Message from the Deputy Minister of National Defence

Within Canada’s defence and security nexus, CANSOFCOM operates in the grey zones of conflict and deterrence. As we sit at the dawn of 2020, Canada is increasingly faced with a geopolitical reality that lacks defined boundaries of war and peace, safety and danger. Many of the traditional rules of conflict are being bent by foreign entities – some state-sponsored, some rogue actors, and some a combination of the two.

In this environment, it is appropriate that CANSOFCOM leadership continue to ask hard questions of itself, its vision and mission, and the wider purpose and capabilities of the CANSOF team. The result is Beyond the Horizon.

As successor to CANSOFCOM’s 2015 Strategic Plan, the new Strategy is a forward-looking document that is firmly grounded in Canada’s defence reality, accounting for how CANSOFCOM stands today and how we must stand in the future. The document hits the right notes, from a more defined whole-of-Defence Team approach, to its critical alignment with Strong, Secure, Engaged, to its foundational elements of relevance, relationships and innovation.

I am pleased to endorse Beyond the Horizon and the thoughtful work of MGen Peter Dawe and his team, and I look forward to the manifestation of this Strategy over the next several years.

Jody Thomas

Deputy Minister of National Defence