The Canadian military is expanding its wargaming capacity as it prepares for the possibility of major combat, according to federal procurement documents.

The Department of National Defence (DND) began hiring consultants with expertise in wargaming and logistics after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s commitment in June to meet NATO’s target of spending at least two per cent of GDP on defence this fiscal year, increasing to five per cent by 2035.

The additional $9 billion for 2025-26 is providing a boost in pay for troops, along with funding for ships, vehicles and drones as the military shifts focus to large-scale combat readiness. Recent requests for proposals (RFPs) provide some clues about how the enhanced force will work with NATO.

“Since the end of the Cold War, the CAF has largely been engaged in small-scale conflict, below the threshold of major combat operations,” one document says. “The CAF can no longer rely on the methods which have been used for recent operations.”

Wargaming, or simulations that allow commanders and staff to explore the outcomes of choices made in combat, rarely appeared in DND’s RFPs before the announcement.

That changed as the department began bringing in consultants, including subject matter experts, an administrator, a modelling and simulation engineer and other workers at facilities in Ottawa.

One of the experts will be leading the design of realistic, scenario-driven war games and will help analyze the results while strengthening collaboration with NATO and other partners. Another will help build the digital bridge linking Canada’s wargaming systems with its allies.

Information gathered from these exercises will guide planning for future operations, from supplying far-flung troops to deciding what new capabilities to invest in.

The goal, according to the documents, is to ensure Canada can work with its allies during "expeditionary operations engaged in major combat operations against peer adversaries."

A spokesperson for the DND said that wargaming is part of the department’s regular business.

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