MILITAR Y JOURNAL Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 - Revue militaire canadienne
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CANADIAN
MILITAR
JOURNAL
Y
Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020
Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 CONTENTS
3 EDITOR’S CORNER
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
4 The 21st Century Wright Flier: The Military Implications of Affordable Access
to Space
Cover by Cole F. Petersen
Candidates on the DP1 Gunner
Course conduct anti-tank drills MILITARY PHILOSOPHY
as part of their final evaluation 13 e-Thinking: Pre-Empting Global Instability in the 21st Century
before ‘getting badged’ and wel- by Eric Dion
comed into the Royal Regiment
of Artillery family at Canadian FORCE STRUCTURE
Forces Base Gagetown, 19 The Canadian Army Needs a Paradigm Shift
Oromocto, New Brunswick,
by Wolfgang W. Riedel
25 July 2019.
DND photo GN04-2019-0721-061
LAW AND ORDER
by Corporal Geneviève Lapointe
35 Cultural Property Protection and the Canadian Armed Forces
by Mark Blondeau
LEADERSHIP AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
47 Leadership within NATO: Canada’s 2018 Chairing of the NATO Military
Intelligence Committee
by Nicholas Dunning
VIEWS AND OPINIONS
55 In Limbo: The 22nd Battalion (French-Canadian), from Demobilization
to Integration into the Permanent Force
The 21st Century Wright by Michel Litalien
Flyer: The Military 61 Mental Health is Not Just a Challenge for War Heroes: Sometimes
Implications of Affordable Average People Need Help, Too
Access to Space by Nathan Packer
COMMENTARY
65 All Quiet on the Northern Front?
by Martin Shadwick
72 Book Reviews
e-Thinking: Pre-Empting
Global Instability in the
21st Century
Canadian Military Journal/Revue militaire canadienne is the official professional journal of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of
National Defence. It is published quarterly under authority of the Minister of National Defence. Opinions expressed or implied in this publication are
those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian Military
Journal, or any agency of the Government of Canada. Crown copyright is retained. Articles may be reproduced with permission of the Editor, on
condition that appropriate credit is given to Canadian Military Journal. Each issue of the Journal is published simultaneously in print and electronic
versions; it is available on the Internet at www.journal.forces.gc.ca.
ISSN 1492-465X
Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 1
CANADIAN
How to Contact Us
Canadian Military Journal
PO Box 17000, Station Forces
MILITARY JOURNAL
Kingston, Ontario
www.journal.forces.gc.ca
CANADA, K7K 7B4
E-mail: cmj.rmc@forces.gc.ca
Editor-in-Chief Translation
David L. Bashow Translation Bureau,
(613) 541-5010 ext. 6148 Public Services and Procurement Canada
bashow-d@rmc.ca
Publication Manager Commentary
Claire Chartrand Martin Shadwick
(613) 541-5010 ext. 6837
claire.chartrand@rmc.ca
Editorial Advisor
Michael Boire
Text
The Canadian Army
Needs a Paradigm Shift Oversight Committee
Chairman
Rear-Admiral L. Cassivi, Commander, Canadian Defence Academy (CDA)
Members
Mr. David L. Bashow, Editor-in-Chief, Brigadier-General S. Bouchard, Commandant
Canadian Military Journal (CMJ) Royal Military College of Canada (RMC)
Colonel Marty Cournoyer, representing Major Chris Young, representing
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Chief of Staff Army Strategy
Dr. H.J. Kowal, Principal, Lieutenant-Colonel Brent Clute,
Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Director Canadian Forces Military Law Centre
(CFMLC), Canadian Defence Academy (CDA)
Captain (N) David Patchell, representing
Text Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Ms. Hanya Soliman, representing Chief of the
Cultural Property Defence Intelligence (CDI)
Protection and the
Canadian Armed Forces
Editorial Board
Dr. Douglas Bland Professor Hamish Ion
Major (ret’d) Michael Boire Philippe Lagassé
Dr. Andrea Charron Lieutenant-Colonel (ret’d) David Last
Lieutenant-Colonel (ret’d) Douglas Delaney Dr. Chris Madsen
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Mike Dionne Dr. Sean Maloney
Dr. Rocky J. Dwyer Professor Brian McKercher
Lieutenant-Colonel (ret’d) Michael Goodspeed Dr. Paul Mitchell
Major-General (ret’d) Daniel Gosselin Dr. Nezih Mrad
Major Tanya Grodzinski Dr. Scot Robertson
Text
Leadership within Dr. David Hall Professor Stéphane Roussel
NATO: Canada’s 2018 Professor Michael Hennessy Professor Elinor Sloan
Chairing of the NATO Colonel (ret’d) Bernd Horn Colonel (ret’d) Randall Wakelam
Military Intelligence
Committee
NOT E TO R E A D ER S
As a bilingual journal, readers should take note that where citations are translated from their original language, the
abbreviation [TOQ] at the end of the note, which stands for “translation of original quote”, indicates to the readers
that the original citation can be found in the published version of the Journal in the other official language.
2 Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020
Editor’s Corner
W
elcome to the Spring 2020 edition of the image of the Canadian ‘Pearsonian’ diplomatic and peacekeeping
Canadian Military Journal. As I pen these legacy.” To that end, the author then examines the opportunities
words, (27 January), and while we are still and responsibilities associated with Cultural Property Protection
very much in the throes of winter, my dear for Canada, and offers a potential policy model for the Canadian
wife photographed three robins in one Armed Forces.
of the maple trees in our deep snow-covered back yard this
morning. Good luck finding some worms this early, fellas! Finally, in our major article section, Defence Policy Advisor
Nicholas Dunning within the Domains and Technology Policy
Again, we have cobbled together quite a varied selection of Directorate at National Defence, reviews Canada’s service
articles in this edition. Taking the point, infantry officer Major and experience as the Chair of NATO’s Military Intelligence
Cole Petersen chronicles the rapid development of relatively- Committee (MIC) in 2018. The author maintains: “Chairing the
cheap, reusable rockets for use in space, and how this recent MIC provided Canada an elevated international profile in the intel-
initiative, generated by commercial industry, “…will lead to the ligence community. Through this platform, Canada demonstrated
rapid expansion of military presence in space, establishing the multinational leadership within NATO by leading intelligence
economic feasibility of space-based military operations for state reforms that improved the Alliance’s ability to achieve accelerated
and non-state actors.” Next, Professor Eric Dion advances the decision-making in support of planning, operations, and political
opinion that contemporary or innovative thinking, which he refers decision-making.”
