2023-24 Departmental Results Report:

At a glance

A Departmental Results Report provides an account of actual accomplishments against plans, priorities and expected results set out in the associated Departmental Plan.

Vision, mission, raison d'être and operating context

Minister's mandate letter

Strategic Operating Context

As the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) recovered from the effects of the pandemic and continued to build and reconstitute a resilient CAF, Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine intensified with devastating consequences. In addition, the geopolitical situation has further deteriorated. Russia's illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to the return of conventional high-intensity warfare to the heart of Europe. The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas now threatens to spark a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies. Tensions are rising in the Taiwan Strait and the South/East China Seas, following China's use of force and coercion.

Against this backdrop of challenges, DND/CAF worked to address unprecedented crises in a time where the rules-based multilateral international order is being profoundly shaken. DND/CAF played a strong and effective role in addressing crises, supporting North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) measures to deter further Russian aggression, implementing elements of the Indo-Pacific Strategy and working with Allies to establish the new NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence while focusing on delivering the plans and priorities set out at the beginning of fiscal year (FY) 2023-24.

Key Priorities

In FY 2023-24, DND/CAF focused on the following key areas:

• Operations and Readiness
• Reconstitution
• Culture Evolution
• Modernization

As one of the largest federal departments, National Defence plays an important role in ensuring effective and efficient government operations to deliver the best results for Canadians. FY 2023-24 continued to be a challenging economic time for the department and all Canadians. Budget 2023 announced a reduction of $500 million for FY 2023-24 to federal organizations' travel budgets and spending on consulting and other professional services. As part of meeting this commitment, National Defence carefully considered reductions in spending and implemented $211.11 million in reductions in FY 2023-24.^{Footnote 1} The initial department-wide reductions exercise identified several areas for savings and potential long-term efficiencies to be explored in FY 2024–25, as outlined in the 2024-25 Departmental Plan, to ensure that spending is directed towards top defence and government priorities.

Highlights

In 2023-24, the total actual spending (including internal services) for DND/CAF was $33,469,476,787 and total full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) was 90,587. For complete information on DND/CAF's total spending and human resources, read the Spending and human resources section of the full report.

The following provides a summary of the Department's achievements in FY 2023-24 according to its approved Departmental Results Framework. A Departmental Results Framework consists of a department's core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.

DND/CAF advanced major initiatives to achieve long-term priorities for the CAF and deliver results for Canada and Canadians. In reflecting on the past year, it is evident that recruitment, equipment reliability and maintenance were significant areas of underperformance which impacted operational readiness.

To address these issues and ensure Defence is better prepared to meet current and future challenges, Canada released Our North, Strong and Free (ONSAF): A Renewed Vision for Canada's Defence earlier this year, which invests $73 billion in defence and security over the next two decades. This builds on the $38 billion dollar investment to modernize the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), in partnership with the United States.

Core Responsibility 1: Operations

Actual spending: $2,190,545,796

Actual human resources: 2,867

Departmental results achieved:

• Canadians are protected against threats to and attacks on Canada.
• People in distress receive effective search and rescue response.
• Canada's Arctic sovereignty is preserved and safeguarded.
• North America is defended against threats and attacks.
• Canadian Armed Forces contribute to a more stable and peaceful world.

Significant pressure was placed on CAF personnel and resources to remain agile and prepared to conduct concurrent operations in support of Government of Canada objectives. Key accomplishments included:

• The CAF assisted civil authorities in six provinces and territories in response to natural disasters, deploying more than 2,100 members for 131 consecutive days on Operation LENTUS;
• Military personnel maintained a presence across the Arctic and the North and provided assistance to northern operations and activities to safeguard Canada's Arctic sovereignty;
• Every day and in all domains, approximately 1,000 CAF members supported North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD); fulfilling its missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for the defence of North America;
• The CAF continued its extensive military contributions to Ukraine, including the donation and transport of equipment as well as military training to help empower Ukrainians with the skills to defend their nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity;
• The CAF contributed to support NATO deterrence and defence measures in Central and Eastern Europe, leading the NATO multinational Battlegroup in Latvia since 2017;
• The CAF sustained training and capacity-building efforts in the Middle East under Operation IMPACT, including through NATO Mission Iraq, which was set up under Canadian command to contribute lasting security and stability in the country; and
• The CAF implemented the defence and security elements of Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy and related opportunities to increase CAF presence, collect and share intelligence, and deepen defence partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.Interoperability with key Allies remained a focal point for the CAF while supporting the Whole of Government approach to the region.

