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Photo by Justin Tang/CP

The acquisition and use of armed drones has been sharply debated both at home and abroad, with much of that debate centred on the U.S. having used UAVs to assassinate people in various parts of the world.

That includes strikes against what the U.S. says are extremist leaders in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and Libya — strikes non-governmental associations, human rights groups and others say also killed many civilians.

The military plans to use armed drones in much the same way as other conventional weapons, such as fighter jets and artillery, said Vance.

“There are rules of engagement, there is an approved target, there is the absolute commitment to avoiding any collateral damage, any harm to a civilian population,” he said.

“So to us, it’s just another weapon.”

Canadian soldiers relied heavily on the U.S. to provide drone support in Afghanistan, he added, noting that fielding such weapons is a critical part of deploying a modern military force.

During an event Thursday in Montreal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government had “fulsome discussions” about the decision.

“We have talked about remotely piloted vehicles of many different types and we know that’s going to be part of the defence mix moving forward for most countries, if not all countries,” Trudeau said.

Vance also welcomed the government’s decision to move the military from a purely defensive stance on the threat of cyberwarfare to an offensive posture, allowing it to conduct cyberattacks when necessary.

“It is impossible to conceive of a successful military operation or military posture without there being the cyber element to it,” Vance said.

“You can’t play a hockey game with just the goalie. Even active or offensive cyberoperations, strictly for the purposes of defence, requires you to operate in that offensive mode.”