To read the article, please head to The Globe and Mail.

Since establishment in 1985, researchers at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, have been helping Canada meet these challenges. Over nearly four decades the Centre has advised the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as the go to think tank for Arctic defence research, especially on protecting Canada’s vast northern frontier for NORAD and NATO operations.

The Canadian Arctic landscape

Dr. Andrea Charron, Director of the Centre and Professor in the UM Department of Political Science, is one of the country’s leading voices on Arctic security. She has co-authored numerous reports for the Department of Defence, advising on the challenges military personnel will face in Arctic.

She and senior scholar James Fergusson also lead conferences, write op-eds and books, appear in documentaries, as well as providing guests lectures and courses to prepare CAF members for deployment in the North.

“The Arctic is the world’s smallest ocean, the fasted avenue of attack and a rapidly changing landscape due to climate change,” says Charron.

Dr. Andrea Charron, Director of the UM Centre for Defence and Security Studies.

“Many people imagine that climate warming means less sea ice, however this melting ice actually breaks up and chokes Canada’s Northwest Passage making it even more difficult to navigate. At the same time advances in technology and growing geopolitical competition are making modernization of NORAD more critical than ever.”

The Canadian Arctic makes up 40% of the country’s land mass and 72% of its coastline but is sparsely populated with only about 150,000 residents — less than 0.5% of Canada’s total population. This means that available infrastructure is few and far between, with military operations often creating deficits in energy and other critical resources for those who call the Arctic home.

Canadian Coastguard vessel in the Arctic.

In Defence of the North

Despite Arctic climate change having unpredictable impacts on day-to-day life for Northern residents, it is events outside of the Arctic that are drawing southern Canadian public attention north. The ongoing war in Ukraine continues to threaten expanding conflict between Russia and NATO allies, with the Arctic as Canada’s frontline.

“The Center approaches these challenges holistically, recognizing that we face threats across many domains, from the ocean subfloor to space, and we’re now at a stage where a whole-of society effort is needed,” says Charron.

Canada’s eyes and ears in the Arctic are the Canadian Rangers, an Army Reserve of local residents with deep understanding of the land who are the frequent first responders in search and rescue operations and other unusual events.
The Canadian Coast Guard is planning to expand operations as climate change lengthens the shipping season.

Partnership with Northern communities

Arctic residents have limited access to the fuel, medicine, schools, Internet and communication often taken for granted in southern Canada. Increased operations like training exercises or installation of new military hardware puts a strain on hamlets and residents, who have no way to replenish their supplies.

“With the recent Federal announcements that 5% of Canada’s GDP will now be spent on defence and defence related infrastructure, especially in the Arctic, my greatest hope is for this investment to directly and continuously benefit northern communities,” says Charron.

Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet in flight.

Military operations like training exercises can interrupt caribou migrations and have other unintended consequences for Indigenous residents. Having adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Canada has a duty to consult and work with Indigenous Peoples as rights holders to adapt the approach to defense and security in the Arctic.

Every time the military surges presence in the Arctic for exercises like the five-times yearly Op NANOOK, stockpiles of resources like fuel require heated storage facilities creating logistical challenges. Thankfully, the Rangers are on hand to guide CAF members on the land and, aside from increased resources and infrastructure, Arctic security would also benefit from expanded access for residents to first responder training and tools.

“Investing in local hamlets and organizations like the Canadian Rangers strengthens both sovereignty and quality of life,” says Charron. “What is truly needed for Canadian Arctic security are healthy, active, growing Arctic communities with lots of economic potential.”

National recognition

Andrea Charron and James Fergusson were honoured with the King Charles the Third Coronation Medal in June 2025 in recognition of their contributions to security and defence policy development in Canada, especially NORAD.

“Sovereignty in the Arctic cannot be imposed from afar but must rather be led by the people and communities who live there,” says Dr. Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International). “Building on longstanding relationships based on principles of respect, trust and shared goals with Arctic communities in Churchill, Chesterfield Inlet and Rankin Inlet, UM is uniquely positioned to drive the national effort for Arctic defence and security.”