More information about Operations can be found in the "Results – What we achieved" section of the full Departmental Results Report.

Core Responsibility 2: Ready Forces

Actual spending: $13,368,953,007

Actual human resources: 42,208

Departmental results achieved:

• Canadian Armed Forces are ready to conduct concurrent operations.
• Military equipment is ready for training and operations.

In FY 2023-24, Defence prioritized efforts that strengthen the CAF's ability to deploy combat-ready forces and meet Canada's defence objectives. The CAF actively participated in major exercises and training events in domestic, continental, and international contexts, with Allies and partner nations, to increase interoperability and ensure that it remained as ready as possible to conduct complex operations in contested, degraded, and operationally limited environments. Recently, approximately 1,000 CAF members, including sailors, soldiers, aviators, and special forces participated in Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER in Europe, the largest NATO exercise in decades.

The CAF faced difficulties in meeting several readiness targets due to technical challenges, shortages in personnel, equipment and materiel, and the age and condition of some fleets. The continued downward trend in fleet serviceability is a result of years of underfunding in National Procurement funds and aging and increasingly obsolete fleets.

To address these issues, Defence worked with government and industry partners to implement initiatives to ensure the availability and serviceability of critical equipment to achieve training and readiness objectives. Key investments include new F-35 fighter aircraft, Armoured Combat Support Vehicles, and new air defence systems. The goal is to grow the CAF and enhance readiness to meet international and domestic operational commitments and to protect Canadians now and in the future.

More information about Ready Forces can be found in the "Results – What we achieved" section of the full Departmental Results Report.

Core Responsibility 3: Defence Team

Actual spending: $5,390,707,098

Actual human resources: 19,820

Departmental results achieved:

• Canadian Armed Forces is growing toward its end state of 101,500 personnel.
• The health and well-being of the Defence Team is well supported.
• The Defence Team reflects the values and diversity of Canadian society.
• Military families are supported and resilient.
• Youth in Canada are provided with experience and opportunities that enable a successful transition to adulthood.

National Defence continued to prioritize its reconstitution efforts to ensure that the CAF can force generate capable and ready forces. Activities focused on immediate and long-term plans to grow the CAF and continue to deliver the desired strategic effects for Canada on all assigned operations.

Defence undertook measures to improve the applicant experience as well as to speed up processing timelines. Recognizing that members face unique cost-of-living challenges due to job requirements, a pay increase was instituted for most CAF members to ensure that they remain fairly compensated for their continued and dedicated service. While considerable progress has been made since the initial CAF Reconstitution directive launched in October 2022, work continues to consolidate and prioritize attraction, recruitment and retention initiatives to recover personnel strength and rebuild the CAF. The Defence Team can expect to be reconstituting until 2032. Our collective mission is to grow the CAF to 71,500 Regular Force and 30,000 Primary Reserve Force members and lay the foundations for future growth as reinforced in Canada's recent defence policy update.

In 2023, DND/CAF released the Comprehensive Implementation Plan to address recommendations from external review reports to build a strong Defence Team where all members feel protected, supported, respected and empowered to serve. The plan includes major policy initiatives that will have a direct impact on the lives of CAF members and their families, such as improvements to the CAF complaints and grievance processes, expansion of CAF support services to affected persons and victims of all types of misconduct, and continued efforts to address key systemic employment barriers.

Approximately 20 of the recommendations from Madame Arbour's Independent External Comprehensive Review were implemented with all recommendations expected to be addressed by the end of 2025. Bill C-66 was introduced in Parliament to amend the National Defence Act, an important step in a long journey designed to achieve durable and lasting institutional reform, as well as strengthen trust and confidence in the military justice system. The Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre expanded its services beyond current and former CAF members and DND public service employees to include Cadets, Junior Canadian Rangers, and family members of the wider Defence community.

Additional information on Defence recruitment is available on the Forces website, and in the CAF Retention Strategy. Additional information for military family support can be found at the Military Family Resource Centres website.

More information about Defence Team can be found in the "Results – What we achieved" section of the full Departmental Results Report.

Core Responsibility 4: Future Force Design

Actual spending: $1,472,799,282

Actual human resources: 2,144

Departmental results achieved:

• Defence capabilities are designed to meet future threats.
• Defence and security challenges are addressed through innovative solutions.

Along with its Allies and partners, Defence furthered its analysis of the future operating environment, which provided a measure of the challenges Canada must consider when pursuing the design of military capabilities required to counter the threats of tomorrow.

