Volume 3, Issue 3 Summer 2017

Canada’s National Interests and Land Power1 Implications Colonel Derek Basinger Commandant – Canadian Army Command and Staff College (CACSC) Director – Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers (Dir RCE)

"First, the land matters most. Whether or not landconstitutestheprincipalgeographicalmediumonwhichcombatiswaged,strategiceffectultimatelymusthaveitsway in a territorial context. Most wars entail somefightingonthegeographywherethebelligerentslive,theland.Even ifawar isdominatedbytheebbandflowofcombatatseaandintheair,stillthewholeobjectoftheexercise is to influence the behavior on an enemy whoneedstobecontrolledwherehelives,theland…Humanbeingsdonotliveatsea,orincyberspace."2The halls of academia are the normal venue for anydiscussionofCanada’senduringnationalinterests,anda recent internet search for a discussion of nationalinterestsoutsideofacademicsourcesturneduponlya2007 article from Douglas Bland that containedanything more than either a reference to the term'nationalinterest'oraverycursoryexaminationofthesubject. This lack of discourse in the public domainleavesanygivenCanadianGovernment ill-informedofwhatthepublicseesasenduringnationalinterestsand,dependingontheexperiencelevelofthecabinetintherealm of defence, security, and foreign affairs,potentiallyignorantoftheimpactsofdeclaringspecificpoliciesorissuesasbeinglinkedtoanationalinterest.ThispaperwillidentifyCanada’snationalinterestsandindicatetheirpotential implicationsforthedeliveryoflandpowerbytheCanadianArmy.

Definitions are important and defining 'nationalinterests' provides the first logical step in theirexamination.Insimpleterms,andforthepurposeofthispaper,national interestsarethosethataresufficientlyimportant for any Canadian Government to expendblood and treasure towards their attainment orprotection. Embedded in this definition is theexpectation that any existential threat to the nationwouldmostcertainlybeagainstitsinterest.ThisgivesthefirstandmostbasicofCanadiannationalinterests–thatofthedefenceofthenation.3Inthisregard,Canadaismostfortunate.Geographyandthesettlingofdifferenceswithourclosestneighbourinthe19thcenturyremovedfromthecalculusofnationalinterestthevitalissuetowardswhichmostnationsmustcommitasignificantamountoftime,moneyandenergy:theprotectionofthestatefromaninvadingarmy.TheonlyphysicalmilitarythreatsthatCanadamustprotectherself against are those that involve very advancedtechnology and long-range weapons. Given ourmembershipinNORADandNATO,onlythemostdireofchangestothegeopoliticalrealitieswould foreseeanyof those types ofweapons being useddirectly againstCanada. Further, while the use of such weapons mayresult in thedeathofanumberofCanadians, theyareunlikely to result in the fall or surrender of Canada.Therefore,thephysicaldefenceofthenationasawhole

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doesnotrequirethelayeredair,sea,andlanddefensivebandsthatcanbefoundontheborderbetweenNorthandSouthKoreaalongourentireperimeter.However,itdoes indicate the need to maintain our positiverelationship with the United States as embodied inNORADand thePermanent JointBoardofDefense, aswellasourcontinuedmembershipinNATO.Giventhelack of immediate existential threat, our actions andeffortstoprotectandpromoteournationalinterestscanbefocusedmoreonourprosperityandthewell-beingofourpeople.Nationsaroundtheworldrequireahealthyeconomytoallow them to provide for their people. Canada is nodifferent. While Canada does not lack for naturalresources, it requires an outlet for its goods andservices. Canada’s economy is dependent on an openand freeglobal tradingenvironment,particularlywiththeUnitedStates.4Openaccesstotheglobalcommonsis therefore critical and represents a national interestforCanada.Withoutbeingasuper-power,however,itisdifficulttoensurethattheglobalcommonsremainopenandfree.TheimplicationsofthisforCanadiandefence,security and foreign policy are that Canada needs tocontributetoglobalstabilityinsuchamannerthatthecontributionisrecognizedbytheworld,butnotsolargethat it bankrupts the nation. The danger is that ifCanada’scontributionsaretoominorthenationwillnothaveanyvoice in theresolutionof tradedisputesandthosedisputesmaythenbesolvedtothedetrimentofCanadian access to the global commons. Further, theCanadiancontributionmustbe such that thenation isnotseenasfree-loadingontheeffortsofthosenationsthataredirectlycontributingfunding,militaryassetsordiplomatic efforts to keep trade as free as possiblethrough the global commons. This is a very difficultnationalinteresttoquantifyandtoturnintopolicy.TheimportantpointisthatCanadacannotaffordtobecome

