Page 91 - North Atlantic and Nordic Defense

North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return

“ASW is becoming a key priority, which provides an important reinforcement of the need to invest in this area
of competence. As a small air force, we have to shift resources to the highest areas of need or priority; with
the ASW focus, this highlights the importance of what we do within the overall defense forces.

“And we receive a great deal of support from the Royal Canadian Navy because we provide a core
capability for their operations, even though we are an Air Force asset.”

Question: How does the Cyclone fit into the way ahead with regard to information management and
decision-making?

Colonel Sid Connor: “We are a connected asset with Link 11 and are looking to add Link 16. But we are
designed to operate without a need to download data to a ship to process our data.

“We have standalone kit on the helicopter, which allows us to mission system planning and decision making as
required. We don't have to plug into the ship with our mission data. After a flight, we plug it into our own
system, analyze it, and then push out the relevant data.

“We are designed to operate as a single ship up to engagement within a task force. And as such we need to
operate on our own or to network as required with the task force, without having to do so to execute our basic
missions.

“As the networks evolve, you have to look at the whole picture. You have to look at all the players. You don't
know for sure when you're collecting data where ultimately that sensor shooter equation will be executed
going forward. And we have to evolve with this approach as well.

“And in this shift it is about the management of information and getting the right information to the right
people in a timely manner.”

Question: Moving from Sea Kings to Cyclones is bringing about a shift in cultures as well because of the
technological shifts and the work flow shifts. How will you deal with the culture change?

Colonel Sid Connor: “We have elements of our culture that we absolutely must maintain and we have elements
of our culture that going forward we absolutely must drop. We need to figure out which is which and that will
happen as we operate and shape lessons learned from our operations. We really won't know the right
answers until we operate and learn from those operations. But culture change is clearly part of the challenge.

“We are doing exercises this Fall and next year which will help shape our thinking about load sharing within
the helicopter in executing missions more effectively. The first will be the Submarine Commanders Course and
the next will be at RIMPAC 2018.”

Canada and North Atlantic Defense: The Modernization of the CP-140

By Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte

2017-10-16

As the NATO allies focus on new threats and those posed by historic competitors, the need to reinforce North
Atlantic defense is coming back into focus. As the former head of NORAD, Admiral Gortney, put it in an
interview shortly before his departure:

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