“Canada has lost many procurement specialists, and they tend to rotate positions, especially who is the lead on the F-35 and so there is not necessarily consistent, persistent attention to a very complicated file,” Prof. Charron said.

“Multiple eyes are supposed to be on these contracts, so where is the accountability of the other departments as well?”

To read the entire article, please follow the link to The Globe and  Mail.

“Discussions are ongoing to establish the scope of the review to ensure it is efficient and thorough, and determine timelines for the completion,” he wrote.

Andrea Charron, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, said proceeding to trim the aircraft order could irritate Washington further.

“Using the F-35 as a bargaining chip could backfire badly,” she said.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to The Globe and Mail. 

To listen to the full conversation, please follow the link to CBC Day 6.

If you find this topsy-turvy state of affairs bewildering, you’re not alone. Trump’s desire to hold talks with Vladimir Putin about ending the Russia-Ukraine war — and the U.S. vote on Monday against a United Nations resolution to blame Russia for the invasion — has shocked the director of the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies.

“The Trump administration has decided that it can trust and align itself with adversaries more so than allies — and that’s concerning for all allies,” Andrea Charron said Tuesday in an interview.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CBC Manitoba.

It makes a few differences, says James Fergusson, senior scholar at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba.

For starters, he says, it would give Canada greater say in how to defend the continent — instead of letting the U.S. make decisions on its own.

It would also clarify that NORAD has jurisdiction over cruise and hypersonic missiles. And, finally, it would simply allow Canadians into the room for discussions about highly classified topics — like the strategy for shooting down weapons over North America.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CBC News. 

On January 29th and 30th, all are invited to revisit the past while engaging in important topics of the present. The 2025 conference features keynotes from two venerable Canadians along with a number of scholars and practitioners as the conference presents The UN at 80.

Stretching over two days, this conference commemorates the 80^th anniversary of the United Nations offering expert insights into the UN, it’s history, the significance of the 80-year milestone, and critical current and future UN-related topics.

On January 29, the conference begins at 6:00 p.m. with the Paul Buteux Memorial Lecture, delivered by Hon. Bob Rae, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York. The keynote is followed by a Davos style Q&A with Hon. Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and longtime Winnipeg advocate. This event takes place at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Register for this event.

The second day of the conference (January 30) offers two panels of experts plus keynote speaker Hon. Dr. Lloyd Axworthy. Day two events take place in the MPR, 2^nd floor UMSU University Centre.

• Panel One: UN Peacekeeping, 10:00 am – 11:15 am
• Panel Two: UN of the Present and Future, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
• Keynote: Hon. Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, The UN at 80: Reflections, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (includes Q&A). Register for this keynote.

The PSSC is the leading Manitoba-based forum on international affairs, defence and security which regularly leaves marks not only in Canadian strategic thinking but more broadly on the continent. Created by Dr. Paul Buteux and organized by the students of the Department of Political Studies at UM, the conference aims to challenge conventional wisdom in the field and present policymakers with alternatives for the future. Since its inauguration in 1985, the J.W. Dafoe PSSC has proudly hosted a multiplicity of academics, activists, government officials, media and students from across Canada, the United States and Europe. It is free and open to the public.

Student organizers for the 2025 PSSC are: Madlin Murad (political studies undergraduate), Cooper Roy (political studies undergraduate), David Sopotyk (political studies MA), Lindsay Speirs (political studies MA) and Sasha Tiaglei (political studies and Central and East European studies undergraduate). The group is guided by Dr. Andrea Charron, professor of political studies and director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies.

Attendees can reserve their free tickets to PSSC events and find more information on the speakers and sponsors on the PSSC conference webpage. Questions may be directed to PSSC@umanitoba.ca or visit them on Instagram or X @umpssc.

Start the new year off with important and timely political and international affairs discussions at these upcoming events.

But he pointed out the U.S. Defence Department uses SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company.

“To the Americans, he’s not a security problem.”

To read the full story, please visit The National Post.

“But on the other hand, you know, every once in a while, the government surprises us,” she said, noting Ottawa acquired 16 new P-8A surveillance aircraft relatively quickly.

To read the full article, please visit The Globe and Mail.