Post by Clare McKendry

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to present a working paper titled, "Credibility Through Capability: Canada's Defence Ambitions and Limitations in the Indo-Pacific," to the Conference of Defence Associations Institute alongside fifteen other incredible graduate students with defence and security papers of their own. My paper explores Canada's commitments through the 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) to enhance the operational capabilities of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. The key challenge is that Canada's longstanding focus and commitments to Euro-Atlantic defence and security has limited its ability to project sustained operational engagement elsewhere. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Indo-Pacific region as the dispersed nature of Canada's activities here have received a mixed reception by some of our closest allies. I argue that Canada's IPS strategy, operational behaviour and presence is interpreted through distinct lenses: 1) derisking and escalation aversion, 2) conditional tolerance and coalition-building and 3) the utility of technologies and systems among Indo-Pacific states including those in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Then, building on insights from the region, I propose different pathways that Canada can take to minimize its defence credibility-capability gap that account for these security logics. In sum, Canada does not need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the execution of its defence and security objectives in the IPS. We just need to demonstrate an innate understanding of the region's most pressing security challenges and tailor our approaches to better meet those needs. I received insightful feedback from the judges from government, industry, academia and the military. Moreover, it was a great opportunity to make some new friends, connections and receive excellent mentorship! I accordingly look forward further revising this paper and potential publishing opportunities. A special thank you to Emmylou Sergent, Kawtar Kathi and Kevin Budning, PhD for the invitation and organizing this wonderful conference! #canada #indopacific #asia #academia #defence #security #oceania