Jennie Carignan’s first 100 days as head of the Canadian Armed Forces

Last July, Jennie Carignan broke a glass ceiling by becoming the first female chief of staff (New window)of Canadian history. By rising to the highest rank of the Canadian Armed Forces, General Carignan not only became a symbol here, but also abroad. She is the only woman at the table planning NATO operations.

A little over 100 days after taking charge, his priorities are falling into place. And she notes that the place of women in the military ranks still needs to be defended.

- met the chief of staff on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum. General Carignan divided her time there between appearances on panels and working meetings behind closed doors.

You defend the place of women in the army, but a future Secretary of Defense supported by Donald Trump thinks that women have no place in combat. A Republican senator relayed this idea [au Forum]. What did you think when you heard it?

Jennie Carignan: It’s a shame to have to do this again, but I have a responsibility to do it. I have a voice, I have the experience, I have the credibility to do it. So if I don’t do it, who will? Then, I saw across the audience, the faces of the women in uniform. This is killing me! This is what bothers me greatly. And all I want to do is not let the room walk away with the idea that it’s okay to let him say that. He won’t change his mind, but at least someone has to answer that, for those who don’t have a voice.

But I’ve heard it myself several times, I’ve heard it repeatedly. I work on what I control. What I control are our strengths, our teams.

Republican senators criticize Canada’s slowness in increasing its military spending. Do you hear the same criticisms from your military counterparts?

JC : Yes, but from the point of view of military-to-military relations, we work very, very closely together. These relationships are extremely stable and lasting. All people in uniform understand that there are decisions that are not made at our level.

So for our part, we are interested in ensuring that relationships are solid and strong. Because when we present ourselves in front of an opponent, it is not the time to start trying to organize ourselves, so we do that on a regular and constant basis with our partners.

The Americans are also putting pressure on Canada to quickly improve surveillance of the Arctic. What can be done in the short term?

JC : There are several things we can do in the short term, while developing a plan for the long term. For example, reworking landing strips that are currently in operation to bring them up to a standard for our future fighter planes.

But it’s certain that when we talk about meeting northern communities, to assess needs, then to make a plan, it takes time. And you have to take the time you need to do it well.

How were your first 100 days at the head of the Canadian army?

JC : I spent a lot of time establishing relationships and understanding the context to make sure I understood the priorities correctly. What helps us a lot is the new defense policy and new investments.

We must put our initiatives in the right order. But the critical and priority issue is recruitment. We must ensure that we return to our full capacity at the level of 71,500 people.

What that means is that this fall, we made a huge effort to modernize our entire recruitment system, as well as our processes and our standards.

What is your timeline to get there?

JC : Within five years, we must be returned to our full capacity. What we also need to ensure is that we have the ability to train these new recruits when they join. We don’t want them to be there doing nothing for months.

*Some responses have been edited and/or shortened for clarity and brevity.