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The Canadian Army will convert two armoured subunits into uncrewed systems squadrons next summer. Soldiers will get the systems, then work out for themselves how to fight with them.
Why it matters: This is the Army’s most concrete step yet toward fielding uncrewed systems in its combat units. It also signals a change in culture. The Army is letting soldiers build tactics from the ground up rather than waiting on doctrine or a procurement cycle that can take five to 10 years.
Driving the news: Maj.-Gen. Stéphane Masson outlined the plan on at the Best Defence Conference in London, Ont.. He spoke remotely from Ottawa.
Two Regular Force subunits from armoured units will set aside their current equipment and take on uncrewed systems, Masson said.
The squadrons, one in Edmonton and one in Petawawa, will support 1st Canadian Division, the Army’s front-line combat force under its new structure.
The details: Masson said the Army will rely on its senior non-commissioned officers to develop the tactics. The goal is to improve survivability and combat effectiveness.
He called the approach a culture change for the Army and said it had never done anything like it.
2nd Canadian Division, responsible for domestic and continental defence, will also receive uncrewed systems. Its soldiers will be tasked with applying them to the defence of Canada.
Masson said the Army commander has made the decision and the conversion will go ahead next summer.
What they’re saying: “Honestly, we don’t know what this thing’s gonna look like,” Masson said.
He said he expects the soldiers to impress Army leadership quickly once they have the systems in hand.
The bigger picture: The conversion runs alongside an uncrewed systems challenge program the Army launched about two years ago. The program asks industry to solve specific operational problems rather than meet fixed requirements.
Seven of the program’s nine challenges are now under way, Masson said.
The Army is running it with Defence Research and Development Canada and the Defence Investment Agency.
Uncrewed and counter-uncrewed systems now rank fourth among the Army’s five procurement priorities. They follow indirect fires modernization, soldier systems and ground-based air defence, and come ahead of integrated command and control.
A new director of experimentation and innovation will push the Army to experiment faster and learn from it, Masson said.
Background: The Army’s push follows the federal government’s broader uncrewed systems effort. National Defence and the Defence Investment Agency launched the Defence Drone Initiative on July 23 to move Canadian uncrewed and autonomous systems from prototype to operational use faster.
The initiative’s first supply arrangement drew applications from 527 companies with more than 1,000 bids when it closed Aug. 14, according to National Defence.
Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy, launched in February, names uncrewed and autonomous systems as one of 10 sovereign capability priorities.
What’s next: Masson said the Army expects industry to deliver a first round of prototypes next spring. Soldiers will test them, break them and report back, and industry will then return with a second round.
The Army will continue its industry engagement roadshow with a stop in Montreal later this year, followed by Calgary and Atlantic Canada.
Masson said the Army will release a slide detailing its five procurement priorities to industry.
