The 2024 Defence Policy Update and its Predecessors: Why the CAF is in a “Death Spiral”

Authors

Allan English

DOI

10.51644/OAJF7385

Abstract

In March 2024 the Minister of National Defence characterised the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) inability to attract new members as a “death spiral” for the force. While the latest defence policy update, Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence, recognises the seriousness of the CAF’s personnel crisis, it provides no concrete actions to solve it. However, this defence policy update is just the latest in a series of actions used by the CAF to manage perceptions of its personnel problems rather than addressing their root causes. This article examines the latest defence policy in the historical context of other DND policy statements and the air force’s current and historical experience to see what lessons from its past might be applied in devising solutions to the CAF’s current personnel crisis.

Recommended Citation

English, Allan "The 2024 Defence Policy Update and its Predecessors: Why the CAF is in a “Death Spiral”." Canadian Military History 33, 1 (2024)