Report

The Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association has the honour to present its report on the participation of Julie Dzerowicz M.P., at the Halifax International Security Forum, from November 19 to 21, 2021. MP Dzerowicz was invited to the event in her capacity of Vice-President for the NATO Parliamentary Association (NATO PA).

The Halifax International Security Forum is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington DC. Over the past 13 years, Halifax International Security Forum has brought together leaders and influencers from over 80 democratic countries around the world to discuss and debate common goals and shared challenges. It is widely recognized as the world’s foremost security conference for democracies and attracts an array of top decision-makers including senior military officers, cabinet-level officials, members of the US Senate, and global industry leaders, along with leading journalists, strategists, and champions for human rights from around the globe. This year the Forum was hosted by the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence.

The purposes of the meeting were as follows:

• Contribute to building a “defence community,” bringing together stakeholders of all backgrounds;

• Compare ideas with the reality on the ground by immersing participants in the world of the armed forces;

• Bring together key defence stakeholders based on national and international current events;

• Produce public policy recommendations and strategic advice regarding geopolitical challenges of the day.

Participants heard presentations from the following people:

• Cindy Hensley McCAIN

• Dr. Nancy OKAIL, Visiting Professor, Stanford University

• Petro PORESHENKO, Former President of Ukraine

• John AQUILINO, Admiral and Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command

• Hélène CONWAY-MOURET, Senator, France

• Ram MADHAV, Former National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party

• Malcom TURNBULL, former Prime Minister of Australia

• Chris COONS, Senator, United States

• James RISCH, Senator, United States

• David THOMPSON, General and Vice Chief of Space Operations United States Space Force

• Esther IBANGA, Pastor and Executive Director and Founder of Women Without Walls Initiative

• Vjosa OSMANI-SADRIU, President of the Republic of Kosovo

• Bright SIMONS, President of mPedigree

• Roger WICKER, Senator, United States

• Onno EICHELSHEIM, Chief of Defence Netherlands Armed Forces

• Kirsten GILLIBRAND, Senator, United States

• Rocky MEADE, General and Chief of Defence Staff, Jamaica Defence Force

• Karl SCHULTZ, Admiral and Commandant, United States Coast Guard

• Anatolia PETRENKO, Major General and Deputy Minister of Defence, Ukraine

The following themes were discussed by speakers and participants:

• Command and control (C2) weapon systems, operational superiority factors and new vulnerabilities
  • Hypersonic: Russia & China ahead
  • Testing in Space and the need to return to strategic restraint
  • Changing culture in military

• Post-COVID world
  • Power in partnerships: fight authoritarianism and fight misinformation
  • Building trust in institutions

• Future of military
  • Role in climate disasters: role of civilians’ vs military
  • Recruitment changes / expectations

• Afghanistan
  • No food or resources therefore susceptible to Taliban support

• POST-Merkel Ukraine: atypical build-up at the border
  • Discussion on what Ukraine wants: surveillance & recognition; medical support; ability to counter cyber influence over their system
    • Role of Diplomacy; reinforce with peacekeeping force
    • Role of Turkey
  • Post-Merkel
    • Big policy issues left on the table
    • What does French-German defence cooperation look like in the 21st century?
    • Merkel will leave a vacuum in Europe
    • Will France and Italy fill the vacuum?
    • Northstream2 on pause
  • Strategic Concept
    • Artic
    • Climate change
    • Democratic resilience
    • Migration: migrants being used as weapons
  • Changing face of terrorism
    • Need to develop and reaffirm standards regarding new technologies, as well as the importance of abiding by international rules.
  • China: 2nd largest military: political warfare; disinformation/misinformation
    • Question regarding China and low interest loans from the WTO
    • Disparity between the use of social media by China against Western countries versus China not allowing Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
    • How to ensure China honours trade agreements
  • Defence cooperation between London and Europe post-Brexit: business as usual?
    • The need to balance profit and global peace and security
    • Innovation in defence & security and the private sector: should NATO countries be working together to increase their bargaining power with innovators as military technologies evolve?
    • Weakening of democracy over the past 10 years
  • Europe’s strategic independence and NATO integration: capacity and strategy compatibility
    • Importance of promoting democracy globally as an alternative to authoritarianism
  • From Kabul to Mosul: what are the operational lessons learned and perspectives after 15 years of foreign military engagements?
    • Increase in the number of coups and a rise in terrorism in North Africa and the Middle East
    • Afghanistan: Can’t abandon the progress and investment that has been made, need to continue to engage and support as invited; work to mitigate risks
  • Controlling the area: strategic dimension of ground forces and perspectives
    • China presents challenges, Russia is instigating conflict
    • Question of has the US era ended and the Asian era begun
    • Role of small and medium sized countries in peace, defence and security moving forward

  MP Dzerowicz took the opportunity to take part in a closed-door roundtable on the 2022 Strategic Concept with key stakeholders, organised in the margins by the Halifax International Security Forum and NATO. This consultation was particularly important given the upcoming meetings of the NATO PA where its submission to NATO would be discussed.

  Respectfully submitted,

  
  

  Julie Dzerowicz, M.P.,
  Chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association