Evaluation of Options: Independent Review Panel (IRP)

Summary of Discussion, Meeting of January 10, 2013

1. Opening Remarks and Approval of the December 17, 2012 Meeting Summary of Discussion

• The Chair of the Interdepartmental Steering Committee (ISC) noted that on December 27, 2012, the Chair of the Deputy Minister Governance Committee (DMGC) sent a letter to five companies inviting them to participate in the upcoming market analysis of available fighter aircraft.
• The Panel approved the December 17, 2012 Summary of Discussion, subject to further editorial changes.

2. Industry Engagement Request

• The Chair of ISC provided an overview of the draft Industry Engagement Request (IER), explaining that there would be two requests: a questionnaire on capabilities, and a questionnaire on costs and industrial benefits.
• The Chair noted that the questionnaires will be provided to Saab, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Dassault, and EADS Eurofighter. Companies will be asked to provide feedback on the draft questionnaires to ensure that the Secretariat is requesting comprehensive and appropriate information from companies. The feedback will be incorporated before the final questionnaires are sent to the companies to complete
• The Panel requested revisions to clarify certain aspects of the capability questionnaire.
• The Panel also recommended that the draft IER should clearly indicate that companies are invited to comment and provide feedback in order to ensure that the information is being requested in a way that allows them to appropriately present their aircraft.

Action

• The Secretariat will revise the draft IER to reflect the Panel’s advice and develop a cover letter and circulate both documents to Panel members in advance of sending them to the five companies.

3. Threat Analysis

• Representatives from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and National Defence (DND) discussed the threat analysis methodology with Panel members.
• Noting that this discussion was a cursory overview of the work on threat analysis, the Panel requested a more in-depth briefing from DND on the threat analysis. The Panel also identified the need to include an overview of the broader strategic environment as part of the options analysis report.

Action

• National Defence will provide the Panel with a comprehensive threat analysis briefing at the next meeting.
• The Secretariat will organize a briefing for the Panel on the broader strategic context for the threat analysis.
• An overview of the broader strategic context will be prepared for eventual inclusion in the options analysis report.

4. Mission Needs

• Representatives from the Canadian Armed Forces provided an initial overview of the capability-based planning methodology that would be applied to the work of task 2, the mission needs assessment.
• Given the complex nature of this task, the Panel emphasized the need to ensure that this work is clearly understood and articulated for a public audience.

Action

• The Canadian Armed Forces will provide the Panel with draft results of the mission needs assessment at a future meeting.

5. Fighter Capabilities

• Representatives from the RCAF and National Defence provided the Panel with an overview of the methodology and approach that will be used to conduct the analysis of available fighter capabilities.
• The RCAF and DND representatives outlined the proposed rating system that would be applied to measures of performance and measures of effectiveness for each fighter aircraft. Once this analysis is complete, an overall capability rating would be developed for each fighter aircraft to respond to the mission scenarios outlined in the Canada First Defence Strategy.
• The Panel requested that extending Canada’s fleet of CF-18’s be included as an option when assessing fighter aircraft against each mission. The Panel also provided suggestions for the sensitivity analysis work on this task.

Action

• Representatives from the RCAF and National Defence will provide the Panel with draft results of the fighter capability assessment at a future meeting which will include suggestions provided by the Panel.

6. Final remarks

• The next meeting is scheduled for January 29, 2013.

Action

• The Secretariat will provide a forward planning agenda for the Panel at the next meeting.

Attendance – Independent Review Panel meeting – January 10, 2013

Panelists

Name	Title	Agenda Items
Keith Coulter		All
Philippe Lagassé		All
Jim Mitchell		All
Rod Monette		All

PWGSC

Name	Title	Agenda Items
Michelle d’Auray	Deputy Minister, Public Works and Government Services Canada	11
Tom Ring	Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Works and Government Services Canada	All

NFPS

Name	Title	Agenda Items
Rachel Wernick	Executive Director, National Fighter Procurement Secretariat (NFPS)	All
Catherine Stewart	Director, Strategic Integration, NFPS	All except 11
Brett Boudreau	Advisor, NFPS	All except 11
Nicholas Erdody	Analyst, NFPS	All except 11
Karla Tate	Analyst, NFPS	10
LCol Arnold Kettenacker	Liaison Officer, NFPS	All except11

Department of National Defence

Name	Title	Agenda Items
BGen Stefan Kummel	Director General, Air Force Development	All except 11
Col Alain Pelletier	Director, Air Requirements	All except 11
Troy Crosby	Program Director, Next Generation Fighter Capability	All except 11
Col Rouleau	Director, Chief of Program	8
Craig Maskell	Director, Chief of Defence Intelligence	5 and 7
Col Johnson	Deputy Director, Scientific and Technical Intelligence	5 and 7
Maj Janjua	Director, Air Requirement, 5-3, Fighters and Trainers	10
Gemini Abou Assaly	Manager, Procurement and Finance, NGFC Program Management Office	Items 1-7

Industry Canada

Name	Title	Agenda Items
Jeff Waring	Director, F-35 Industrial Participation	All except 11
Clem Srour	Manager, F-35 Industrial Participation	All except 11