North Vector Dynamics Appoints General Tom Lawson as Strategic Advisor
Press Release
Former Chief of the Defence Staff and NORAD Deputy Commander to advise on operational requirements, allied interoperability and sovereign defence capability
CALGARY, Alberta - August 4, 2026 - North Vector Dynamics (NVD), a Calgary-based, Canadian-owned and controlled defence technology company, today announced the appointment of General (Ret’d) Tom Lawson as Strategic Advisor.
NVD is building a full-spectrum missile capability - from counter-UAS solutions to hypersonics - designed to serve and defend NATO member states and their allies and partners. The company’s initial commercial product is CM-70, a low-cost, precision-guided counter-drone missile interceptor.
General Lawson will advise NVD’s leadership on Canadian and allied operational requirements, interoperability, and the development of sovereign Canadian defence capability. He will serve in a personal, civilian and non-executive capacity.
General Lawson served as Canada’s 18th Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), the senior military commander of the Canadian Armed Forces. He represented Canada in Chiefs of Defence Sessions at NATO and, as CDS, oversaw the deployment of Canadian troops to Eastern Europe as part of the Alliance’s response following Russian aggression in Crimea. His senior appointments included Deputy Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force and Deputy Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). An electrical engineer and former fighter pilot, he flew the CF-104 Starfighter and CF-18 Hornet.
“We build to a requirement, not to a concept,” said Dr. Paul Ziadé, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of North Vector Dynamics. “General Lawson has set requirements at the NATO and national levels and knows how much rides on industry reading them correctly. That perspective sharpens our decisions on the CM-70 and on the systems that follow it.”
“Canada has never had trouble producing good defence engineering. It has had trouble keeping it Canadian and getting it into production,” said General Lawson. “NVD is structured to do both, and that has value beyond Canada. An alliance is only as capable as what its members can actually produce.”
About North Vector Dynamics
North Vector Dynamics is a Canadian-owned and controlled defence technology company specializing in precision interception, autonomy, and advanced propulsion. Backed by leading Canadian, American, and European defence tech investors, NVD is led by a team of experienced engineers, scientists, and operators with experience in academia, NASA, and the Canadian Armed Forces. As a trusted partner of defence primes and systems integrators, NVD is quickly establishing itself as a venture-backed defence technology innovator.
I’m glad to see a company taking on the design and production of missiles. We need a very long range weapon, possibly to be carried by a dedicated missile carrier, even a Global 6500. The missile, with a 1000NM range, to deny attackers carrying ballistic missiles. Approaches to the missile carrier defended by CF-35s. Point defence vs ballistic missiles to protect military and infrastructure nodes. Bob’s your uncle. Lots to do.