Defense Investment โAgency:โข Modernizing Canada’s Defence Procurement
Overview
Theโข Defence Investment agency is โa new special Operating Agency within Public Services and Procurement โCanada, led by the Honourableโ Stephen โคFuhr, Secretary ofโ State (Defence โProcurement).Day-to-day operations โare overseen by Chief โฃExecutive Officer Doug Guzman. This agency represents a meaningful step towardsโ transforming Canada’s defence procurement system, focused on rebuilding, rearming,โ and reinvesting in the canadian Armed Forces to address evolving global threats and operational demands.
Mandate: Rebuilding, Rearming, and Reinvesting
The Agency’s core mission is to modernize โคdefence procurement by centralizing expertise, streamlining decision-making, and reducing bureaucratic hurdles.This will accelerate the โdelivery of mission-critical equipment toโ both โคthe Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard. Key objectives โคinclude:
* Streamlining High-Priority Procurements: Focusing on efficient and rapid acquisition ofโค essential defence capabilities.
* Supporting Canadian Industry: Creating jobs, strengthening the domestic defence industrial base, and fostering innovation.
* Aligning Investments: Ensuring defence investments directly support Canada’s strategic and operational needs.
* Improving โEfficiency &โ Accountability: Reducing administrative overhead and enablingโ faster, more accountable delivery of defence capabilities throughโข greater autonomy and robust contracting authorities.
Procurement Support & Expertise
The Defence Investment Agency willโ provide complete support to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Coast Guard across all domains – air, land, โsea, and digital. Crucially, the Agency will offer its expertise โขon all procurements โขrelated to Defence,โ Security, and the Coast Guard, nonetheless of the procurement stage or โฃthe involved authorities. This means the Ministers of Governmentโ Conversion, Public Works and Procurement, andโ National Defence can rely on the Agencyโข for guidanceโ on all related procurement matters. Thisโ integrated โคapproach will deliver faster, more effective outcomes, strengthening Canada’s long-term defence and security.
Implementation โ& Next Steps
The Defence Investment Agency will officially begin operations in Fall 2025.โ The initial phase will focus on:
* Organizational Foundation: Onboarding personnel and establishingโ internal processes.
* Integratedโฃ Teams: Deploying cross-departmental procurement teams.
* Early Engagement: Prioritizing collaboration withโ departments and industry partners to align on โคstrategic objectives.
* Testing &โค Refinement: Utilizing this phase as a proving ground for newโ procurement models and tools.
Following this initial phase, the Agency willโ pursue broader reforms and seek necessary authorities to prioritize sovereign capabilities and maximizeโค the involvement of Canadian industry.
Integrated Staffing for Success
To effectively deliver on its mandate, theโฃ Agency will build integrated procurement teamsโ drawingโข on expertiseโ from โPublic Services and Procurement Canada, the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Coast Guard, and Innovation,โค Science and Economic Development Canada. this collaborative model ensures continuity, leverages existing knowledge, and fosters โcross-departmental synergy.