The Canadian military is initiating a plan to significantly expand its reserve forces from 28,000 to 400,000 personnel. This ambitious mobilization effort was outlined in a directive approved by senior military leaders, including Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan and Defence Deputy Minister Stefanie Beck, on May 30, 2025.

The directive specifies the need to increase the current reserve force from 23,561 to 100,000 and to boost supplementary and other reserves from 4,384 to 300,000. To facilitate this expansion, a specialized group known as a "tiger team" has been established. This team will focus on developing a Defence Mobilization Plan (DMP) to support the influx of new personnel into the military.

Beck and Carignan emphasized that achieving this goal will require a "Whole of Society" (WoS) approach, meaning that contributions from all Canadians will be essential. They stated, "In order to assure the defence of Canada against domestic threats ranging from a low-intensity natural disaster response to high-intensity large scale combat operations, the DMP will be developed to empower a timely and scalable WoS response."

The tiger team, based at the Department of National Defence’s Carling Campus in Ottawa, began its work on June 4. The team will assess necessary changes to government legislation to accommodate the proposed increase in military personnel. Beck and Carignan noted that collaboration with other government organizations will be crucial for the initiative's success. They wrote, "Defence will not accomplish the outcome alone, rather it will necessitate shaping, facilitation and engagement with the Privy Council Office, other government departments and agencies as well as socialization with the Canadian public."

Additionally, the tiger team plans to consult with international allies, including Finland, which has a conscription-based military system. In Finland, all male citizens aged 18-60 are required to serve, while women can volunteer. The Finnish government has recently proposed raising the age limit for reservists to 65.

In Canada, reservists serve on a voluntary basis. The Supplementary Reserve consists of inactive or retired members who are willing to return to duty if needed. However, the specifics of how the Canadian military will achieve its goal of 300,000 supplementary reservists remain unclear.

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces have not commented on how existing recruitment challenges might affect the mobilization plan. A recent report by Auditor General Karen Hogan highlighted ongoing difficulties in attracting and training sufficient recruits for various military roles, including pilots and ammunition technicians. The report indicated that the recruitment process currently takes twice as long as the targeted 100 to 150 days due to significant backlogs in security screenings.

The audit also pointed out the military's limited capacity to train new recruits. Beck and Carignan noted that the Canadian government has called for increased resilience and autonomy in security matters, which underscores the need for the Defence Mobilization Plan.

The tiger team will also evaluate the investments required to sustain a 400,000-member reserve force. While the directive does not specify the criteria for implementing the mobilization plan, it acknowledges that global security dynamics have shifted due to rising strategic competition among nations. Some military leaders have suggested that a conflict involving Western nations and countries like China or Russia could occur in the near future. Brig.-Gen. Brendan Cook, director general of air and space force development for the Royal Canadian Air Force, warned in June 2025 that Canada must prepare for potential military engagements with these nations, which could arise between 2028 and 2030.

In October 2023, a document from then Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre indicated that Canada is already engaged in a form of conflict with Russia and China. The Canadian military's mobilization plan aims to address these evolving security challenges and enhance the country's defense capabilities.