to as e-Thinking, is absolutely imperative in order to pre-empt
global instability in the 21st Century. “The Allies, as we refer to Two very different opinion pieces in this issue… In the first,
the 20 percent of the world’s population living in the Occident, Michel Litalien, the manager of the Canadian Armed Forces
have essentially been avoiding major wars at all cost, preventa- Museums Network at the Directorate of History and Heritage, and
tively engaging in our world. Our interest fundamentally rests a doctoral student in military history at Paul-Valéry University in
in stable socio-economic conditions for our way of life. In the Montpellier, France, conducts an exploratory review of a brief-
21st Century, National Security and Global Defence is really about but-uncertain period in the history of Canada’s fabled Royal
pre-empting instability.” 22nd Regiment, the Van Doos, pride of French-speaking Canada,
from its demobilization in Montréal in May 1919, until its inte-
Moving right along, Colonel (ret’d) Wolfgang Riedel, who gration into Canada’s Permanent Force in April 1920. Litalien is
had a rich and varied 44-year career in both the Regular Force followed by a very candid and courageous recounting by Combat
and the Reserve Force as an artillery officer, infantry officer, and Engineer Major Nathan Packer of his own personal experiences
ultimately, as a legal officer, firmly believes that the Canadian with PTSD, including the excellent help and support he received
Army is definitely not ready for the next major conflict, nor does from many supportive entities, and an entreaty to other mem-
it project a credible deterrence. Therefore, he believes, “Canada bers not to suffer in silence, to get the help that is available and
must re-assess what the Canadian Army’s structure ought to be, non-judgemental, because Nathan believes it can “…make all of
and, in particular, critically examine the role and organization the difference in the world.”
of the Army’s Primary Reserve component.” He is followed by
career intelligence officer Lieutenant-Commander Mark Blondeau Next, our dedicated defence commentator, Martin Shadwick,
explores the world of cultural property, and more specifically, the examines Canada’s historical position with respect to Arctic
conventions adopted by the international community with respect sovereignty and security, and how the incumbent Trudeau gov-
to Cultural Property Protection. These are enshrined in the 1954 ernment intends to deal with it. Many issues abound. However,
Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in in Martin’s words, “In the final analysis, North Warning System
the Event of Armed Conflict, and its two subsequent Protocols. replacement, a revamped NORAD, and the future shape of Arctic
These Conventions, to which Canada acceded in 1998, which search and rescue are very different policy topics, but make no
were borne out of the experiences of the Second World War (The mistake – Arctic sovereignty and security issues, concerns, and
Monuments Men), and built upon more than a century of preceding controversies are about to return to the Canadian political, media,
treaty and Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC) instruments, clearly and public landscape.”
articulates the ethical foundation ‘…that damage to cultural
property belonging to any people whatsoever means damage to Finally, we close with a clutch of four very different book
the cultural heritage of all mankind, since each people makes its reviews, which we hope will pique the interest of our readership.
contribution to the culture of the world.’ Blondeau believes: “This
ethical foundation resonates profoundly with a multi-cultural Until the next time.
and globally-engaged Canada – it gels squarely with our liberal David L. Bashow
democratic ideals enshrined in such institutions as the Canadian
Editor-in-Chief
Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), and the much-vaunted
Canadian Military Journal
Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 3
Hilar y Morgan/Alamy Stock Photo/FWYM9B
The first controlled, powered, and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on 17 December 1903, four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,
by the Wright brothers.
The 21st Century Wright Flier: The Military
Implications of Affordable Access to Space
by Cole F. Petersen
Major Cole F. Petersen is an infantry officer with the Princess will lead to the rapid expansion of military presence in space,
Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). He has served in establishing the economic feasibility of space-based military
1 PPCLI, 3 PPCLI, and HQ 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade operations for state and non-state actors.
Group (CMBG), and is a graduate of the United States Marine
Corps Command and Staff College and the School of Advanced This rapid expansion will inevitably draw in the Canadian
Warfighting. He is currently the Executive Assistant to the Armed Forces (CAF), which currently possess only a relatively-
Commander of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command modest military space capability. The Directorate of Space,
(CANSOFCOM). established in 2011, conducts force generation of astronauts for
service with the US, manages force development and policy,
Introduction and conducts force employment for Canadian Joint Operations
T
Command (CJOC) through the Canadian Space Operations Centre.2
he 15 years between the first successful flight Canadian military operations in space generally work through those
of an aircraft and the end of the First World War of its allies, and consist largely of satellite support to the joint
(1903-1918) featured the development of most force. But with the 21st Century Wright Flier – cheap, reusable
facets of modern air power, and the establish- rockets currently making trips to space – the near-future demand
ment of the world’s first independent air force, will exist for the CAF to expand its capability and capacity to oper-
Great Britain’s Royal Air Force.1 The Wright Flier was a clear ate in space to be capable of meeting future security challenges.
