Insight on Canadian priorities: Defence and security

NATO’s evolution

Alexandra Gheciu, University of Ottawa

Gheciu analyzes how NATO is adapting to heightened instability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, highlighting pressures on allied unity and the Alliance’s capacity to respond to evolving threats. It provides insights into NATO’s future role in the Euro-Atlantic security landscape and implications for Canadian defence policy.

Canada’s defence posture

Andrea Migone, Toronto Metropolitan University

Set against the post-2022 security environment, this research analyzes how Canada’s defence posture is adapting to renewed great power competition, including China’s rise. The research links shifts in foreign and strategic policy to internal CAF challenges and operational demands across personnel, capabilities and defence management systems.

Shifting great power alignments

Srdjan Vucetic, University of Ottawa

Vucetic examines how shifting relations between the US, China, and Russia are reshaping the international order. This research focuses on “swing states,” defined as countries whose strategic positioning and interactions with major powers influence global alignments, and highlights the trade-offs involved in navigating alliances.

Global governance and security

Jennifer M. Welsh, Canada 150 Research Chair Laureate, McGill University

Welsh focuses on the changing character and regulation of armed conflict, including the roles played by key institutions such as the United Nations, national armed forces, nonstate armed groups and humanitarian organizations. Her work specifically examines the impact of human rights norms, such as the “responsibility to protect,” and will analyze the likely trajectory of such norms in a new geopolitical context where liberal ideas are encountering backlash.

NORAD and continental defence

Andrea Charron, University of Manitoba

Charron’s research focuses on continental defence, NORAD and Arctic security. Her work has traced the history of key international defence organizations as they respond to evolving contexts and new threats. The research examines important drivers of change, including innovations in technology, and provides insights into the options available to organizations like NORAD to successfully modernize in the face of rapidly evolving challenges.

Sovereignty, security and stewardship

Whitney Lackenbauer, Canada Research Chair, Trent University

Lackenbauer's research examines how Canada can balance Arctic sovereignty, security and stewardship in ways that protect Canadian interests and values—particularly those of Indigenous Peoples. His work also explores how northern defence infrastructure and capacity can support long-term security outcomes and cooperation with allies amid intensifying great-power competition in the Arctic.

Learn more: Canada’s Arctic moment: Rethinking security, sovereignty and strength in the North

The new Arctic threat environment

Rob Huebert, University of Calgary

Arctic security has been reshaped by recent geopolitical shifts. These include nuclear signaling, NATO expansion with Finland and Sweden, and renewed focus on NORAD modernization by Canada and the US. Huebert’s research situates these developments within longer term trends in military activity across Arctic states.

Arctic diplomacy in flux

Merje Kuss, University of British Columbia

Kuss’ research explores shifts in Arctic diplomacy and governance through two key tensions: (1) between established actors, including Arctic Council states, and emerging actors, particularly non-Arctic states such as China; and (2) between state actors and non-state actors, including transnational institutions such as the European Union, as well as Indigenous organizations, environmental groups and private companies.

Bridging Inuit knowledge and Arctic security policy

Cheryl Mitchell, Trent University

Mitchell reconceptualizes Arctic security by bridging traditional defence and human security perspectives. Her research brings together Inuit knowledge and policy analysis to develop a framework that reflects the interconnected realities shaping security in the Canadian Arctic.

Canada’s role in international intelligence operations

Michel Beaulieu, Lakehead University

Using a historical international espionage network as a case study, the research repositions Canada within the history of intelligence operations. It also considers how the episode influenced Canada’s image abroad, with implications for how its role in security and intelligence is understood today.

The intelligence-policy interface

Thomas Juneau, University of Ottawa

Centered on the intelligence–policy interface, this research assesses whether Canadian intelligence analysis delivers timely and decision-ready insights to policymakers. Juneau identifies gaps in analytical performance and puts forward recommendations to strengthen national security.

Canadian nuclear arms policy

Timothy Sayle, University of Toronto

Sayle analyzes Canada’s historical role in the development and deployment of nuclear weapons, including its support to the US’s arsenal and the integration of nuclear capabilities into Canadian forces. Through newly declassified government records, he assesses how and why key nuclear policy decisions were made.

