‘History will tell’ if Canada’s military facing new decade of darkness: defence chief – National

With ongoing staffing challenges and growing demands on armed forces from around the world, is the Canadian military about to enter a new decade of darkness?

“History will tell,” said General Wayne Eyre, chief of defense staff, in an interview with The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson, which will air in full on Sunday.

“I think it’s too early to say … if it’s a decade of darkness. I’ve certainly faced some challenges in this position and the major forces face some challenges,” he said.

“But our job is to do everything in our power to do better, to be ready.”

In addition to a shortage of recruits, the Canadian military continues to face longstanding challenges in acquiring new equipment, maintaining obsolete equipment, and locating replacement parts.

There are also lingering questions about whether the federal government will move to ordering replacements for the weapons, equipment and other gear, such as ammunition, that the Canadian military has donated to Ukraine in the billions.

While military officials are blaming no single issue when it comes to recruitment and retention issues, the Canadian Armed Forces have been rocked in recent years by a sexual misconduct crisis that has touched even the highest ranks, along with greater attention to systemic racism.

The reputation problem has been exacerbated by concerns about the presence of far-right extremists and racism in the ranks, which a review last year said were factors that have “repelled” new recruits.

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Military recruitment challenges remain as domestic demand rises: Secretary of Defense

But the deepening problems come amid a world that is rapidly becoming more unstable and uncertain – a defense minister, Anita Anand, said last year she was becoming “darker” and “more chaotic”.

“We can still react fairly quickly, but are we big enough for the demands? And that’s why we have to work on all those factors,” Eyre said.

“I’m concerned because we’re seeing this increased demand signal around the world and here at home because of our deteriorating security situation around the world. And that means the country will demand more and more from the Canadian Armed Forces in the years to come.”

Eyre said he is concerned these factors mean the Canadian military is not ready for the challenges ahead as the global security situation continues to “deteriorate”.

The full interview will air Sunday at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.

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