The Honourable Peter MacKay
Minister of National Defence
- 1 : February 3, 2012 - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, speaks with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and with Afghanistan's Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak at the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers at NATO headquartes in Brussels, Belgium.
- 2 : February 2, 2012 - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, speaks with United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers at NATO headquartes in Brussels, Belgium.
- 3 : January 24, 2012 - Minister MacKay delivers the keynote address at the Permanent Joint Board on Defence, the highest-level bilateral defence and security forum between the United States and Canada, which serves as a strategic-level consultative body on defence and security issues facing our two countries.
- 4 : January 17, 2012 - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence, announce Canada's Commitment to the Wideband Global Satellite Communications System. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding will fill the strategic satellite communications requirement of the Canadian Forces over the next 20 years.
- 5 : January 12, 2012 - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, joined Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Halifax to announce the Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. reached an agreement in principle, paving the way for a new federal fleet of ships.
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, speaks with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and with Afghanistan's Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak at the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers at NATO headquartes in Brussels, Belgium.
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, speaks with United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers at NATO headquartes in Brussels, Belgium.
Minister MacKay delivers the keynote address at the Permanent Joint Board on Defence, the highest-level bilateral defence and security forum between the United States and Canada, which serves as a strategic-level consultative body on defence and security issues facing our two countries.
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence, announce Canada's Commitment to the Wideband Global Satellite Communications System. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding will fill the strategic satellite communications requirement of the Canadian Forces over the next 20 years.
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, joined Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Halifax to announce the Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. reached an agreement in principle, paving the way for a new federal fleet of ships.
Of Interest
Minister's Quotes
"On January 19, the United States sucessfully launched the fourth satellite in the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS)Communications System, days after Canada joined Australia, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the U.S. in an agreement that will provide these nations' militaries with secure data and voice transmissions, which are essential to the success of modern military operations.
Canada agreed to join with its military friends and allies in the WGS and to provide $337.3 million in funding toward building the ninth satellite in order to have 20 years of access to reserved frequencies for military communications systems in theatres of operation around the world.
The Canadian Forces’ recent efforts in Libya and Afghanistan have highlighted the critical importance of rapid communications between headquarters and deployed forces.
The choice to join the WGS was the right choice, for two reasons. First, the CF currently spends approximately $25 million per year on its SATCOM requirements, purchasing communications bandwidth on an as-required basis from commercial satellites. These costs are expected to increase significantly over the next 20 years. Second, future requirements and emerging cyber-security concerns have shown us the need to move our communications to an exclusively government network, rather than a platform shared with commercial clients. WGS was, by far, the most operationally effective - and cost-effective - option."
The Honourable Peter MacKay
Minister of National Defence
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