Defending Canadians from nonconventional threats

Emanuel Lukawiecki, University of Ottawa

Evolving threats such as misinformation, foreign meddling and domestic extremism are placing new demands on Canada’s national security. Lukawiecki’s research compares how other countries respond to these challenges and identifies lessons to inform Canadian policy.

National security transparency in Canada

Thomas Juneau, University of Ottawa

This research analyzes how Canada’s national security institutions operate in terms of transparency, including the effectiveness of oversight and public access and understanding.

Cyber deterrence

Alexandre Wilner, Carleton University 

Wilner repositions deterrence analysis within cyberspace, examining how multilateral organizations, governments, firms and individuals counter cyber threats. Through case studies, it explores how cyber deterrence operates across levels of analysis, including sub-state and non-state actors, and outlines policy findings to help safeguard critical sectors.

International legal considerations

Leah West, Carleton University

The research examines the international legal considerations surrounding covert cyber operations that manipulate or destroy data without triggering armed conflict thresholds. West identifies emerging legal norms on below-threshold activity and highlights their implications for Canadian security agencies and foreign cyber policy.

Protecting democracy from cyber threats

Christian Leuprecht, Royal Military College of Canada

Leuprecht analyzes how cyber threats affect democratic elections, identifies key vulnerabilities across the electoral cycle, and proposes reforms to strengthen election security and public confidence in democratic institutions.

Communication and crisis response to cyberattacks

Ivan Emilov Ivanov, University of Ottawa

Communication among stakeholders shapes crisis responses to cyberattacks on critical infrastructure such as hospitals and government institutions. Ivanov explores why existing frameworks often fall short and develop new strategies to strengthen organizational resilience and inform crisis management training programs.

Cyber-resilience

Benoît Dupont, Université de Montréal 

Dupont is focusing on the principles and practices of cyber-resilience, with three primary goals, namely, to systematize knowledge of cyber-resilience measurement tools, expand the application of this knowledge to both criminal actors and vulnerable groups, and develop simulation and learning methods that foster cyber-resilience.

Industrial and economic impacts of military spending

Damien Pellerin, HEC Montréal

The aerospace and defence sectors represent a strategic lever to support regional development, strengthen technological leadership, and stimulate exports. Using a military expenditure model, the study develops a framework to assess the industrial and economic impacts of defence contracts. Data from sectors, including aerospace, shipbuilding, and communications, are used to test the model. The framework is applied to the Canadian context to estimate the economic gains associated with increased military spending.

Shifting international supply chains

Yifan Wei, University of Manitoba

Shifts toward economic decoupling, particularly in the US–China context, are beginning to reshape how multinational firms structure their supply chains. This research examines how home-country foreign economic policies influence sourcing decisions, including whether firms reduce reliance on suppliers in key markets such as China.

Satellite commercialization and security risks

Claire Fortin, McGill University

The expansion of commercially driven satellite systems is reshaping space security, introducing new dependencies on private infrastructure and risks linked to national security and governance. Against this backdrop, Fortin explores why and how governments continue to back commercial providers despite these challenges.

Naval shipbuilding

Elinor Sloan, Carleton University

Naval shipbuilding remains a highly contested area of defence and industrial procurement, shaped by competing economic, political and strategic pressures. In this research, Sloan compares how Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand balance cost efficiency with domestic industry and sovereignty objectives.

Impact of security policy on innovation

Victor Cui, University of Waterloo

Cui examines how US security policies targeting China’s firms and inventors have disrupted employment patterns and talent mobility in the innovation sector. Conventional business theories are challenged by security concerns that can reshape the labour market.

Continental defence and NORAD modernization

Pat McBurnie, University of Manitoba

As the North Warning System (NWS) for threat detection reaches the end of its service life, McBurnie examines the shift toward new surveillance and missile defence technologies in North America. The research considers how this could reshape continental defence through modernization of NORAD, as well as the implications for Canadian sovereignty.

Weapons and battlefield communication

Kalli McIver, The University of British Columbia

McIver examines how technologies, such as commercial drones and pagers, are adapted into weapons in contemporary conflicts and reshape human roles in warfare. Drawing on cases from the Middle East and Ukraine, the research explores how these tools influence battlefield communication and how conflict is captured and circulated through media.

