Browsing by Author "Bercuson, David J."

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    Canada-US Defence Relations Post-11 September
    (Oxford University Press, 2003) Bercuson, David J.
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    CF-39 Arrow II: A Swedish Solution to the CF-18 Replacement Problem
    (2018-09-17) McColl, Alexander; Bercuson, David J.
    Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau ordered 138 CF-18 fighter jets in 1980. As of September 2018, 76 modernized CF-18s remain in service. Over the past two decades, four different Prime Ministers have been involved in selecting a replacement for the CF-18. With a purchase price of over $16 billion and a potential total lifetime cost of over $40 billion, the CF-18 replacement will be the second most expensive military procurement in Canadian history. Not only will the CF-18 replacement program have to fight for funding against the general austerity and easy riding nature of Canadians, but it will also be running concurrently with the largest military procurement in Canadian history: The National Shipbuilding Strategy. This paper reviews the history of Canadian military procurement, with emphasis on the successful New Fighter Aircraft (NFA) program of the 1970s that selected the CF-18, and how those lessons should be applied to the CF-18 replacement. This paper argues that, absent the political will to provide considerably more than 1.15% of GDP in defence spending, the Canadian Forces can no longer afford to be a modern multipurpose force and should instead move to a Navy centric force structure. By reviewing how the CF-18 serves at home on the NORAD mission, in Europe on NATO air policing missions, and as part of coalition combat missions; the minimum requirements for the CF-18 replacement are identified. This paper recommends employing the NFA methodology to design a defence policy for easy riders. Such a defence policy will meet military objectives with best value, state-of-the-art technology that also offers full industrial offsets for Canadian industry. The best value solution to the CF-18 replacement is the least expensive jet in the competition: the Saab Gripen.
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    Closing the Toll Booth
    (2017-09-13) Jackson, Cee-Jay; Bercuson, David J.
    It is no secret that Canadians pay among the highest airfare rates in the world. As a result, there are an estimated 5 million people who cross the border each year to fly out of American airports because of their cheaper airfare. Canada's previous policy decisions regarding airports are now causing an estimated loss of $2.6 billion per year to the Canadian economy and has pushed more Canadian's to use US airports. Using a qualitative comparative analysis, this paper shows that Canada's airports are being poorly managed. The paper also highlights the lack of competition amongst Canadian airlines which has contributed to higher prices. These two factors are the major driving force for Canada's costly air travel. This paper recommends that the federal government sell Canada's largest airports either partially or in full and that the money be redirected to infrastructure spending. This paper also recommends that the federal government pursue the removal of outdated foreign ownership restrictions which have hindered airline competition within Canada.
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    Developing a Cyberwarfare Capability for Canada: An Exploration of Seven Policy Rationales
    (2017-09-13) Henningsmoen, Erik; Bercuson, David J.
    In the past decade cybersecurity issues have progressed from being a niche technical area of public policy to a mainstream matter in public policy discourse. Concurrently, the specter of cyberwarfare has grown from being a speculative issue in the field of strategic studies, to common tool in international relations. States now pursue their national interests digitally through sophisticated hacking and cyberwarfare programs. Geopolitics has moved into cyberspace. Canada has been a laggard in reacting to this new reality in strategic affairs. Both its domestic security and defence policies have been reactive to issues such as cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and securing Canada's digital economy. Canadian policy in these areas has been developed in an incrementalist manner, and is naïve in the way it frames threats to Canadian security in cyberspace. Furthermore, it has been mute on the development Canadian cyberwarfare capabilities. In June 2017 the Trudeau government published an updated defence policy white paper— named Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada's Defence Policy—that will set the direction of the Canadian Armed Forces over the coming years. One of the most notable developments in this new defence policy is a new mandate for Canada's military to develop an offensive cyberwarfare capability. While the white paper provides few details on the specifics of such a capability, it does represent a leap in Canadian security thinking. This paper will investigate whether such an offensive cyberwarfare capability, as called for in the 2017 defence white paper, will enhance Canada's national security. It does so by examining seven theories of why states develop cyberwarfare capabilities, and then tests these cyberwarfare rationales against Canada's unique strategic position in world affairs. The paper finds that an offensive cyberwarfare capability would enhance Canadian security by augmenting Canada's conventional military capabilities and signaling to Canada's allies that Canada is a sophisticated and dependable security partner. The paper concludes that the 2017 defence policy is a step in the right direction when it comes to defence and security policy.
