Defending Our Neighbourhood

DND photo IS 2009-1005-18 by Sergeant Paz Quillé. The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), General Walt Natynczyk, meets with Jamaica Defence Force staff during Exercise Tropical Hammer, 27 March 2007. Canada and the Americas: Defending our NeigHbourhood by Walter Natynczyk with Nancy Mackinnon Introduction These last two years have witnessed important demon- strations of this commitment. For instance, the Canadian hen Canadians think about their place in Forces played a significant role in Canada’s comprehensive the world, whether politically or geo- response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti earlier this graphically, they tend to look east to year, deploying approximately 2000 military members to Europe, west to Asia, and south to the assist with humanitarian response, including the Disaster United States. But typically, they don’t Assistance Response Team (DART), a military field hospital, Wnormally identify countries south of the Rio Grande as those ships, helicopters, and army personnel. And in September with whom Canada may share common interests and issues. 2008, Canada hosted the VIIIth Conference of Defence But as I was reminded during my visits throughout the Ministers of the Americas in Banff, Alberta, which I was for- Americas in the last year – I was fortunate to visit Haiti, tunate to attend. This highly successful conference invited 34 Jamaica, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, and Mexico – Canada is ministers from across the hemisphere to meet in a collegial very much a country of the Americas. This is our neighbour- atmosphere to discuss important defence and security matters. hood. And the region is a place of much promise and poten- Bringing these ministers together to talk is important, but it tial for Canada, so it is not surprising that it is of increasing has not always been easy or constructive in this diverse and importance to the Government of Canada. complex region. The Prime Minister has been clear that our re-engage- General Walt Natynczyk, CMM, MSC, CD, an Armoured officer, is ment in the hemisphere is a national priority. The 2007 Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff. He holds a Business Administration Speech from the Throne identified the Americas as one of degree from Royal Roads Military College and Collège militaire royal, Canada’s foreign policy priorities, and highlighted that and he is a graduate of the Canadian Forces Command and Staff Canada would play an active role in the region. The College, the UK All Arms Tactics Course, and the US Army War College. Government has developed a strategy for enhanced engagement in the Americas to guide its endeavors in the hemi- Nancy MacKinnon is a special advisor to the Directorate of Western sphere, and the Canadian Forces have a role to play in Hemisphere Policy at DND, and was formerly a member of the Canadian advancing the Government’s agenda under the security pillar Executive Secretariat that organized the VIIIth Conference of Defence of our engagement. To put it another way, the Americas are Ministers of the Americas, held in Banff, Alberta, in 2008. She holds a Canada’s neighbourhood, and, from a defence perspective, Bachelor of Journalism and Political Science, and a Masters of Arts in we intend to be a good neighbour. International Affairs. 6 Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 10, No. 3, Summer 2010 Department of National Defence clearly have a role to play in Canada’s re-engagement in the hemisphere. Our relationships in the defence and security spheres should be based upon reciprocity with and respect for our partners in the hemisphere. My visit to South America was the first by a Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff in a decade, and the amount of high-level and staff contact between the Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence and our key partners in the hemisphere must increase if we are to have effec- tive relations. The defence and security situation in the Americas directly affects Canadian interests, and we have much to gain by dis- cussing issues of common concern with our hemispheric partners. Such discussions will help us to identify how the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence can DND photo ISX2008-0028 by David Snashall. best contribute to the security and stability of CANADA AND THE WORLD The Honourable Peter Gordon Mackay, Minister of National Defence (MND), welcomes US the hemisphere. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to the 8th Conference of Defence Ministers of the Americas, Banff, Alberta, 2 September 2008. The security situation in the Americas is The security and defence issues affecting the region are complex, and must be considered against a complicated back- complex, and must be addressed with a number of different drop of political, economic, social, health, and environmental tools and measures. But armed forces are only one of the tools issues. In terms of purely defence issues, the risks of inter- in the toolbox, and they are not always the one that is most state conflict in the Americas are currently low. However, needed. As we in the Canadian Forces and Department of there are still approximately 30 unresolved border-related dis- National Defence consider the security and defence challenges agreements in the hemisphere. While most of these are under in the Americas, we are guided by a fundamental approach to control, several could trigger diplomatic incidents or lead to our relationships with our partners: respect and reciprocity. limited armed clashes. Nevertheless, most of the threats to the There are clearly opportunities for cooperation and exchange security of the Americas are non-traditional in nature – the with our neighbours in the hemisphere. Canada has a wealth security of the hemisphere cannot be defined in conventional of experience to draw upon in assisting others, and there are military terms alone, but must be seen as multidimensional in numerous opportunities for us to learn from our neighbours. scope. The region faces a number of critical challenges, My recent travels in the region, as well as those of other senior including continued poverty and increasing socio-economic Canadian military and departmental officials, have only under- disparities that sow dissent, social discontent, and insecurity. scored the Americas’ importance to the Canadian Forces. We At the same time, widespread corruption undermines the rule are already engaging in the hemisphere in meaningful ways. of law, and, by extension, security, especially when combined Although it is not always obvious to the casual observer, with weak state institutions and limited public sector capaci- Canada does have significant national interests in the Americas, ties. And for many in the region, there are perennial threats including trade, immigration, crime and trafficking issues, and from natural disasters such as hurricanes – including the humanitarian assistance in times of natural disasters. annual devastating hurricane season that sweeps through the Correspondingly, the Canadian Forces has related interests as Caribbean – or earthquakes and other calamities. Narco- well. The challenges in the region are not always easy, and trafficking, urban violence, and organized crime threaten the the defence and security issues it faces are not necessarily the entire region. Terrorism, whether domestic or international, ones to which we are accustomed. But this is not to say that also remains a risk. And extra-regional actors are also increas- there are not further areas in which we may constructively ingly interested in the Americas. In addition to their growing engage in the Americas. In considering Canadian Forces economic and trade presence in the hemisphere, countries engagement in the region, it is useful to look at it through such as China, Russia, and Iran are challenging the traditional three related prisms: how we in the Canadian Forces and role of the United States in the region in sectors such as mili- Department of National Defence see its defence and security tary training and cooperation and defence procurement. challenges; how our engagement in the Americas fits into the Venezuela’s rapprochement with Russia and Iran is but one Canada First Defence Strategy; and how we are currently example. engaged, including where there may be scope for future activ- ities and initiatives. Military defence of the hemisphere is now only a small part of the spectrum of responses to these security threats, The Americas and Canadian Defence Interests and the traditional use of national military forces is unlikely to be appropriate against many of them. However, in some of iven the security component of the Government’s engage- the weaker countries of the Americas, the military is often Gment in the Americas, the Canadian Forces and the the strongest national institution, and the only reliable organ Vol. 10, No. 3, Summer 2010 • Canadian Military Journal 7 of government that has the ability to maintain internal order First Defence Strategy. At its heart, this strategy is a commit- or mount a credible defence against transnational threats. ment to keep Canadians safe and secure, and to ensure that This can lead to the encroachment of the armed forces into Canada continues in its role on the international stage as a the civilian national security or law enforcement spheres, credible and influential country, ready to do its part. The and it raises potential concern for civilian-military relations. strategy draws our attention to the complex and unpredictable The military coup last year in Honduras serves to underscore strategic environment marked by such things as border con- the fragility of democratic governance in some nations within flicts, fragile states, transnational criminal networks, human the hemisphere. and drug trafficking, unequal access to resources, and uneven economic distribution. All of these elements are present in the The return of democracy throughout most of the region Americas. In light of the roles identified for the Canadian during the 1990s led to a needed reassessment of the roles Forces – defending Canada, defending North America, and and responsibilities of the armed forces in many countries.

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