China and Russia believe they are at war with Canada and Western democracies, show willingness to start large-scale violent conflict, Canada must prepare for it, Canadian military says (CAF) secretary told lawmakers.
Chief of Defense General Wayne Eyre said Before the House of Representatives Standing Committee on National Security on October 6, he testified about the threats posed to Canada by the authoritarian regimes of China and Russia.
“We find ourselves once again in a chaotic and dangerous world, where those in power – Russia and China – are determined to reshape the world order to suit their own ends.” He said.
Ayer said that China and Russia “do not distinguish between peace and war” and that they “use every element of their national power, often just under the threshold of large-scale violent conflict,” in seeking to achieve their national goals. I will act with,” he said. Pointing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he added that these regimes are “crossing that threshold.”
“Russia and China are not only looking to stay in power, they are also looking to expand,” Ayer said. “They think they are at war with the West.”
These dictatorships see the greatest threat to their rule coming “from their own people,” rather than from outside enemies, Ayre notes, noting that “they believe that the social cohesion of liberal democracies and That is why we seek to destroy the credibility of our own institutions.” Let our model of government be seen as a failure. “
“The rules-based international order that has underpinned global stability and, in turn, our nation’s prosperity for generations is undermining. There should be,’ he said.
Cybercrime on the rise
Caroline Xavier, director of Communications Security Establishment, Canada’s cyber intelligence agency, told the National Security Council that there is growing concern over cybercrime, particularly cybercrime sponsored by national agencies targeting Canada. He said he was.
“Cybercrime is the most prevalent and most pervasive threat to Canadians and Canadian businesses,” she said. “Cybercriminals attempting to probe Canadian systems have been found in Russia, China, Iran and elsewhere.”
“Cybercrime is the threat most likely to affect the average Canadian, but state-sponsored cyber programs by China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia pose the greatest strategic threat to Canada. “
Xavier pointed out that common tactics used by attackers include ransomware, personal data theft, and online fraud. Critical infrastructure operators and large enterprises are some of the most lucrative targets, she added.
Task
As Canada increasingly faces these external challenges, Canada’s armed forces are also facing a recruitment crisis, Ayer told lawmakers.
In response to a question from Conservative MP Raquel Dancho, Ayre said: “I’m very concerned about our numbers. That’s why we’re organizing,” he said.
data previously released A January division also showed that the CAF was short of about 12,000 regular and reservists as of the end of November 2021, The Canadian Press reported.
After the end of the Cold War, Dancho argued that Canada’s “defensive capabilities [North American Aerospace Defense Command] Infrastructure has been neglected,” quoting Eyre earlier. interview On the CBC in May, “given the deteriorating world situation,” Canada said its defense industry needed to “return to wartime mode and increase production lines.”
Ayer noted on 6 October that the CAF had embarked on a “restructuring” effort to address the growing threats, both globally and at home, and the relative decline in the preparedness of the Canadian Armed Forces. An operation to “rebuild, re-equip, re-equip” an army after a major operation.
” [COVID-19] The pandemic has not been kind to the Canadian military. our numbers have dwindled. So we are embarking on a priority effort to get those numbers back—recruitment, retention—so that we can be ready for that,” he said.
But he declined to comment on whether the federal government should increase defense spending, but said Canada was not ready to face new challenges.
“The military we have today is not the military we need for future threats,” he said. “We need to continue to research and assess these threats to ensure we have the ability to address these emerging threats.”
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Andrew Chen is a reporter for the Epoch Times based in Toronto.