harbinger of, among many things, change to the way wars are
fought. The space age began shortly after the Second World Background
War, but it is only now, with recent developments by civilian
industry, that the costs of access to space will be reduced to
the point where rapid advances in space power will occur on
a scale similar to the experience of airpower advancement
T his expansion of capability and capacity in space for
Canada portended by cheap, reusable rockets represents
what the American theorist, space journalist, and historian Jim
between 1903 and 1918. Over the next 15 years, the devel- Oberg describes as the fourth and final phase of a maturation
opment of cheaper, reusable rockets by commercial industry process for technology, namely ubiquitous use. In this phase,
4 Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
the technology becomes so pervasive that it is regarded as first to service the International Space Station (2012), and the
simple and routine. In that regard, Oberg contends that space first manufacturer – civilian or government – to produce a rocket
power went through its first phase, discovery, in the late- capable of returning to earth and being relaunched into space
19th and early-20th Centuries embodied in the work of rocket (2015-2016).9 Other companies in the civilian sector are follow-
pioneers, such as the Russian rocket scientist and pioneer of ing the lead of SpaceX, including Rocket Lab and Vector Space
astronautic theory, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, and the distin- Systems, and are in the midst of developing lightweight rockets
guished American physicist Robert H. Goddard, who is credited capable of sending smaller payloads into orbit with higher fre-
with creating the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. The second quency, and at a reduced cost.10 These and others are developing
stage, application, was ushered in with the development of technologies that will push the weight-to-cost ratio for travel into
rockets as military tools during the 1930s through the 1950s. space to about $10,000 per pound, and perhaps lower, or 10% of
The current stage, acceptance, has been the norm since the the cost of the Space Shuttle program, and about 20-25% less than
1960s, with the establishment of satellites and Intercontinental the current market’s space service corporations, such as United
Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) as not merely a novelty, but as an Launch Alliance or Orbital ATK.11
integral part of the superpower military arsenal.3
In the next 15 years, general availability of rockets that move
The dawn of the acceptance stage followed shortly after the material into space at a cost 10% or lower than current prices will
Soviet Union, in attempting to overcome the U.S advantage in eliminate a barrier and create the effect described by Oberg as
long-range bombers, succeeded in developing rocket technology “…easy access to space by second and third-tier players, whether
and placed the Sputnik 1 satellite into space.4 Subsumed by Cold governmental or non-governmental, whose presence would at the
War politics, space technology was quickly developed by both the very least complicate, and at worst endanger, current activities.”12
United States and the Soviet Union to deploy an array of satellites The high cost of space access has generally restricted the scale of
and intercontinental ballistic missiles to support their strategic military activities in space to those states with fairly predictable
approaches and operational capabilities. Today, space operations policies and agendas. As costs go down, however, and launch
in the form of satellite support to surveillance and communications facilities on Earth proliferate, the conditions for ubiquitous military
are considered so essential that a former US Air use of space by state and possibly non-state
Force Chief of Staff claimed their loss would actors will flourish. Canada will inevitably
mean, “…you go back to the Industrial Age.”5 need to join this rush of new actors in space.
Space operations are therefore accepted as the “Space operations are
norm for those states that can afford to both therefore accepted as The projected future state of expanded
generate and sustain them. military use of space creates security issues for
the norm for those
states, in particular, for those states that rely
This norm is restricted and limited by states that can afford on the stability of the current paradigm of how
what Oberg terms the “…impediments to the to both generate space is used (and by whom) to support ter-
exercise of space power,” which he sees as restrial military operations. For example, this
and sustain them.”
launch costs, launch bottlenecks (physical future state will greatly expand the ability of
facilities from which to launch), hazards of actors to neutralize or defeat their adversary’s
the space environment, and socio-political atti- space-based satellites networks by putting
tudes towards the use of space for military purposes.6 Of these, anti-satellite systems into space with ease. Moreover, this future
launch costs are the “primary inhibitor of expanded commercial, state will promote greater use of space, due to the proliferation of
private, and even governmental activities in space.”7 The Space cheap delivery systems. What takes sealift days and airlift hours
Shuttle program, designed to make travel to and from space a to do will be economically possible in minutes by cheap, reusable
routine affair, cost some $500 million dollars (all costs in USD) rockets. The future state will also create increased competition
per launch, or a cost-to-weight ratio of about $50,000 dollars per for dominance of key areas of the Earth-Moon system to provide
pound. With the retirement of the Space Shuttle program, however, assured access for space systems. If this future state becomes a
both government and civilian organizations now rely upon large reality in 15 years, what will a future conflict scenario look like,
commercial firms for rocket services, with costs remaining high at and how can countries such as Canada prepare to deal with it?
$42,000 dollars per pound.8
The Future State
That said, in the next 15 years, emerging technological
developments have the potential to undercut this high cost-to-
weight ratio, changing the concept of the norm for movement from
Earth to space, and transitioning military space technology into
A ny discussion of the future state of the military use of
space must begin with an understanding of the space
environment, how it is currently used, and how changing tech-
the fourth phase of ubiquitous use. SpaceX, the current industry nology will affect future use. For military purposes, the area
leader, founded in 2002, has achieved numerous milestones in of space that the Earth-Moon system occupies can be divided
its efforts to revolutionize rocket technology. Indeed, it is the into four regions.
first commercial enterprise to send a rocket into orbit (2008),
the first to return a spacecraft from low-earth orbit (2010), the
Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 5
Within these regions,
satellite operations, the
principal form of space opera-
tion, currently occur almost
exclusively in the second,
circumterrestrial region,
which can be subdivided
into four orbital zones (see
Diagram 2). Low Earth Orbit
lies between the end of the
D i a g r a m a d a p t e d f r o m J o h n M . C o l l i n s , M i l i t a r y S p a c e Fo r c e s : T h e N ex t 5 0 Ye a r s .
Earth’s atmosphere (100 kilo-
metres) and the inner edge of
the Van Allen radiation belts
(480 kilometres). Medium
Earth orbit stretches from the
start of the Van Allen radia-
tion belts to Geosynchronous
Orbit (480 kilometres
to 35,700 kilometres).
Geosynchronous Orbit fills
a very small area where
orbiting satellites can match
the rotation of the Earth’s
axis, making it possible to
lock them into a geosynchro-
nous orbit, that is, passing
the same location at the
same time each day, or
Diagram 1 – Regions of Earth-Moon System.13 a geostationary orbit,
remaining over the same
The first region is the Earth and its atmosphere, which location. Anything beyond Geosynchronous Orbit is con-
reaches from the Earth’s surface to 100 kilometres above it, or sidered High Earth Orbit, which extends to limit of
the distance where frictional heat strongly affects movement and circumterrestrial space (80,000 kilometres).15
re-entry to Earth. On top of
this region is circumterrestrial
space, reaching from 100 kilo-
metres to 80,000 kilometres
from Earth, and encompassing
an area heavily influenced by
Earth’s gravitational and mag-
netic fields. The third region,
the Moon and its environs,
D i a g r a m a d a p t e d f r o m J o h n M . C o l l i n s , M i l i t a r y S p a c e Fo r c e s : Th e N ex t 5 0 Ye a r s , p. 17
stretches from 80,000 kilo-
metres to 770,000 kilometres
from Earth, and defines an area
where the dominant aspect is
the interplay of the gravita-
tional aspects of the Sun, the
Moon, and other space bodies.
