With funding from the Department of National Defence (DND), University of Winnipeg's Global College's Conflict and Resilience Research Institute Canada (CRRIC) will explore ways of incorporating new technology to support Arctic Security and Indigenous sovereignty in Northern Manitoba.
Adjunct professor of political science Dr. Kawser Ahmed received funding for his latest one-year project, which will help identify dual edge technology that can withstand the rigors of arctic climates.
We want to start a process so that when they go back, they can do something.
Dr. Kawser Ahmed
"The problem in the North is you don't have enough resources. And then, you know, very tough climate conditions," Dr. Ahmed said. "Even if you are thinking about flying a drone, just imagine how much capacity in terms of battery you have to think of."
Dual edge technology serves the purpose of increasing military capabilities while also supporting the needs of residents. For example, energy solutions that would benefit local communities, or military monitoring systems that could also help track climate change.
Through this research project, Dr. Ahmed will invite young people from across Northern Canada to receive training in dual edge technology.
"We want to start a process so that when they go back, they can do something," he said. "They can monitor these technological developments in their own places."
The project will also support Indigenous communities that want to train people in their own communities and will support plans or proposals considering Canada's new Defence Industrial Strategy's (DIS) commitment to invest $35 billion in northern security by the year 2035.
"It's one thing to invest money directly, you know, to build something," Dr. Ahmed said, "but the other thing is how people who live there understand security, sovereignty and these concepts, and how these investments will impact them."
Dr. Ahmed's latest research builds on another arctic research project that he wrapped up in July of this year, Indigenous-Led Arctic Sovereignty and Climate Security in a Shifting US-Canada Strategic Landscape, which set out to understand what sovereignty means for Indigenous people living in the arctic.
Both projects were funded through DND's Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) program. Dr. Ahmed said he believes these two projects are just the beginning for this type of research at UWinnipeg.
He hopes more faculty and students will be inspired to think about dual edge technology, and welcomes collaboration on bigger, multiyear projects with those who want to study the technological, social, and ecological impacts of military funding in Canada's North.
