This KCIS Insight offers an analysis of the pandemic’s impact on the Canadian Army from a command perspective, as experienced across three different leadership positions. At the beginning of the pandemic, from January 2020 to March 2020, I was the Joint Force Commander in Kuwait. Then, I assumed command of the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre in August 2020. Finally, in April 2021, I also became the acting Commander of the Canadian Army. From this standpoint, my contribution is centred on key lessons for the Canadian Army, but also for the Canadian society at large.  

Perspective of a Deployed Joint Force Commander

When COVID-19 became a global health concern in March 2020, I was deployed as the commander of Joint Task Force IMPACT in Kuwait. This Task Force oversees Canadian military presence across five Middle Eastern countries (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Syria). From the onset of the pandemic, I had to navigate the unpredictability it created for operations, deployed personnel, but also Canada’s allied relationships. As part of a multinational coalition, it was fundamental that uncertainty be considered in concert with our allies and that a joint plan be created to prevent duplication and to take advantage of nation-specific capabilities. Despite this, I realized that in the face of unpredictability, national interests occupy the centre stage. While our allies might “play nice” when there are shared national commitments or a common adversary, when faced with uncertainty, it was fascinating to see how quickly nations went back to protecting their own interests. The willingness of allies to collaborate, coordinate, and share resources was indeed reduced in March 2020 as compared to May 2019 when I first assumed command of the Task Force. Another observation from my time in Kuwait is related to the very purpose of my deployment, building military capacity in Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. This mission was a “people endeavour,” it revolved around training allied partners to increase their military effectiveness. This required in-person training and interpersonal contact to build confidence between our forces. However, the pandemic made this task arduous by forcing people to isolate which did not bode well for a mission that required human contact. We were thus forced to adapt training activities with our partners.

Perspective as the Army’s Training Authority

Upon my return to Canada, I became the Canadian Army’s training authority by assuming command of the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre. This responsibility included force development and training, but I came back to a much-changed Canada: the country was in lockdown and isolation rules restricted in-person work. Just as I had realized as an operational commander, military training is an inherently human endeavour. In fact, the Canadian Army requires its members to train side by side to learn what it means to be a soldier, a non-commissioned officer, and a commissioned officer, but the pandemic made this personal contact impossible. Hence, the Army had to leverage innovative thinking and embrace what was possible, including developing new ways to teach. We now accept that platoon commanders and troop leaders can be taught in different ways. For instance, war games are increasingly conducted online rather than in large map rooms.

Despite a willingness to adapt, this interruption in training and changes to its delivery caused a decline in the generation of land readiness. It faded because hands-on physical experience is the tool of the trade. What is certain is that the Canadian Army cannot afford another such decrease in readiness. The training establishment is hard at work, but army readiness cannot recover easily from the disruption or outright interruption of its force generation. Consequently, the organization will need resilient soldiers and leaders that can adapt to the changing situations to catch up and continue making progress in land readiness.

The Perspective as the Acting Canadian Army Commander

 Early in 2020, I could not have envisioned assigning Montréal or Toronto as areas of responsibility to combat arms leaders, dividing these Canadian cities as I would a “battle zone” as part of our pandemic response. Nor could I have envisioned general service soldiers deploying to long-term care facilities. Nor could I have imagined our Rangers providing pandemic relief to our northern communities.  

Crucially, pandemic intervention and most of these tasks were not in my platoon commander’s handbook when I graduated from infantry training in 1992. But the Canadian Army trains to form self-contained teams that can accomplish what is asked of them with credibility, even if the mission might not be in their handbook. This capacity is at the core of what the Army has to offer Canadians, at home and abroad, and why the military is called upon to do such varied tasks. Yet, as the acting Army commander, I ponder what these new tasks mean for the combat readiness of the Army, as Canada faces an increasingly unpredictable international security environment. Preparing for and accomplishing unorthodox tasks is very resource intensive and it puts a heavy burden on the Army, its leaders must prepare themselves and their team for the increasing number of mission profiles.

The deployment of our soldiers and rangers in unconventional roles also highlights Canada’s lack of national resilience. The army’s capabilities are leveraged in a “just-in-time” delivery system to provide support for other ministries and departments. Although it might be economically efficient, this mode of delivery does not make Canada resilient to crises and allows little room for redundancies.

 Conclusion

In the three positions I have occupied since the beginning of the pandemic, I witnessed how the Canadian Army adapted its operations to a situation well outside of its control. From a joint force, from a training perspective, and from an acting army commander’s perspective, the paramount importance of resilience transpires throughout my experience in the last two years. Canada needs a Canadian Army that fosters resilience at every level of the organization. Leaders, teams, and formations must strive to be ready to answer the nation’s call without fault, whether for combat, for pandemic support, or for an unforeseen challenge.

Vigilamus pro te. We stand on guard for thee.

Major General (MGen) Michel-Henri St-Louis was born in Managua, Nicaragua and was commissioned as an infantry officer within the Royal 22e Régiment in 1992. He commanded units at the tactical, operational and strategic level including the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Center (CADTC), 5e Groupe-brigade mécanisé du Canada in Valcartier (Québec), and Joint Task Force (JTF) IMPACT. MGen Saint-Louis has 30 years of military service. He has deployed on 6 different stability and combat missions. His three master degrees have focused on war, defence and strategy. MGen St-Louis was appointed Acting Commander Canadian Army in April 2021.

Comments made by MGen St-Louis during his presentation at KCIS2021 as captured by OCdt Turmel.

Published: Feb 10, 2022

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