isolationist andmust continue to contribute to globalpeaceandstability.Beyondapositivefinancialsituation,anationmustalsoensurethatthereisastabledomesticenvironment.InCanada, a stable domestic environment translates tonationalunityaswell asgoodorderandgovernance.5DomesticrealitiescaneasilypreoccupyaGovernment,be they natural disasters, internal security threats orunity issues.Anydiscussionofnational interestsmustacknowledge that in times of domestic crisis theGovernmentneedstouseallofitsassetstoamelioratethe problem. Hence, domestic stability is a nationalinterest, albeitonedealtwithbyPublicSafetyCanadaand the police. Only in extremis should the CanadianArmedForcesbeinvolved.The logic in the preceding paragraphs appears in the2015 Speech from theThrone aswell as themandatelettersfortheministersofNationalDefenceandForeignAffairs. 6 Those documents reflected, as nationalinterests, the protection of our nation and theprosperityofourpeople.7Specificallymentionedweregrowingtheeconomy,strengtheningrelationshipswithallies, contributing to greater peace throughout theworld, and expanding economic opportunities. Alsoindicated in those documentswas the need to have astrongCanadianArmedForcesinordertopursuethesegoals;inotherwords,topursueournationalinterests.The key questions are, therefore, how does, and howcan, theCanadianArmyinparticularcontributetotheprotection of these national interests through thedeliveryoflandpower?Defence of the nation, access to free and open globalcommonsanddomesticstabilityarethereforeCanada’snationalinterestsbutthefirstandthirdrarelyplaceanysignificant demand on the Canadian Army. The rapid

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deployment, presence, and engagement of organizedpersonnelandequipmentunderaneffectivecommandand control apparatus is normally enough tomitigateand,with time, resolvedomestic crises.8Similarly, thedefenceofthenationresponsibilityrests,aspartofourcollectivedefence,withNORADand,inextremis,NATO.The Canadian Army, through the presence of theCanadianRangers and regular northern exercises andpatrols,augmentstheseoperations.TheCanadianArmymustthereforefocusitseffortsonensuringthatCanadacanremain,asbefitsaG7nation,anactiveparticipantinthe policing of the global commons. At times thesemissionswilldirectlyrelatetotherequirementtokeeptradeflowingbutoftenitisoneortwotimesremovedfrom that direct effect. Taking part in expeditionaryoperations when identified by the Government ofCanada is the method to achieve the objective ofremainingausefulmemberofcoalitions,agoodallyandaparticipatingglobal citizen.Themandate lettersandSpeech from the Throne reflect this focus. Further, asconflictisatitsbaseahumanendeavour,toensureitsresolution it is necessary to interact on a person-to-person basis. Only the Army can persistently operateamongapopulationinaconflictzoneafterdiplomacy,sanctions and other soft power methods have failed.Last, an Army deployment into a conflict zonedemonstrates a real and enduring demonstration ofCanada’scommitmenttoanygiveninternationalissue.Canada’s Army is a force of last resort to protectCanada’s national interests. Fortunately, in the nearfuture the deployment and employment of Canada’sArmy to deliver effects in the land domain remains adiscretionary decision by the Government of Canada.Unfortunately, it is impossible to create a competentArmy just in time to deal with evolving geopoliticalrealities. Our involvement in the G-7, NORAD, 5 Eyesand NATO demands that our Army is capable of