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    Long Night of the Tankers: Hitler’s War Against Caribbean Oil
    (University of Calgary Press, 2014) Bercuson, David J.; Herwig, Holger H.
    Long Night of the Tankers presents a fresh account of a lesser-known but critical component of the Atlantic naval theatre during World War II. Using war diaries, after-action reports, and first-hand accounts, authors Bercuson and Herwig examine the story behind Operation Neuland, the German plan to interrupt vital oil supplies from reaching the United States and the United Kingdom by preventing Allied oil tankers from leaving refineries in the Caribbean. The story begins in February 1942 and follows this German attempt to scuttle the Allied war machine through to the end of the war. Told largely from the German perspective, it details the planning and execution of the Germans and the diplomatic, political, and military responses of the Allies, particularly the United States, to overcome the German effort.
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    NATO’s Dilemma: To Enlarge or Not to Enlarge
    (2018-09-04) Kendrick, Riley; Bercuson, David J.
    This policy brief outlines the No1th Atlantic Treaty Organization's current enlargement policy and whether or not Canada should continue to support the policy. The impact of the policy on the Alliance's effectiveness and ability to carry out its mandate is examined. The history of the Alliance and the enlargement policy is examined in detail, in order to better understand the policy's purpose. This brief explores Canada's contributions to the Alliance and also its continued support of NATO's enlargement policy. Canada, like majority of NATO member-states, has long been a proponent of NATO's enlargement policy, which has resulted in NATO's expansion from the original 12 members to the current number of 29 members. Enlargement was originally seen as beneficial because of NATO's ability to gain strategic allies in different parts of Europe; however, since the end of the Cold War, strategic allies were no longer necessary. Despite the end of the Cold War and the end of NATO's long-time adversary, the Soviet Union, NATO has almost doubled in-size, bringing in new members from the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. No longer are new NATO members economic, military or political powers but rather they join the Alliance and immediately become dependents of the Alliance. Recommendations are made to help determine what the best course of action is for Canadian foreign policy and therefore, NATO's enlargement policy. Tlu·ee alternatives are investigated, which include maintaining the status quo, completly eliminating the enlargement policy, and amending the current policy to still allow enlargement but make it more difficult for countries to join the Alliance due to stricter requirements. This brief recommends that the current policy be amended, so it is more difficult for countries to receive accession into the Alliance but still allows enlargement to occur if necessary. The brief concludes that this would help mitigate the accession of new members that would be dependent on the organization, and therefore, would not help further the Alliance's mandate but would still appease some member-states who are in favour of enlargement because enlargement could still occur.
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    Paradiplomacy: Review of Alberta’s Performance Measurement Policy
    (2018-09-04) Sandoz, David; Bercuson, David J.
    The Government of Alberta spends millions of dollars to maintain its international trade promotion and investment attraction efforts. The complex and multidimensional nature of paradiplomacy, referring to a regional government’s engagement in international relations, makes reporting international efforts challenging. The purpose of this capstone project is to provide recommendations based on a methodical cross-jurisdictional review to help the Government of Alberta improve its performance measurement policy. These recommendations aim to support the government in reporting a meaningful and consistent evaluation of its international efforts through a clearer, more rigorous and more comprehensive performance measurement policy. Findings from this project inform a series of complementary recommendations specific to Alberta’s quantitative, qualitative, and overall approach to performance measurement and management: • Recommendations for quantitative reporting include tracking and reporting more meaningful data to improve outcomes and better communicate them to the public. • Recommendations for qualitative reporting focus on better using communication tools and highlighting non-quantifiable factors to meaningfully convey achievements to the public. • While stressing the importance of internal consultation to successful performance measurement changes, the overall recommendations highlight the value of a thorough and transparent reporting methodology. These potential measurement improvements can help better inform internal policies, processes, and procedures, resulting in increased transparency and accountability and improved service efficiency and performance outcomes. Benefits also include the ability to report on economic and service objectives with greater clarity and precision. Clearer goals and reporting also provide a framework that encourages staff to work efficiently and effectively. While these recommendations may benefit Alberta, each recommendation should be thoroughly assessed in terms of required resources, potential benefits, and undesired consequences. To help the Government of Alberta in that exercise, each recommendation includes an estimate of the potential impact level and work required.