The future of foreign military training

The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Canadian International Council, its Senate or its Board of Directors, or the views of the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute. [...] ISSN 1925-4903 © 2013 Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute and Canadian International Council – 1 – The Future of Foreign Military Training EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This paper examines the nature of foreign military training, Canada’s history in the provision of military training assistance, including its training mission in Afghanistan, evaluates the success of these commitments and assesses the [...] The process of developing a professional military capable of defending the nation and supporting the government is a long one, and only through consistent and trusted mentoring can nations like Canada expect to achieve the influence essential for success. [...] Finally, there is the perpetual hope that military training will promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and the protection of human rights in the international arena. [...] The reality was that, despite a desire on the part of External Affairs to expand Canada’s international influence through the provision of military training, helping developing countries was not a priority for the military leadership.2 There were, however, some exceptions and Canada did provide training and other assistance to a variety of developing nations.3 The most notable examples were the pr