 2025
Canadian units deemed combat ineffective in recent training exercise
NATO agreed to 5% but is the public on board?
5 September 2025
One of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first major announcements after the April 2025 election was to confirm that Canada would spend 2% of GDP by the end of the fiscal year. The announcement was welcomed by NATO, but overdue; Canada was expected to get there in 2024, but it handed its homework late.
Canada’s Drone Blind Spot, and What It Can Learn from Ukraine
5 September 2025
..When a Ukrainian drone-maker walked into CANSEC, Canada’s top defence trade show this May, his reaction wasn’t subtle: “It seems that Canada is completely unprepared for any war. Most Canadian military personnel have not seen the latest technologies — they haven’t seen FPV drones, reconnaissance drones, unmanned surface vessels, or ground robotic systems. That could cost them dearly down the line”.
There Was a Time Canada Really Did Build, Baby, Build
27 July 2025 -
Lessons from when we skipped the consultants and produced the materials that won a war
Ex-fighter jet pilot Stephen Fuhr is on a mission to change how we arm the military
27 July 2025 -
Not that long ago, former air force fighter pilot Stephen Fuhr was just one among many voices in Canada complaining about the way the federal government makes big defence purchasing decisions. At no point, he said, did it occur to him that he would wind up in his current position — as the prime minister’s point person for fixing Canada’s sclerotic military procurement system.
Canada races to build icebreakers amid melting ice and geopolitical tensions
27 July 2025 -
In an Arctic reshaped by the climate crisis, less ice really means more as countries face risks in push for more ships
Canada, Australia ink Arctic over-the-horizon radar partnership arrangement
27 July 2025 -
Canada’s advanced Arctic over-the-horizon radar (A-OTHR) technology work with Australia advanced last month with a technology partnership arrangement between the two countries.
Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Protects Canadian Arctic Interests
27 July 2025 -
2024 marked an inflection point in Canada’s approach to the Arctic. Two major policies were released as the result of this Arctic transformation. Jointly considered, they describe the future of Canada’s global posture in the Arctic.
Swapping weather bombs for real bombs: The debate over climate change as national security heats up
27 July 2025 -
What role should the military play as climate-related disasters become more frequent?
Canada’s new government is rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces
10 June 2025 -
Today, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister of National Defence David McGuinty announced Canada’s plan to increase and accelerate its investments in defence. This builds on the commitments made last year in Canada’s defence policy, Our North, Strong and Free (ONSAF), to strengthen Canada’s sovereignty, security, and prosperity, and drive economic growth in this pivotal moment.
Canada’s Arctic Strategy Falls Behind as Rivals Push Ahead
10 June 2025 -
THE ARCTIC IS slipping from Canada’s grasp. Years of neglect—by successive governments and especially under the Liberals—have left our sovereignty in the region vulnerable at precisely the wrong time. As great-power rivalries intensify, climate change opens new shipping routes, and global trade pivots north, our control over the Northwest Passage is becoming more and more tenuous.