The Department of National Defence’s Mobilizing Insights for Defence and Security [MINDS] announced today that it will be funding the Canadian Defence and Security Network via their Collaborative Network program.  This will support the CDSN as it focuses on Global Emergencies and Canadian Resilience.

The CDSN is led by Carleton University’s Stephen Saideman, the Paterson Chair in International Affairs at the Normal Paterson School of International Affairs. The CDSN brings together more than forty institutions across Canada and beyond to develop policy-relevant research and foster a more inclusive and innovative defence and security community.

The grant will focus work on global health security, climate security, supply chain vulnerabilities, and domestic emergency operations as the pandemic and other events have greatly challenged governments and agencies at all levels in Canada. 

The CDSN was launched on May 24th, 2019 with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.  Since then, it has become a leader in the effort to bridge the various divides between government, academia, the private sector, and networks elsewhere.  Annual initiatives include the Year Ahead Conference, the Summer Institute, and the Capstone Seminar (on April 13th!).  Battle Rhythm, the CDSN’s podcast, has become part of the defence and security conversation.

“We will continue to study Canadian military operations, the personnel crisis and the challenge of recruitment, civil-military relations, and Canadian security funded by SSHRC, and this new grant will allow us to examine less traditional but increasingly compelling security issues,” says Saideman. 

He says this would not have been possible without the support of the Faculty of Public Affairs, especially Dean Brenda O’Neill and research facilitator Kyla Reid; as well as support from the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International);  And his home department, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

Thanks to this new MINDS grant, the CDSN will be better positioned to provide insights from our research to those in government.   The CDSN will continue to adapt and seek out new opportunities as it seeks to connect and enhance the Canadian defence and security community.

The network’s continued ability to adapt to a changing world will allow for a sustainable national dialogue about how to protect Canada and Canadians today and tomorrow.