We have come a long way since Canada’s Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, was announced in June 2017. In the two years since its release, the Defence Team has made great strides towards implementing this ambitious, long-term policy that will shape the role of Defence for decades to come.

In the six months since we’ve last updated you, we have achieved significant progress on numerous fronts and delivered on a wide range of projects. Among other things, we have:

• continued to fulfill our smart-pledge commitment to the United Nations by deploying in support of operations in Mali;
• updated CAF dress instructions specific to women’s service dress to better accommodate military members’ personal choices regarding their appearance;
• implemented improvements to relocation services to help military members and their families navigate the system more efficiently;
• awarded 160 contracts to help solve some of Canada’s most pressing defence and security challenges;
• received the first interim fighter jets in Cold Lake;
• awarded a contract for the design of the Canadian Surface Combatants, and;
• modernized Defence infrastructure to make it more sustainable and energy efficient.

Thanks to your efforts – military and civilian members working together across Defence – we have accomplished a great deal but important work remains to build on the momentum in implementing Strong, Secure, Engaged, and to ensure its long-term success. To see a few recent examples of progress on SSE initiatives, we encourage you to watch the highlights video.

We will continue to provide you with updates as we work together to meet Canada’s defence needs, now and into the future.

For more information on Canada’s Defence Policy, visit the Strong, Secure, Engaged web page.