operating in some of the most difficult potentialconflicts.Thetechnologicaladvantagethatisnecessarytoachievethisgoalmustfiguresignificantlyinanyplansfor Canada’s Army, as must interoperability with ourclosest ally – the United States. This paper hasdemonstrated that an examination of our nation’sinterestscan logically leadtotheseconclusions.Whilethislogicexerciseisnotnormallyperformedoutsideofacademiccircles, it is importanttowalkthroughtheseconnectionswhencontemplatingdefencepolicy."You may fly over a land forever; you may bomb it,atomizeit,pulverizeit,andwipeitcleanoflife–butifyoudesiretodefendit,protectit,andkeepitforcivilization,you must do this on the ground, the way the Romanlegionsdid,byputtingyouryoungmenintothemud."9Theviewscontainedinthispaperaretheauthor’saloneandnotareflectionofanyofficialCanadianArmypolicyorpointofview.

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Endnotes 1.Landpowerisdefinedas,“theabilityinpeace,crisis,andwartoexertpromptandsustainedinfluenceonorfromland.”SeeWilliamT.Johnsen,RedefiningLandpowerforthe21stCentury(CarlisleBarracks,PA:StrategicStudiesInstitute,1998),6.2.ColinGray,ModernStrategy(Oxford,UK:OxfordUniversityPress),207.3.FortherelationshipbetweennationalinterestsandsecurityseeArnoldWolfers,“'NationalSecurity’AsAnAmbiguousSymbol,”Chapter1fromNationalandInternationalSecurity,ed.MichaelSheehan,Aldershot,(BurlingtonVT:Ashgate,2000),3-24.ForahierarchyofnationalinterestsseeLt.Col.T.P.Olwell,USAF,“ForeignPolicyandaState’sHierarchyofNeeds,”USAFAirWarCollegePaper,March1995,publishedatwww.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA328891,accessed13February2016.TheConferenceofDefenceAssociationsInstitutestatedthatCanada’sNationalInterestsare,“toensurethatitspeoplearesafe,thattheyprosper,andthatthecountrymaintainsitspoliticalindependence,security,andaroleontheinternationalstateconsonantwiththepursuitofthatsecurityandthatprosperity.”FerryDeKerkchove,TheStrategicOutlookforCanada2016.CDAIVimyPaper,http://www.cdainstitute.ca/images/Vimy_Papers/Vimy_Paper_27_-_SO2016_English.pdf,accessed8March2016.4.GovernmentofCanada,"Canada’sStateofTrade:TradeandInvestmentUpdate–2016,"International.gc.ca,accessedMarch23,2017,http://www.international.gc.ca/economist-economiste/performance/state-point/state_2016_point/index.aspx?lang=eng.

5.LawsofCanada,"ConstitutionAct1867,Section91,"accessedMarch8,2016,http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/CONST_E.pdf.6.GovernmentofCanada,PrimeMinister’sOffice,"MandateLetters,"PM.gc.ca,accessedMarch27,2017,http://pm.gc.ca/eng/mandate-letters.7.RecentworkfromtheConferenceofDefenceAssociationsInstitutereflectsthesameinterestsbutexaminesinmoredepththoseinterestsaswellasthemechanismswithwhichCanadacanexportourvaluesintheinternationalarena.SeeFerrydeKerkochove,“TheStrategicOutlookforCanada2016”.8.GovernmentofCanada,NewsRelease,"CanadianArmedForcesadjustingice-stormassistancetoNewBrunswickasconditionsimprove,"Canada.ca,February5,2017,accessedMarch27,2017,https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2017/02/canadian-armed-forces-adjusting-storm-assistance-new-brunswick-conditions-improve.html?=undefined&wbdisable=true;MacLean’s,"CanadianForcescuttingbacknumbershelpinginAlbertafloods,"MacLean's.ca,June24,2103,accessedMarch27,2017,http://www.macleans.ca/news/canadian-forces-cutting-back-numbers-helping-in-alberta-floods/.9.T.R.Fehrenbach,ThisKindofWar(NewYork:BantamBooks,1991),408.