The final region of space, the
outer envelope, encompasses
anything beyond 770,000 kilo-
metres, an arbitrary distance
set at twice the distance from
Earth to the Moon, where
the dominant physical forces
become those of the Sun and
other solar bodies.14
Diagram 2 – Earth’s Orbital Zones.16
6 Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
Satellite operations primarily occur in the Low Earth and networks that operate therein, it will also reduce the costs and
Geosynchronous Orbits, and these regions are already quite clut- difficulty of maintaining satellites, providing resiliency to net-
tered. The Union of Concerned Scientists tracks commercial and works. Along with low cost rockets, miniaturization, and cheaper
military activity, and has identified 2,062 active satellites orbiting access to space will reduce the costs of satellites. For example,
the Earth as of early-2019. Of these, just under half (43%) are the newest Iridium Next communication satellites weigh almost
American owned, with 304 of these being military or govern- 1,900 pounds each, and cost over $27 million per satellite.23
ment satellites. China operates 299 active satellites, while Russia Satellites of this size and cost are gradually being replaced by what
has 153.17 Along with these operational satellites, there are over are termed small satellites, weighing under 400 pounds, which are
20,000 other pieces of space debris larger than a softball, such increasing in capability, and constitute the fastest growing share
as inoperative satellites or pieces of used rockets, that further of the satellite market.24
clutter circumterrestrial space and threaten to damage or destroy
operational systems currently in orbit.18 In a future state where circumterrestrial space is more
cluttered, and the prospect for satellite network interference is
Satellite operations in this cluttered environment are greater, small satellites launched from cheaper, reusable rockets
critical to terrestrial military operations for their ability to enhance offer users a cheaper, easier way to sustain operational capabil-
reconnaissance, early warning, communications, and remotely- ity and capacity. The big, expensive, and vulnerable networks
piloted vehicle operations. Consequently, militaries are conceiving described by Robert Work will become small, inexpensive, and
of ways to degrade adversary satellite networks as part of war easy to replace. In the future, when faced with a compromised
planning. In response to what former American Deputy Defense satellite network due to willful attack or unintentional mishap,
Secretary Robert Work called a “…big, expensive, enormously a state like Canada will be able to quickly regenerate its GPS/
capable, but enormously vulnerable” American satellite network, GNSS, surveillance, or communications network by the launch of
the U.S. has recently undertaken efforts to strengthen its defences rockets with dozens, if not hundreds of small satellites to “reseed”
against potential anti-satellite (ASAT) attacks.19 Nevertheless, orbit and bring operations back on line. The implication is that,
there is nowhere to hide objects in space from observation, and in the future, states will possess, or contract, ready reserves of
with ASAT capabilities proliferating, protecting military satellite small satellites to be launched into space by military or corporate
networks may prove to be a serious challenge. rockets to maintain critical, vulnerable satellite
networks. Cheap, reusable rockets will enable
While militaries must consider how to states to “regenerate” their satellites as fast as
work around degraded satellite capability, “Satellite operations adversaries could take them out.
civilian satellite operations are equally vul-
primarily occur in the
nerable, and perhaps, less resilient.20 Many While rocket technology will mean
civilian functions are dependent upon the Low Earth and increased flights of cargo from Earth to space
American Global Positioning System (GPS), Geosynchronous to sustain satellite networks, the same tech-
the world’s principal Global Navigational nology also provides for the possibility for
Orbits, and these
Satellite System (GNSS) network, for its pre- using Low Earth Orbit as a highway for orbital
cise time tracking ability to drive commerce, regions are already mobility. Cheaper rockets that can land and
traffic control, and communications on a global quite cluttered.” be reused can become rockets which can be
scale. A loss of GPS/GNSS timing could affect loaded with supplies, equipment, or person-
stock markets, automatic bank machines, cel- nel, launched through Low Earth Orbit, and
lular phone towers, traffic light systems, air accurately and safely landed, all in a more cost-
traffic control, and power distribution, potentially grinding critical effective manner. Low Earth Orbit will become a new orbital line
civilian infrastructure and financial transactions to a halt.21 of communication, to be used by military forces in conjunction
with the traditional ground, air, and sea lines of communication,
Cheaper, reusable rockets will expand access to the and will take only minutes to move large amounts of materiel
circumterrestrial region to more actors, making civilian and around the globe.
military satellite networks more vulnerable to intentional or unin-
tentional interference. While ASAT operations are traditionally Surface-to-surface rocket transit through Low Earth Orbit is
envisioned as the launch of missiles to physically destroy satellites, being pioneered by SpaceX and its Mars Rocket program, now des-
there are other ways to attack satellite networks, such as using space ignated as the “Starship” (and previously designated the “BFR”).
vehicles to interfere, subtly damage, or jam adversary satellites.22 The Starship is the follow-on development to the Falcon Heavy
Interference does not even need to be intentional, or require the rocket, which conducted its maiden flight in February 2018. The
use of purpose-built ASAT platforms. Increased activity in orbit Falcon Heavy rocket, capable of lifting 64 metric tons (just over
creates increased chances of mishaps and the creation of space 140,000 pounds) into space, will be the most powerful rocket in
debris, which, travelling at high velocities, can damage satellites operation by a factor of two.25 The Starship’s capability will dwarf
and create a cascading effect of debris. With the lowering cost of the Falcon Heavy, and SpaceX owner Elon Musk announced in
space access, the capability to interfere with satellite networks can September 2017 that he intends to land a BFR-supported spacecraft
conceivably proliferate to second- and third-tier space powers, or with human explorers on Mars by the year 2022. The Starship
even to non-state actors. will dwarf any rocket ever built, with the potential ability to be
continuously refueled and reused to move up to 150 metric tons
While cheap, reusable rockets will open circumterrestrial or over 330,000 pounds into orbit for each launch.26
space to more actors, thus increasing the vulnerability of satellite
Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 7
Musk also advertised the ability of the Starship to conduct The military implications of this technological
surface-to-surface transit on Earth. By moving through Low development are self-evident. As SpaceX’s pioneering work
Earth Orbit at a speed of 27,000 kilometres per hour, the Starship matures, military forces will be able to conduct logistics
could deliver cargo or passengers anywhere on the Earth in less through Low Earth Orbit. The Starship is planned to be capable
than one hour. Space pioneer and commentator Sam Dinkin of moving from 100+ metric tons, to possibly 150 metric tons
conducted a cost analysis of Musk’s concept of moving almost (330,000 pounds), of cargo. 150 metric tons is the equivalent to just
900 passengers and crew, a number similar under two C-177 Globemaster loads, or one-
to the Airbus A380 that Musk claimed his and-a- half C-5 Galaxy loads.29 A RAND study
Starship-powered shuttle could hold. While looking at airlift requirements to deploy a US
reduced costs for the proposed BFR would not “While using rockets Army Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT)
materialize until a mature industry can develop for administrative estimated that 239 C-17 equivalents would
over the next 10-20 years (the timeframe of the movement of personnel be required to deploy an SBCT, three days of
future state being examined), Dinkin estimated supplies, and debarkation sustainment.30 In
that a BFR could be procured at costs similar and material is one the future state, rocket replenishment could
to a A380, and could move passengers for just possible avenue of deploy a similar sized formation anywhere on
over one million dollars per trip, or $1,200 per the planet with 108 flights, each with a flight
development, the
customer.27 Use of an orbital line of commu- time of 30-45 minutes. While 108 flights are
nication with maturing rocket technology will tactical deployment likely an excessive demand, the movement of
enable terrestrial movement that takes days by of combat forces is a medium-weight armoured brigade provides a
ship and hours by aircraft to be completed in useful reference point for movement capacity.
