This article is part of Aerospace Defense Review Innovation Insights series featuring expert contributions nominated by our subscribers and reviewed by our editorial team.

 John Gagliardi Founder and Chief Innovations Officer, Jroberts Defence | Aerospace Defense Review | Most Reliable Defense Vehicle Repair Service in Canada

Mission Ready Starts at Home: Jroberts Defence Expands Canadian Sustainment Capability

John Gagliardi Founder and Chief Innovations Officer , Jroberts Defence

Defence Sustainment Builder

Editor’s Note: Defence leaders must recognize that operational readiness increasingly depends on sustainment capability long after platforms leave production.This perspective highlights why domestic engineering expertise, lifecycle support and integrated logistics have become strategic assets in maintaining mission-ready fleets.

As Canada places renewed focus on sovereign defence capability, operational readiness, and domestic industrial resilience, the importance of sustainment has never been greater. Military fleets only deliver operational value when they remain reliable, supportable, and mission ready throughout their lifecycle. At Jroberts Defence & Security Inc., we believe sustainment is no longer simply maintenxance — it is a core element of national defence capability.

Over the past several years, Jroberts Defence has established itself as a leading Canadian sustainment provider specializing in military vehicle lifecycle support, sustainment engineering, remanufacturing, logistics, and fourth line maintenance. Through our long-standing support of the Canadian Armed Forces’ Light Utility Vehicle Wheeled (LUVW) fleet, we have developed extensive expertise in major component overhaul, corrosion restoration, reverse engineering, technical investigations, integrated logistics support, and fleet lifecycle management. This operational experience has allowed us to build a highly capable sustainment infrastructure designed to support military fleets operating well beyond their original production timelines.

What makes sustainment increasingly important today is the growing complexity of military systems and the reality of aging fleets. Many defence platforms remain operational for decades after OEM production support declines or disappears entirely. As supply chains become more strained and global instability increases, domestic sustainment capability becomes strategically important. Nations that can internally support, repair, modernize, and manufacture critical components maintain greater operational flexibility, stronger readiness resilience, and reduced dependency on foreign sustainment networks.

At Jroberts Defence, we have continued investing heavily in Canadian capability to meet these evolving requirements. Over the past several years, we have expanded our operations through new facilities, additional engineering resources, increased manufacturing capability, and the development of dedicated logistics infrastructure. We also recently expanded our presence into Ottawa to strengthen collaboration with government stakeholders, OEMs, and defence partners within the National Capital Region. These investments reflect our long-term commitment to building a modern Canadian sustainment organization capable of supporting both current and future military platforms.

What began as a specialized fourth line maintenance operation has evolved into a fully integrated In Service Support (ISS) and sustainment engineering capability. Today, our organization supports a broad range of activities including sustainment manufacturing, engineering integration, lifecycle extension programs, weapons systems support, technical publications, inventory and supply chain management, and operational readiness planning. Increasingly, we are seeing global OEMs and prime contractors recognize the value of partnering with established Canadian sustainment providers capable of supporting Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) objectives while delivering proven in-country lifecycle support capability.

  • Canada’s Trusted In-Service Support Partner - Delivering Complete Lifecycle Support

We believe the future of defence sustainment will be driven by organizations capable of integrating engineering, manufacturing, digital systems, logistics, and lifecycle analytics into unified operational support ecosystems. Emerging technologies such as AI-assisted diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and digital sustainment platforms will continue transforming how fleets are maintained and managed over the long term. However, despite advances in technology, the core objective remains unchanged: maintaining operational readiness.

At Jroberts Defence, our mission remains clear — support the Canadian Armed Forces, strengthen Canadian industry, and help ensure mission readiness starts at home. As Canada continues modernizing its military and strengthening its domestic defence industrial base, we remain committed to investing in Canadian capability, expanding our sustainment infrastructure, and delivering the long-term support solutions required to keep military fleets operational, reliable, and mission ready for decades to come.

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The articles from these contributors are based on their personal expertise and viewpoints, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their employers or affiliated organizations.