Canada is entering a new era in national defence, not because military spending suddenly became fashionable, but because the strategic environment changed and delay became untenable, argues Francois Guay of the Canadian Cybersecurity Network. High-end conflict has returned, alliances are under strain and hostile cyber activity is constant. In this environment, cyber is no longer a support function. Cyber is command and control; cyber is readiness; cyber is credibility.
From infantry to cyber command: a practitioner’s perspective
That reality is best understood through leaders who have operated where strategy meets consequence. Danielle Blanc, a 38-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces and former chief of staff of operations for CAF Cyber Command, has seen firsthand how modern conflict evolves and where national systems fail when coordination breaks down.
Blanc’s career began far from keyboards and networks. As an infantry officer and national security leader, his early focus was counterterrorism, weapons of mass destruction and joint force coordination. Cyber entered his remit not as an abstract discipline, but as an operational necessity. Disinformation, online recruitment and influence operations were already shaping outcomes long before cyber conflict entered mainstream policy discussions.
That exposure eventually led him into senior cyber operations leadership, helping stand up what is now Canadian Armed Forces Cyber Command. There, cyber was not theoretical. It was defensive, offensive, cooperative and inseparable from operational success. His conclusion is straightforward: you cannot conduct modern operations without assured command and control, and you cannot assure command and control without cyber dominance.
Cybersecurity as strategic collaboration
One theme runs consistently through Blanc’s experience: cybersecurity is a team sport. National resilience no longer resides within a single department, vendor or institution. It depends on effective coordination between public sector organizations, private industry, academia, military operators, law enforcement and international partners. When those groups operate in silos, speed is lost, trust erodes and adversaries exploit the gaps.
Blanc argues that collaboration itself has become a form of strategic infrastructure. The ability to share context, align priorities and act quickly across sectors is now as important as any single technical capability.
InCyber: turning insight into action
This belief in collaboration explains Blanc’s transition from military service into the private sector and his leadership role with InCyber Canada. InCyber is not simply another technology conference. It functions as a convening authority, bringing together government leaders, military, industry, academia and international partners to tackle complex issues such as cyber resilience, digital trust and the safe adoption of artificial intelligence. With a long history in Europe, recent expansion into the Indo Pacific and a major gathering planned for Ottawa-Gatineau in December 2026, InCyber provides a concrete mechanism to translate strategic insight into coordinated action.