another possibility.”
minutes by a rocket. Using the previous example of 900 personnel,
deployment of the personnel of an infantry
battalion to its prepositioned
equipment stocks can be
accomplished in a single lift.
U s e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n b y S p a c e X / h tt p : / / w w w. s p a c ex . c o m
This illustrates how reusable
rockets such as the SpaceX
Starship can transform
surface-to-surface movement
of materiel through Low
Earth Orbit.
While using rockets for
administrative movement of
personnel and material is one
possible avenue of develop-
ment, the tactical deployment
of combat forces is another
possibility. This is not a new
Diagram 3 – SpaceX Rockets Compared to Other Successful Rockets.28 or novel idea, as the concept
D N D p h o t o FA 2 012 - 10 0 7- 01 b y S e r g e a n t R o n F l y n n
A C-177 Globemaster III.
8 Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
of orbital deployment of soldiers has long existed, not only in Among these five points, the fourth and fifth points of
science fiction, but in military concept organizations. The US liberation (L4 and L5) which exist at a 60 degree angle ahead of
Marine Corps launched the Small Unit Space Transport and and behind the moon in its orbit, are considered to be potentially
Insertion (SUSTAIN) project in 2003, which aimed to move a key terrain. Their decisive impact stems from the fact that objects
13-Marine squad with equipment anywhere on the Earth on located at these points can maintain a stable orbit with minimal
a small tactical landing craft.31 It conceptualizes the launch of a energy, observe the obverse sides of both the Earth and the Moon,
landing craft from another vehicle, moving through sub-orbital and occupy the exit of the gravity wells for both these bodies.33
space to get to its objective, and by-passing national airspace issues By ‘looking down’ the gravity well of both bodies of the Earth-
to get to its objective area. Although conceptually different than Moon system, a weaponized satellite or station theoretically ‘holds
the orbital travel enabled by reusable rockets, it is conceivable the high ground’ of that system, for it expends less energy and
that a tactical landing vehicle could be designed for mounting on can gain greater acceleration with equal input than an adversary
a rocket, to be deployed from space, and landing dozens, if not approaching from the some place within the gravity well.
hundreds, of soldiers or marines in a form of “orbital assault.”
Orbital quick reaction or special operations deployments could Control of this ‘high ground’ in exo-atmospheric space could
be made around the globe in thirty minutes. be exerted by denying access to the Earth-Moon system by ‘attack-
ing from above’ any space vehicle trying to move up from the
In a future state where there is utility in orbital lines of surface of Earth (or, conceivably, the Moon). Weapon systems
communication for surface-to-surface travel and an increasing located in the L4 and L5 positions have the advantage of detect-
density of traffic in circumterrestrial space for satellite operations ing movement and launching some sort of attack with, as opposed
and maintenance, space control will become an essential element to against, gravity’s pull. They are also above the most useful
in military planning, just as air control is at present. Like areas orbits, Low Earth and Geosynchronous, for satellite networks. To
on the Earth, the Earth-Moon system has some ‘key terrain,’ or date, the pursuit of space weapons has been relatively latent: the
areas that give the force occupying them a marked advantage in concepts exist, but the desire to execute them has not. A recent
a confrontation. While space has no cardinal directions or ter- study by space, security, and defence experts Wilson Wong and
rain, there are key points in the Earth-Moon system that could be James Fergusson determined that, so far, “…the great cost involved
considered distinctive, if not decisive, due the impact of gravity. with turning the orbit-to-surface concept into a credible deterrent,”
These are known as the liberation points, or the points at which and “…the ease at which a low orbiting satellite may be found
the gravitational forces of two bodies balances out to create a (and attacked)” has meant that most weapons are better off (and
stable orbit, of which there are five for any two celestial bodies. cheaper) if maintained on Earth.34 Anticipation of an increasingly-
busier circumterrestrial region
of space could lead to a change
in outlook on space weapons,
with the L4 and L5 points
representing the ideal loca-
tion to overlook activity in the
Earth-Moon system.
Space weapons to
secure gravitationally-key
D i a g r a m a d a p t e d f r o m J o h n M . C o l l i n s , M i l i t a r y S p a c e Fo r c e s : Th e N ex t 5 0 Ye a r s , p. 2 0
‘terrain,’ along with traffic
along orbital lines of com-
munication and an increase in
satellite operations, represent
aspects of a projected future
state caused by expanded
military and civilian use of
space. This change in poten-
tial future warfare is driven by
lower-cost, reusable rockets
currently being pioneered by
companies such as SpaceX,
and have serious potential
to create new security issues
and changes to the paradigm
of how space is used, and
who uses it. Countries such
as Canada, currently oper-
ating on the periphery of
space operating nations, will
Diagram 4 – Lunar Liberation Points (L).32 soon find itself required to
Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 9maintain a permanent and expanded presence If cheap, reusable rockets as the hub to
in low-Earth orbit to maintain adequate enable future space development represents the
defensive capabilities. “A busier, more future state 15 years out, three critical impli-
crowded Earth-Moon cations and their effects upon military space
Implications operations must be considered now. First and
system will mean that
foremost, the ‘genie is out of the bottle,’ and
N othing in the changes in how space
is used and who uses it described
herein is based upon new-or-novel concepts.