Armed drones in historical context

Emil Archambault, University of Ottawa

By situating the use of armed drones within a longer lineage of aerial warfare, Archambault connects contemporary drone use to earlier practices, including Cold War nuclear planning. As such, the research highlights how “remoteness” is shaped through strategic decisions and assesses the implications for how force is applied in contemporary conflict.

Machine learning and social media documentation of conflict

Brian McQuinn, University of Regina

McQuinn’s research applies machine learning to large-scale video data from conflicts in Syria and Libya, where millions of social media uploads document battlefield activity, civilian impacts and armed group behaviour. In doing so, it develops tools to archive and analyze this material at scale, addressing challenges related to data volume and loss.

Space security

Michael Byers, University of British Columbia

With a focus on space governance, Byers examines space technologies and their security implications, including asteroid deflection, satellite systems, orbital debris mitigation and anti-satellite capabilities. It further analyzes how developments such as asteroid mining and large-scale satellite deployments introduce risks including trajectory alteration, debris generation and threats to space infrastructure.

The evolution of supreme military command

Philippe Lagassé, Carleton University

Lagassé is researching supreme military command authority through a historical and comparative lens, with a focus on cases including Australia, Estonia, Finland, France, Spain, the United Kingdom and the US. The analysis traces how command authority has evolved from the Roman Republic to the present and compares how these powers are structured across democracies, spanning both presidential and parliamentary systems.

Canadian Defence and Security Network

Stephen M. Saideman, Carleton University

The Canadian Defence and Security Network is a national network that brings together academics, policymakers, military officials and civil society to strengthen defence policy through research and dialogue. One of its thematic clusters focuses on military personnel, supporting research and structured exchanges between scholars and practitioners to address workforce challenges.

Indigenous leadership and identity in the Canadian Air Force

Robert-Falcon Ouellette, University of Ottawa

Ouellette focuses on Indigenous leadership, identity and lived experience within the CAF, with attention to how cultural values intersect with military structures. In this context, the research identifies factors related to institutional norms, Indigenous identity, access to supports and career progression.

Retention challenges in the Canadian Air Force

Amanda Huddleston, University of Manitoba

Huddleston examines retention challenges in the CAF, where members leaving the force create operational and cost pressures due to the investment required to train specialized personnel. The research finds that existing policies often prioritize institutional needs over member experience, thus requiring other approaches for retention.

Possible retention strategies

Simon Gagne, Queen’s University

In this research, combinatorial auction models are applied to understand possible improved retention within the CAF, particularly in high-demand occupations. Building on international successes, Gagne explores how tailored incentive packages combining monetary and non-monetary benefits can better reflect personnel preferences.

Retaining women in the Canadian Air Force

Isabelle Caron, Dalhousie University

To address the challenges of women underrepresentation in the CAF, Caron explores how organizational culture and internal perceptions influence the retention of women. Through discussions with women in the CAF, Caron identifies barriers tied to how the institution is experienced and perceived.

Supporting military families

Heidi A. Cramm, Queen’s University 

Cramm mobilizes partners to study, serve, and support military, veterans, and public safety personnel (MVPSP) families. The objectives are to identify and synthesize shared research priorities and knowledge mobilization needs across MVPSP sectors; and to prioritize the training required to equip researchers to respond effectively to these needs.

Military life and co-parenting

Joanie Mercier, Université Laval

Mercier’s research addresses the challenges faced by military families and the strategies that help sustain strong co-parenting relationships. Specifically, Mercier explores how military service, including deployments and relocations, affects how parents coordinate their roles in supporting children’s physical, emotional and developmental needs.

Reducing the risk of moral injury

Terence Hawes, McGill University

Military research has focused primarily on post-traumatic stress disorder, with less attention to how service members cope with morally challenging experiences. Hawes’ research addresses that gap by identifying coping mechanisms that may reduce the risk of moral injury and improve mental health outcomes among veterans.

Recovering Indigenous veterans’ histories

Colin Hamnett, University of Alberta

This research recovers histories of Indigenous veterans by focusing on their non-combat experiences, forms of resistance within military contexts, and how Indigenous service members maintained cultural identity.

The lived experiences of Canadian women veterans

Brenda Gamble, Ontario Tech University

Gamble’s research focuses on the experiences of women veterans before, during, and after military service to understand the factors contributing to homelessness. The research identifies key factors such as transition barriers, service-related experiences, and gaps in support to inform future policy responses.