To see all the images from CANSEC 2023, CLICK HERE
CANSEC 2023 took place at the EY Centre on 31st May and 1st June, 2023 and was another show of what the world has to offer for security and defence, mostly at the nation level, although there were various vendors who could easily supply equipment for local and provincial level police forces as well. Also, don’t forget that many of these companies supply equipment for civilian use as well as military and it’s more than just guns, ships, tanks, and airplanes, but drones, clothing, cyber defence, communications hardware and a plethora of other things that have more civilian applications than military.
There were several speakers this year, with the keynotes from the Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, the Vice Chief of Defence Staff, LGen Frances Allen, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Jean-François Champagne, and the Ukrainian Minister of Defence, Oleksiy Reznikov (via zoom). However, the speaker that made the most impact was CADSI President Christyn Cianfarani during her opening remarks on day one of the show.
In what can only be called a call to arms, she pointed out how the military, government, and industry have worked in self-indulgent silos in the past with their own problems and that this model is no longer effective. She called on everyone to discard the ways of individual thought and to act as a community. As she stated, ”There must be ONE community. And it’s here in this room. … Out of the many companies, nations, technologies, vocations … One community. One purpose. To safeguard not only our own borders and citizens but the ideals that all sovereign, democratic nations hold sacred.”
She acknowledged that conflict is now not just traditional guns, tanks, etc, but the introduction of drones, A.I. and satellites requires that countries respond with urgency, agility, adaptability, and unity. She acknowledged the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the war of attrition there as well as all the work the world has done to this point to help Ukraine defend itself – that broader and shared purpose.
Her final words were a call for combined effort to “… commit to the defence of this nation. To evolving in lockstep with our allies, and with one another. To putting all our cards on the table. To acting decisively. To being there, together, on every front.” While reading these words there is something I find missing that added more strength and weight when she spoke. That something was her passion and the manner in which she carried herself during these remarks that gave them so much more weight to everyone in the room. I can only say, even on Day 2 of the show, people, including the keynote speakers, continued to allude to her remarks.
Also, I’d like to mention Minister Champagne and the energy he brought to the show. After his keynote I think he visited every booth and shook every hand offered. He was full of energy and seemed fully engaged with the people to whom he was speaking. He got dressed up in cadpat and donned a Uplift exoskeleton and did squats holding a box in front of the crowd. If only every minister showed this kind of spirit.
In the spirit of supporting Ukraine, Roshel, builder of armoured vehicles, is employing 80 displaced Ukrainians to build armoured vehicles to be sent to Ukraine in support of the Ukrainian army. It gives the Ukrainians a sense of support for back home and a sense of purpose as well as a way to support themselves in a new country.
Also in support of Ukraine was a net outside the media office with boxes of cloth strips. People were encouraged to tie these strips of cloth to the netting so that in the end it was a camouflage net that would be sent to the Ukrainian front lines. Every little bit helps.
So, not to carry on too long, I’ll say that I found the show somewhat underwhelming this year as I’m a big fan of equipment and it really wasn’t there, which speaks volumes for how warfare is changing. There seemed to be much more attention to all aspects of drones, A.I., cyber, and communication in both defensive and offensive situations, all which are interesting and increasingly necessary, but do not make for good photography.
On a personal note, I’d like to nominate Babcock International for the best marketing materials handed out this year. In past years, they have handed out the BEST lense cloths I’ve ever used and I hoard them to this day. I wish they’d bring them back. Last year, they had a rechargeable Bluetooth speaker along with 5000 mah power banks. This year, they handed out a USB wireless charger which, although I don’t have any devices that can use it, will make a nice gift for one of my military friends.
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