the clash of merchant
and guardian interests
the Earth-Moon system will lose its 70-year
status as the preserve of governments and a
few large corporations. Just as the Spanish
Commercial rocket services, satellite min- will occur at the state claim to the Caribbean as a sort of ‘Spanish
iaturization, space stations, civilian space and global levels, Lake’ was broken by the official and unofficial
travel, space weapons, and the belief of a increasing the seafarers of rival nations during the 16th and
progressively-greater presence of humanity 17th Centuries, SpaceX has created the condi-
outside the confines of Earth are all ideas requirement for tions where smaller states and companies can
that have been present in the literature of accommodation and access, compete, and develop their potential in
space for decades. What is new is SpaceX’s coordination regarding space. Without a doubt, Canada is in this group.
achievement of a reusable space vehicle Countries and corporations that currently oper-
atop a rocket with the potential to vastly space policy.” ate in space must start considering now how
reduce the costs of accessing space. This they will handle new actors in the region while
advance essentially serves as the platform those that do not must consider how they can
for future space development, as the practicality of ubiquitous best unlock the potential of their emerging access. For militaries,
use, in both engineering and financial terms, now exists for the planning considerations concerning the concept of control of space
near-future. SpaceX’s lower-cost, reusable rockets are the hub or space superiority, and the possibility of being forced to win it
around which other concepts and technologies can be realized, or not being able to exercise it, will become as essential as those
exploited, and further developed. As humanity moves towards who have been concerned with airpower superiority.
a greater presence in space, the effects upon future war and
military theory and practice will be as profound, as will effects New actors in space leads to the second implication for states
upon all other aspects of the human endeavor. to consider: tension, both interstate and intrastate, with respect to
what the Executive Secretary of the American Space Council, Scott
Pace, has termed the cultures
of the merchants (focused
upon competition and profit)
and guardians (focused upon
order and protection).35 A
busier, more crowded Earth-
Moon system will mean that
the clash of merchant and
guardian interests will occur
at the state and global levels,
increasing the requirement for
accommodation and coordi-
nation regarding space policy.
Traditional political, defence,
and economic alliances need
to start considering today how
to coordinate their affairs on
the orbital highways of cir-
cumterrestrial space. New
methods of cooperation
between states and alliances
can build the necessary redun-
dancy of essential capabilities
to respond to cases of satel-
lite network failure, due to
intentional attack or inad-
vertent mishap. New forms
of traffic control will require
implementation as the vol-
Au t h o r
ume of traffic into and around
Diagram 5 – Low-Cost, Reusable Rockets as the Hub for Future Space Development.
10 Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
Lanmas/Alamy Stock Photo/G3T04G
17th Century Spanish Galleons.
the circumterrestrial region overwhelms current Earth-based The implications for the CAF are evident. Over the next
monitoring systems. Much like the oceans today, the tension 15 years, space, and more specifically, the Earth-Moon system,
tomorrow between space as an economic development concern will become a key domain for competition between terrestrial
and space as a national security factor will affect how all these actors. The CAF, as part of its future capability horizon planning,
coordination issues are addressed. should consider the following questions:
Further complicating coordination is the final implication • How will the CAF operate from space in 15 years?
concerning military operations in the future state: the change in
• How will the increase in space operations affect
infrastructure requirements for space operations in the face of
CAF principles for command and control relationships,
evolving rocket technology. Under the current paradigm, military
mechanisms, and infrastructure for military operations?
operations are conducted through large, fixed installations with
established government agencies and contracted companies. These • How will the CAF access space in 15 years? Through
are easy to monitor, and they act as bottlenecks for access, due military procured rockets, civilian rockets, or a
to throughput of launches. Smaller, lighter rockets and smaller public-private venture?
payloads require less infrastructure. This is already occurring, • What sort of Earth-based infrastructure will the CAF
with launches from rocket Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) require to operate successfully in space in 15 years?
vehicles and submarines putting small satellites into low Earth
orbit.36 The reduction of logistics required to support a launch • How will the CAF generate the specialist personnel to
will mean that rocket support facilities or vehicles could devolve manage and execute operations in space in 15 years?
from national assets to theatre or even tactical assets. Military
planners must take this into account as they organize to support Over the next 15 years, the development of cheaper, reusable
and defeat future space operations. rockets by commercial industry will lead to rapid expansion of
military presence in space, establishing the economic feasibility
Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 11of space-based military operations for state and non-state actors. space and low-earth orbit as a given, and a failure to address
Low cost, reusable rockets being pioneered by SpaceX will serve the questions listed earlier means the CAF will be ‘playing
as the hub for a host of other existing technologies and concepts catch-up,’ and will be ‘on the outside looking in’ towards a
to be developed and employed in space. potentially decisive domain for military operations. As we
observe SpaceX and other companies continue their drive to
Conclusion improve their creations, we are watching the 21st Century’s
Wright Flyer take off, and like that modest flight in 1903, the
I n order to remain relevant in 15 years, Canada and the
Canadian Armed Forces must start working now to deter-
mine how best to manage the implications. Planning for
potential of cost-effective, reusable rocket technology offers
to change the parameters of space power within a generation.
Canadian operations in the 2030s now must take access to
NOTES
1 John Buckley, Air Power in the Age of Total James Fergusson (Eds.), Military Space Power: 24 NASA, “What are SmallSats and CubeSats?”in
War (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, A Reference Handbook, (Santa Barbara, CA: NASA.gov, 26 February 2015, at: https://www.
1999), p. 67. ABC-CLIO LLC, 2010), pp. 21-24. nasa.gov/content/what-are-smallsats-and-cube-
2 Marc Boucher, “An Overview of Canadian 16 Diagram adapted from John M. Collins, Military sats, accessed 31 December 2017. Irene Klotz,
Military in Space in 2014 – Part 1,” in SpaceQ.ca, Space Forces: The Next 50 Years, p. 17. “Small satellites driving space industry growth:
9 February 2015, at: https://spaceq.ca/an_over- 17 Satellite database at Union of Concerned Scientists, report,” in Reuters, 11 July 2017, at: https://www.
view_of_canadian_milspace_in_2014_-_part/, “UCS Satellite Database,” UCSUSA.org, at: reuters.com/article/us-space-satellites/small-
accessed 24 September 2019. http://www.ucsusa.org/resources/satellite-data- satellites-driving-space-industry-growth-report-
3 Jim Oberg, Space Power Theory (Washington, base, accessed 2 December 2019. Satellite distri- idUSKBN19W2LR, accessed 31 December 2017.
