"Leading AI developers, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, are threading a delicate needle to sell software to the United States military: make the Pentagon more efficient, without letting their AI kill people."

"Experts have argued that the U.S. defense industrial base is set to greatly benefit from the ICE Pact, as America’s naval shipbuilding industry has been beset by schedule delays and cost overruns."

This is a great opportunity to cement cross-border and trilateral relations, playing to everyone's strengths in support of a shared region in desperate need of more security and sovereignty.

Let's hope petty politics don't derail it.

“Selling to government is like fighting a toddler.”

We obviously support Ryan Evans' idea that procurement officials and end-users be allowed to engage with capital: "Venture capital in particular has ... become an important resource for companies to endure, so when the light finally turns green, they are still viable and can press on the gas pedal. But investors need to understand what the customer wants and thinks. These conversations are the lifeblood of venture investments. Unfortunately, too many defense leaders and civil servants believe they are prohibited to talk to financial professionals trying to perform due diligence on investment decisions."

"Given .. that without economic strength there is no industrial power, and without industrial power there is no military power, Canadian business and industry are especially indispensable partners in the defence of Canada."

"A grownup country doesn’t shirk the responsibility of having a properly funded and manned military during peacetime. It makes the budgetary sacrifices required for it, which means going without other, more pleasant things."

As we've said often, it's high time that our elected leaders, from ALL parties, explain to Canadians how sacrifices will have to be made, but that security and prosperity are linked and should be treated accordingly.

"Canada’s new chief of the defence staff says there are 'absolutely' ways the federal government could speed up its defence-spending timeline to meet its NATO commitments sooner than the current 2032 target ... The faster we can tap into the investments and the two per cent investments, the faster we can work on the transformation and modernization that we need to do.”

While it can be easy to find fault with the CAF at times, this makes it clearer than ever the blockers rest in the government and with PSPC.

Another incisive piece from Heather Exner-Pirot. We're especially supportive of #5 and the imperative to use all available means to secure and refine rare earth elements.

"Sources within the RCMP told Radio-Canada that they rushed to buy DJI drones shortly after President-elect Donald Trump's election ... even though American officials no longer want these devices in use."

"The DJI drone purchase was worth less than $10,000 and did not require a public tender. The RCMP has also launched a public tender to purchase additional drones for future operations."

Even though less than $10k was spent, surely we can do better..!

"Take the new fleet of warships being built for the Royal Canadian Navy – the River Class Destroyers ... based on the British Type 26 Frigates. The Brits are paying between $1.5 and $2.2 billion in Canadian dollars per ship. Meanwhile, Canada is paying upwards of $5.3 billion per ship, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer."

Big ticket procurement certainly needs fixing, but we believe that the most impactful change in the pending Defence Procurement Review should come through agile procurement mechanisms for commercial and dual-use technologies.

Warfighters are waiting way too long to integrate game-changing technologies that are ready today.

This is what it looks like when you skate to where the puck is GOING to be!

Anduril doesn't give the customer what they want; they give them what they need. And this is precisely why they're the fastest growing defence prime.

"During WWII, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the private sector 'the arsenal of democracy.' This is still true, but our military’s capacity to integrate that arsenal into its operations needs modernizing and fortifying."

Two titans, Michael R Bloomberg and Gen (Ret.) David H. Bloomberg state the obvious and call for more agile procurement: "the Defense Department should create an alternate pipeline for innovative technologies that operates outside the traditional procurement system. Our report recommends shifting 15 percent of current spending to such a pipeline, which would bypass bureaucratic inertia and legacy programs to deliver capabilities directly to service members."

As noted in a January 2024 DND memo, "Canada is one of the only space-faring nations without a sovereign launch capability. It has relied on other countries including, in the past, Russia to launch spacecraft."

Yet Maritime Launch Services have yet to receive any funding from CAF/DND, despite this same memo noting that, "Canada adding a launch capability on the east coast of North America will allow access to a range of key orbits of interest to the U.S. and would add to Canada’s relevance and credibility in the international space community by also offering additional launch options to other allies and partners.”

Space is a pure dual-use play that will benefit Canada's security and prosperity. It's time to get serious.