The sad state of our armed forces is no secret while the world is becoming more dangerous. Canada needs a bold plan to take its security seriously.

We must stop free-riding and start taking our security seriously

Strengthen our capabilities 

A strong, competent military and a robust security framework are the bedrock of any nation's security. To achieve that we will:

1. Boost spending on military to 2.5% - 3% of GDP as soon as possible

2. Bring our hardware and combat readiness up to operational standards

3. Increase recruitment and hardware numbers 

4. Build up an ammunition stockpile

5. Increase investment into defense R&D

Honour alliance commitments 

Given Canada's small demography and the scale of the global challenges we face, we are dedicated to honour the alliance commitments we have. The most important of these are:

1. NATO - For atlantic security 

2. NORAD - For airspace security 

3. Join a Pacific security framework with friendly nations

4. Five Eyes - For intelligence 

Anticipate potential vulnerabilities

And proactively work to counter threats that could arise from there. The areas we seee as the most important to secure as soon as possible are:

1. Arctic Ocean

2. Cyber security 

3. ICBMs

Overview of the Problem

There is no denying that we have enjoyed an unprecedented era of global peace and stability for most of the past 30 years. The West did not face any real existential threats for that period of time. The end result came to be known as the "peace dividend". A mix of globalization and redirection of military spending allowed us to enjoy rapid improvements in quality of life and quality of public services.

The world however has changed in the time since. The rise of an assertive China, around the south China sea, and the increase in Russian aggression, as seen in Ukraine, are the most pressing and active challenges to today's rules-based order that the West has come to prize. At the same time, other countries see an opportunity for them to improve their position in the world in the midst of the tension.

We must also acknowledge that the West as well has played a role in the weakening of the rules-based order in the eyes of many in the rest of the world. We have unfortunately settled for a belief that our systems of liberal capitalist democracy are the end of history, and as such the  final stage of societal development. We're aware Francis Fukuyama, the founder of the theory, has changed his stance since, but in our view it appears our governments at large have held on to that view, at least partly, and as a result a culture of strategic complacency took hold.

We cannot change the past, so the next best thing is to change the present. Our goal is to strengthen our military into becoming a deterring force that meets the commitments we made to our allies. Unfortunately we now live in a world where having a deterring force is necessary to ensure mutual respect between nations. Because even though everyone loses a lot in a war, the biggest losers are always the ones who take peace for granted.