D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1999), p. 119. bution currently sees 92% (1892) of all satellites 25 Information on Falcon Heavy found on SpaceX
4 James Clay Moltz, Crowded Orbits: Conflict in either low earth or geosynchronous orbit. company website, at: http://www.spacex.com/
and Cooperation in Space (New York: Columbia 18 NASA, “Space Debris and Human Spacecraft.” falcon-heavy, 2 December 2019.
University Press, 2014), p. 10. NASA.gov. 26 September 2013, at: https://www. 26 Information on BDR found on SpaceX com-
5 David Axe, “When it comes to war in space, U.S. nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_ pany website, at: http://www.spacex.com/starship,
has the edge,” in Reuters.com, 10 August 2015, at: debris.html, accessed 31 December 2017. 2 December 2019.
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/08/09/ 19 David Axe, “When it comes to war in space, 27 Sam Dinkin, “Estimating the cost of BFR,” in
the-u-s-military-is-preparing-for-the-real-star- U.S. has the edge,” in Washington Post, “Fearful The Space Review, 9 October 2017, at: http://
wars/, accessed 13 November 2017. after China’s anti-satellite missile tests, Pentagon www.thespacereview.com/article/3343/1,
6 Oberg, pp. 67-68. launches space command centre,” South China accessed 21 December 2017.
7 Ibid, p. 69. Morning Post, 10 May 2016, at: http://www. 28 SpaceX company website, at: http://www.
8 Sarah Kramer and Dave Mosher, “Here’s How scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/ spacex.com.
much money it actually costs to launch stuff into article/1943056/fearful-after-chinas-anti-satellite- 29 The C-17 can carry a load of 77 metric tons
space,” in BusinessInsider.com., 20 July 2016, at: missile-tests, accessed 31 December 2017. (170,900 pounds), while the C-5 can haul
http://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-rocket- 20 Dan Glass, “What happens if GPS fails?” in The 122 metric tons (270,000 pounds). Statistics
cargo-price-by-weight-2016-6/#bottle-of-water- Atlantic, 13 June, 2016, at: https://www.theatlan- obtained at the US Air Force webpage, at: http://
9100-to-43180-1, accessed 13 November 2017. tic.com/technology/archive/2016/06/what-hap- www.af.mil/.
9 Information found on SpaceX company website pens-if-gps-fails/486824/, accessed 31 December 30 Alan Vick et al., The Stryker Brigade Combat
at: http://www.spacex.com/about. 2017. Team: Rethinking Strategic Responsiveness and
10 Information found on Rocket Lab at: https://www. 21 Lewis Dartnell, “What would happen if sat- Assessing Deployment Options (Santa Monica,
rocketlabusa.com/about-us/ and Vector Space ellites fell from the sky?” in The Telegraph, CA: RAND, 2002), pp. 15-28.
Systems at: https://vectorspacesystems.com/com- 29 April 2014, at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ 31 David Axe, “Semper Fly: Marines in Space,” in
pany/ websites. culture/books/10785683/What-would-happen- Popular Science, 18 December 2006, at: https://
11 Kramer and Mosher. Also, see Andrew Chaikin, if-satellites-fell-from-the-sky.html, accessed www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/arti-
“Is SpaceX Changing the Rocket Equation?” in 31 December 2017. cle/2006-12/semper-fly-marines-space, accessed
Air & Space Magazine, January 2012, at: https:// 22 Lee Billings, “War in Space May Be Closer Than 31 December 2017.
www.airspacemag.com/space/is-spacex-chang- Ever,” in Scientific American, 10 August 2015, 32 Diagram adapted from John M. Collins, Military
ing-the-rocket-equation-132285884, accessed at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ Space Forces: The Next 50 Years, p. 20.
13 November 2017. war-in-space-may-be-closer-than-ever/, accessed 33 Ibid., pp. 21-25.
12 Oberg, p. 69. 31 December 2017. 34 Wong and Fergusson, pp. 108-114.
13 Diagram adapted from John M. Collins, Military 23 Stephen Clark, “Iridium satellites rolling off assem- 35 Scott Pace, “Merchant and Guardian Challenges
Space Forces: The Next 50 Years (Washington, bly line in Arizona,” in Spaceflight Now, 13 July in the Exercise of Spacepower,” in Toward a
D.C.: Pergamon-Brassey’s, 1989), p. 7. 2016, at: https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/13/ Theory of Spacepower: Selected Essays, Charles
14 Ibid., pp. 6-22. iridium-satellites-rolling-off-assembly-line-in-ari- D. Lutes et al., (Eds.), pp. 241-273 (Washington,
15 The division of orbital zones in the circumter- zona/, accessed 31 December 2017. D.C.: National Defense University Press, 2011.),
restrial region is arbitrary, and the convention pp. 248-250.
used here is from John M. Collins, Military Space 36 Oberg, Space Power Theory, pp. 70-71.
Forces, pp. 15-16. Also see Wilson Wong and
12 Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020MILITARY PHILOSOPHY
G AU T I E R S t e p h a n e / S AG A P H OTO. C O M / A l a m y S t o c k P h o t o / D M B B 1 B
The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin, in the gardens of the museum created in 1916 in Paris by the sculptor.
e-Thinking: Pre-Empting Global Instability
in the 21st Century
by Eric Dion
Eric Dion, CD, MBA, Ph.D., is a contract professor, an our contemporary (or e-) thinking. Indeed, global events do not
executive management consultant and a military veteran who happen by accident; human designs have a great part to play.
served for 25 years in the Canadian Forces. He teaches at the As we invented the ‘World,’ ‘Time,’ and ‘Money,’ naturally, we
Canadian Forces College, and his research focuses on the strategic can deconstruct these ideas as Lego® blocks that can be melted
management of national security and global defence. down intellectually, and then philosophically redesigned.
