The committee met twice this week.
The meeting on Tuesday October 23, 2012 was held in camera. The committee resumed its study on Maintaining the Readiness of the Canadian Forces. The Minutes can be found here.
The goal of the meeting on October 25, 2012 was to discuss NATO’s strategic concept and Canada’s role in international defence cooperation. Paul Meyer from the Simons Foundation (http://www.thesimonsfoundation.ca/) was present, as was Peggy Mason. According to Mason, there are key distinctions between a NATO-led mission, a UN-led mission, and a UN-mandated mission with NATO as a lead. A key issue with NATO missions is the current division between political and military control. Mason advocates for having effective political frameworks alongside the use of force during NATO missions. Meyer emphasized the need for nuclear disarmament, and an effort placed on increasing cyber security.