Mobilize Knowledge. Train the Next Generation.

The Network for Strategic Analysis (NSA) was launched in 2020 (renewed in 2023) as part of the Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security(MINDS) programme of the Department of National Defence of Canada. It is the very first fully bilingual MINDS network that will offer cutting-edge expertise in Canada’s two official languages.

Our primary mission is to mobilize Canadian and global expertise on three strategic challenges for Canada:

• The intensification of competition between great powers under the threshold of armed conflict and its pandomain implications (led by Jonathan Paquin, Université Laval);
• Capacity building, defense diplomacy and partnership development within regional, minilateral and international organizations (led by Sarah-Myriam Martin Brûlé, Bishop’s University);
• Local and global transformations linked to climate change (led by Sarah Sharma and Will Greaves, University of Victoria).

In this context, the Network pursues three objectives:

1. Mobilize – in French and English – innovative and multidisciplinary research in the field of defence and security in order to develop synergies and amplify the voice of experts;
2. Disseminate the results of strategic analysis to the Government of Canada, partner organizations and the general public so as to inform political decisions and public debate;
3. Train the next generation of security and defence experts by integrating students into the development and dissemination of knowledge and through the professional development of young researchers, with a particular concern for equity, diversity and inclusion.

The RAS/NSA is a research incubator that is committed to the academic freedom and non-partisan nature of its analyses. Through an inclusive approach, these values guide the NSA’s mission and direct its activities. Our strategy on intersectionality, designed by our GBA+ leader, Isabelle Caron, structures all of our mobilization, dissemination and training activities. The NSA’s community of diverse viewpoints and members is fundamental to achieving its mission. Pluralism is a virtue recognized as such by the Network. Particular attention is given to including ideas from marginalized groups and or those with minority status.

Co-directed by Justin Massie (UQAM) and Stéfanie von Hlatky (Queen’s University), the Network brings together more than 80 renowned scholars and seasoned practitioners. In addition to its research fellows, the Network mobilizes the expertise of international collaborators and emerging Scholars, and is supported by a Scientific Board and an Advisory Board.

The NSA is proud to mobilize research in the field of defence and security through four types of bilingual publications (hot takes, policy briefs, policy reports and articles)