Taking an original comprehensive e-Thinking perspective, this
Authorship Note article aims to deconstruct our most complex problems and
T
cognitive dissonances in order to more fundamentally reflect
his article is reflexive, and thus contains facts upon our epistemologies and way of thinking. Indeed, Einstein
and opinions, which the author alone considered famously once said:
appropriate and correct for the subject. It does
not necessarily reflect the policy or the opinion “We can’t solve problems using the same logic we used
of any agency, including the Government of Canada and the when we created them”
Department of National Defence. ~ Einstein
Introduction Moreover, we will purport that e-Thinking is quintessen-
tial to pre-empt global instability. The Allies, as we refer to
T he advent of Cognitive Warfare within so-called Gray
Zones is already upon our Allies.1 New thinking is no
longer innovative, it is imperative to pre-empt global instability
20 percent of the world’s population living in the Occident, have
essentially been avoiding major wars at all cost, preventatively
engaging in our world. Our interest fundamentally rests in stable
in the 21st Century. This article thus proposes to venture into socio-economic conditions for our way of life. In the 21st Century,
Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 13Situational Context
I t may appear global instability is at our doorstep,
and moreover, in our ‘Internet of Things.’ Since
the Allies have been wholly unable to manage
the Middle-East conflicts with some intellectual
wherewithal, it seems we are now facing an era of
‘unending warfare.’ Indeed, and from the start, the
plan appears to have been to bog down the Allies
in ‘civilisation wars.’ What is worse, Russia plays
Hybrid Warfare, China plays Unrestricted Warfare,
and non-state actors play Asymmetric Warfare. This
global context thus creates a perception that we are
in for a ‘long war’ in this century, and perhaps even
in for a Fourth Generation War, as it materializes
and develops. From this viewpoint, Afghanistan,
Iraq, and Syria can be thought of as a contemporary
litmus test.
What is much less apparent and more ambiguous is
the fact that the vast majority of today’s humanity lives
PictureLux/The Hollywood Archive/Alamy Stock Photo/PM4JD1
much longer and livelier than any of their predecessors
in modern times.2 Hence, major wars and conflicts the
scale of world wars are avoided at all possible cost.
Plausible war scenarios remain, but the potential of
global contemporary war is much more unconventional
in this perspective. However, they are still involving
all crucial elements of power. Thus, new emerging
approaches are not so much interesting as they are
truly required because the global context has changed,
at least, in our own perception of this environment.
As we are building the World, we are creating
our own military chaos, if only by accident. Thus:
“[…] they came to realize that what to think and how
Albert Einstein, 14 January 1931. to think are integral parts of the making and unmak-
ing of contemporary conflicts.”3 Indeed, more people
die in suicides annually than in all conflicts
National Security & Global Defence is really around the world,4 although population dis-
about pre-empting instability. placement from these conflicts remains a major
“What is much less unaddressed issue, which impacts more the
In a comprehensive perspective, six apparent and more living than the dead. Thus, different from the
dimensions support major human deci- popular view, terror is not a strategic issue:
sion-making: The situational-context, ambiguous is the fact It is more of a globally- recurring annoying
socioculture, organisational structure, that the vast majority of wart, but not debilitating.5 Hence, the global
strategic policies, systemic processes today’s humanity lives contemporary context is intrinsically tied to
and synergistic dynamics. Each our own perception of it, as much as it still
dimension can be thought of much longer and has to do with the cold hard facts, both of
independently, and it is what most theories of livelier than any of their which we must therefore balance. As such,
our world do, placing the locus of thinking predecessors in the situation is not dire.
within one-or-two dimensions idiosyncrati-
cally. However, this meta-theoretical model modern times.” Socio-Culture
really adds value when all dimensions are
considered interdependently, as complex
and ‘wicked’ problems in the ‘real world.’
Moreover, accepting that most of humanity is well intended,
A s the rational-comprehensive perspective
has dominated through the industrial era,
in the information era, alternative perspectives to this paradigm have
it is an important philosophical underpinning to contemporary emerged, specifically from the lens of social-constructivism. Often
war theory, which manages by exception and less by example. conflated within context, the socio-cultural dimension now requires
Therefore, engaging constructively and proactively in the world an analysis of its own system, within the system of six dimensions
are key premises. previously identified.
14 Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020MILITARY PHILOSOPHY
Indeed, war is a social construct, as the ‘war of peoples’ Organisational Structure
are waged by proxy through their militaries for governments.
Sometimes literally contracted out, warfare officially remains
the prerogative of nation-states, but socially constructed chal-
lenges to this Westphalian view have emerged through the ideas
I n order to ‘think outside of the box,’ there first must be an
acknowledgement of the box itself. Thus, we are not propos-
ing to burn the box that has served us well, but rather that we
of indirect warfare, such as terrorism and insurgency. No longer think from the box and particularly for the box, beyond the box.
are Occidental peoples seemingly satisfied with their international Without a box to start with, a box in which we are all educated
engagements, and this social-political pressure out-manoeuvers and experienced, an entire endeavour is fundamentally devoid
contemporary warfare in their name’s sake. of intellectual structure. However, this is not the sole dimen-
sion to consider, as we have argued herein. The military alone
The soldier-citizen disconnect is more obvious, as the military is unable to solve the root causes of contemporary and human
social contract is outdated. Our enemies include civilians within conflicts, so even the false dichotomy between civilian and
their arcs of fire, but civilians are part of the solution. Citizens military, similar to many others, needs revision.
are ‘fighters’ in their everyday lives because warfare is now social
and economic. We should promote Operations & Intelligence fusion
structures akin to brawns with brains, and also integrate organisa-
“[Thus, terror] can be successfully challenged over the long tions within the whole of National Security & Global Defence
run by prudent policies that maintain the fundamental tenets of teams. By design, we can prepare a military offer of services while
society”6 – Raheel Raza, Their Jihad … Not My Jihad! Warfare, we do not control the demand, which is both structural in terms
if legitimised by the people for the people, must maintain this of physical and virtual organisation, and intellectual. The current
moral high ground. As such, our Allied militaries, carrying out regimen of military silos does not provide a structurally-sound
the people’s wars, must be highly intelligence-aware, understand- organisation in time and space and thought, when deconstruction
ing intelligence not simply as a military function for example, of Regiments and reconstruction of Task Forces happens in the
but as a human function. “Thus, NCMs7 should be educated and midst of battles. The main challenge that frustrates military plan-
empowered to think.”8 Therefore, our current military structures ners is mostly organisational issues, and not so much strategic
of thought must be opened and rapidly transformed. issues, akin to ‘rearranging the chairs’…
DND photo/CFC J6 Imaging
Canadian Forces College Toronto.
Canadian Military Journal • Vol. 20, No. 2, Spring 2020 15You can also read
