Personnel

Share & Bookmark

  • Share/Bookmark Share this page

Focus on Personnel

Useful Links

"It will take time to rebuild the Canadian Forces. At the same time we are conducting operations at a very high tempo, transforming the Forces to meet the changing global security situation, recruiting and training Canada's finest, and caring for our wounded and their families."

General Natynczyk, Chief of Defence Staff

The Canada First Defence Strategy provides the resources needed to expand the Forces to 70,000 Regular Force and 30,000 Reserve Force personnel. This will give the Canadian Forces a total strength of 100,000 to achieve the Government's defence objectives in Canada, on the continent and internationally, as well as positioning them for future growth.

This expansion will allow the military to strengthen key joint and enabling capabilities, including medical and maintenance technicians, surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence specialists, and special operations forces. This will be a significant undertaking.

The cost of increasing military strength by 1,000 regular personnel is about $150 million annually - and this does not include the associated equipment, infrastructure and training. Overall, just over 50 per cent of National Defence's budget is spent on personnel.

Canadian Forces Personnel 2000-28

Canadian Forces Personnel graph

Investing in People