CAF Force Development and Design activities continued implementing Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE): Canada's Defence Policy and the modernization of NORAD, and supported generating military advice as part of the work behind ONSAF released in April 2024.

To support NORAD modernization, research and development investments contributed to identifying and researching cutting-edge technologies and concepts to deter, detect and defend against evolving threats to the continent across all domains, including space, cyber and the information environment.

In July 2023, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) launched its first three Pilot Challenges. Seven Canadian companies were among the 44 successful companies that were selected to begin taking on challenges related to energy resilience, secure information sharing, and sensing and surveillance. DIANA aims to bring together the Alliance's most promising start-ups, scientific researchers, and technological companies to solve critical defence and security challenges.

Defence worked with Allies to establish a NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) in Montreal, Quebec to better understand and address the security impacts of climate change, and to inform military planning and preparedness. The CCASCOE reached initial operational capability in October 2023 and is expected to achieve NATO accreditation and become fully staffed and operational by the end of 2024.

More information about Future Force Design can be found in the "Results – What we achieved" section of the full Departmental Results Report.

Core Responsibility 5: Procurement of Capabilities

Actual spending: $4,927,504,771

Actual human resources: 2,874

Departmental results achieved:

• Defence procurement is streamlined.
• Defence equipment acquisition is well-managed.
• Defence information technology acquisition is well-managed.
• Supplies are available and well-managed.

The Department continued to expend significant efforts to deliver on the 362 Strong, Secure, Engaged and NORAD Modernization procurement projects underway to ensure that the CAF is equipped with the modern capabilities they need to succeed in a complex and constantly evolving world. The volume and complexity associated with this work has driven the need for further improvement and innovation. In response, DND launched two innovative pilot programs - the Purchasing and Supply Group Academy and Continuous Capability Sustainment. These two initiatives are directly targeted at increasing the Department's procurement capacity, optimizing Defence procurement, and ensuring that CAF capabilities keep pace with technological advances and remain operationally relevant.

National Defence also worked with industry and government partners to streamline the defence procurement process, including supporting the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) led Defence Procurement Review, and implement more agile and innovative procurement approaches. Indigenous investments were also incorporated in Defence procurements to build Indigenous capacity within the Defence Supply Chain.

Defence procurement represents an important investment in the Canadian economy and the creation of jobs for Canadians from coast to coast. Major procurement initiatives such as the National Shipbuilding Strategy have directly benefited Canadians by contributing $17 billion to the economy and creating or maintaining over 15,500 Canadian jobs annually since 2012.

More information about Procurement of Capabilities can be found in the "Results – What we achieved" section of the full Departmental Results Report.

Core Responsibility 6: Sustainable Bases, Information Technology Systems and Infrastructure

Actual spending: $4,913,996,715

Actual human resources: 15,575

Departmental results achieved:

• Naval, Army and Air Force Bases enable military operations and defence activities.
• Defence infrastructure is well-managed throughout its lifecycle.
• Defence activities are carried out in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

In FY 2023-24, Defence invested in base/wing services and infrastructure. This included strategic planning, investments in modernization, including IT, and addressing aging facilities to ensure sustainable and effective base/wing operations. The focus was on setting measurable standards, optimizing resources, and advancing projects to meet current and future capability requirements, reflecting a commitment to modernization across the CAF.

DND real property portfolio has many buildings and systems that are coming to the end of their life expectancy. This aging infrastructure is increasing the need for maintenance, repairs and recapitalization of buildings in the portfolio while also prioritizing efforts to reduce the environmental footprint. Despite the aging infrastructure maintenance and replacement costs outstripping available resources, DND/CAF was still able to complete airfield upgrades to support fighter capability, operations and contributions to NORAD, and new construction, and repairs and upgrades, to improve range and training areas, utilities, and buildings. Projects involved expanding and renovating Transition Centres to allow for continuity of activities and support services for CAF members and repairing and upgrading infrastructure to provide facilities for Reserve Force members to operate.

The Defence Climate and Sustainability Strategy was tabled in November 2023, outlining National Defence's plan to achieve a sustainable vision for assets and operations in Canada and around the world, and for the first time included a narrative on the nexus between climate change and security. Although there was progress in several areas, inadequate housing availability and facilities continued to be an issue for CAF personnel. The Canadian Forces Housing Differential was implemented to support members who have a difficult time affording basic housing in high-cost locations.

More information about Sustainable Bases, Information Technology Systems and Infrastructure can be found in the "Results – What we achieved" section of the full Departmental Results Report.