Looking ahead to 2024, Auchterlonie said he thinks the pressure will continue to mount, and Canadians are “overly comfortable” about their safety as the world changes. “We are in the middle of this and I’m not sure everybody understands that the security and defence situation globally has deteriorated significantly,” he said. At the same time, Canada has pledged to boost its presence on NATO’s eastern flank in Latvia and in the Indo-Pacific. Canadian military members have also been called upon to help with recovery from natural disasters and extreme weather here at home at an unprecedented rate in recent years. In that instance the military was the force of last resort, Auchterlonie said, and had the specialized equipment needed.
