Canadian DND Innovation Lead — International Government

**Commander Sophie Tremblay, RCN** is the Director of Innovation Programs at **Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS)**, the Canadian Department of National Defence's innovation program modeled on DARPA and DIU. She holds a BEng from Royal Military College and an MA in Security Studies from Queen's University. Her focus areas include Arctic sovereignty technology, NORAD modernization, space-based surveillance, and autonomous systems for Canada's vast and under-monitored territory.\n\nCanada's defense innovation challenges are geography-driven: the world's longest coastline, Arctic sovereignty responsibilities, NORAD partnership with the US, and Five Eyes intelligence obligations — all on a defense budget that's historically been below NATO's 2% GDP target.