Program directory · National Defence
Cyber Operations
- Department
- National Defence
- Program code
- BUN05 (ND)
- Core responsibility
- Operations
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
The Cyber Operations program, in partnership with allies, employs cyber forces to detect, deter, defend and defeat threats, adversaries or attacks against Department National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces, North American Aerospace Defense Command, North Atlantic Treaty Organization and coalitions through the global cyber environment to achieve Canadian military objectives. Assist civil authorities and law enforcement agencies, including counter-terrorism, in support of national security.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyber Operations | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $522M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Employees (FTEs) 505, against 671 in 2018-19 (−25%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators added: % of person days spent on Canadian Forces National Service Desk (CF NSD) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators dropped: Person days spent on Canadian Forces Network Operations Centre (CFNOC) Watch | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Spending $56.6M, against $77.7M in 2020-21 (−27%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Spending $86.1M, against $67.6M in 2022-23 (+27%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Indicators added: % Staffing level of the Canadian Forces Defence Service Operations Centre (DEFSOC) National Service Desk | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Indicators dropped: % of person days spent on Canadian Forces National Service Desk (CF NSD) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $65.8M, against $94.7M in 2024-25 (−31%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2026-27 | Indicators added: % Government of Canada Cyber Security Event Management Plan incidents involving DND/CAF responded to by CAFCYBERCOM | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators dropped: % Staffing level of the Canadian Forces Defence Service Operations Centre (DEFSOC) National Service Desk | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | ≥ 70% | 2025 | 35% The target was not met due to significant shortages of Regular Force personnel in key occupations. Despite this shortfall, the minimum essential operational capability was maintained throughout fiscal year 2024-25. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 70% – 100% | 2021 | 95% The residual responsibility for PO to “protect and defend” was achieved through the execution of proactive Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) and on-call response to cyber incidents. This service was maintained throughout the entire reporting period, albeit at reduced capacity during to the pandemic. The residual responsibility for PO to “exploit vulnerabilities of an adversary” has been passively… | Met |
| 2021-22 | 70% – 100% | 2022 | 60% The percentage of person days that Canadian Forces Network Operations Centre operators spend defending critical networks has been assessed to be 60% for FY 2021-22. This is based on Canadian Forces Network Operations Centre employing 72% of cyber operators on total effective strength, and accounting for leave, training, and other factors. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | 70% – 100% | 2023 | 70% | Met |
| 2023-24 | 70% – 100% | 2024 | 47% Several competing and compounding factors reduce the availability of personnel for CF NSD shifts. Personnel on leave, away for training, with medical limitations affecting shift work, or with return-to-work or other employment accommodations, are not available for duty. Beyond the staffing challenges for shift work common across all sectors, some potentially available military personnel have been… | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 90% | 2019 | 69% The CAF occupations responsible for manning the Centre are currently below manning strength, impacting the ability to fill the full complement of watch shifts. Development of this program is in the initial stages with expected completion in 2024 to include personnel force development capability which will lead to increased results in future years. | Not met |
| 2019-20 | 90% – 100% | 2020 | 69% The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) occupations responsible for manning the Centre are currently below manning strength, impacting the ability to fill the full complement of watch shifts. Development of this program is in the initial stages with expected completion in 2024 to include personnel force development capability which will lead to increased results in future years. | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 100% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $58.5M | $73.9M |
| 2019-20 | $78.3M | $65.5M |
| 2020-21 | $62.7M | $77.7M |
| 2021-22 | $52.2M | $56.6M |
| 2022-23 | $54.3M | $67.6M |
| 2023-24 | $57.3M | $86.1M |
| 2024-25 | $63.5M | $94.7M |
| 2025-26 | $65.8M | — |
| 2026-27 | $80.5M | — |
| 2027-28 | $81.1M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $82.6M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 495 | 671 |
| 2019-20 | 731 | 505 |
| 2020-21 | 976 | 466 |
| 2021-22 | 501 | 435 |
| 2022-23 | 449 | 476 |
| 2023-24 | 444 | 469 |
| 2024-25 | 474 | 483 |
| 2025-26 | 500 | — |
| 2026-27 | 571 | — |
| 2027-28 | 583* | — |
| 2028-29 | 594* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $58,458,714 | $58,853,936 | $59,363,135 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $78,314,124 | $78,984,235 | $80,824,651 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $62,697,679 | $61,988,100 | $63,115,539 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $52,191,875 | $51,904,594 | $52,843,698 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $54,251,399 | $52,939,385 | $53,044,080 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $57,337,101 | $56,540,592 | $57,245,918 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $63,498,507 | $61,791,755 | $62,055,433 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $65,788,847 | $65,868,877 | $66,543,279 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $80,465,587 | $81,091,854 | $82,594,502 | ||||||||
| Actual | $73,881,713 | $65,491,670 | $77,702,848 | $56,550,041 | $67,615,652 | $86,086,751 | $94,671,935 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
