Friday would have been a bad day for Canada to start a war. The nation's only four-star general was busy at the Bush Library in College Station.
But if it was gearing up for another fight, chances are the U.S. would be as well. The focus of the talk was the close relationship between the two countries.
"We're joined at the hip. That's the reality," said Walter Natynczyk, who, as Chief of Defence Staff, is Canada's highest-ranking military officer. "We have shared history. We have shared culture. We have shared morals and ethics and values."
He said an image projected on a large screen of Canadian and American forces walking together and kicking up dust along a windy dirt road in Afghanistan summed up the relationship.
But there are differences.
"You love football more than we do," he said, "but we love hockey more than you do."
Natynczyk has had assignments in Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia, East Timor and the U.S. He was deputy commanding general of III Corps at Fort Hood from 2002 to 2004 while on exchange with the U.S. Army.
His time in Texas gave him a bit of a Texas accent, he said, but his country has heavy French influences as well.
"Bonjour ya'll," the general said to about 150 people, including many from the Corps of Cadets.
About 100,000 Canadians are in the country's armed forces, the general said. But, despite the wars, recruitment is up nationwide 10 percent over last year, he said.
"We're growing our force, transforming our force, modernizing our force," said Natynczyk, originally from Winnipeg.
The future of Afghanistan, he said, was dependent on Pakistan, which poses three challenges: the insurgent sanctuaries along the mountainous border, corruption and drugs.
"To you future policy analysts out there, it's your business, but we have to work together," he said of the collaboration needed between soldiers and diplomats.
The program was presented by the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs within the Bush School of Government and Public Service. It was part of the institute's international affairs seminar speaker series.
Previous speakers have included Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, a former Texas A&M president, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who was the highest-ranked Hispanic in the U.S. Army when he retired in 2006.
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