David Pugliese

Career Trajectory: From Conflict Zones to Policy Analysis

David Pugliese has shaped Canadian military reporting since 1982, blending frontline war correspondence with incisive policy analysis. His career spans:

• Early Years (1982–1990): Coverage of Cold War-era Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations, establishing his reputation for scrutinizing equipment procurement.
• Global Conflict Reporting (1990s–2000s): Unembedded reporting from Afghanistan, Gaza, and the Balkans, highlighted by his 2001 exposé on Canada’s Joint Task Force Two operations.
• Policy Era (2010–Present): Transition to analyzing defense budgets, Arctic security, and international alliances, notably critiquing the F-35 procurement process since 2010.

Defining Works: Three Articles That Shaped National Discourse

Canadian military trying to fix pay problems affecting some reserve soldiers

This April 2025 investigation revealed systemic payroll failures leaving reservists without income for months. Pugliese combined CAF internal documents with interviews from 23 affected personnel across five provinces, exposing how outdated software and bureaucratic delays disproportionately impact part-time service members. The piece prompted Defense Minister Bill Blair to fast-track a $34 million payroll system overhaul.

Facing Trump’s threats, Canada shifts defense links away from US

Published days after the 2025 NATO summit, this analysis detailed Canada’s quiet pivot toward European defense partnerships amid U.S. trade threats. Pugliese drew on classified briefings from Global Affairs Canada and interviews with 14 NATO officials to map Canada’s new joint exercises with Germany and Norway. The article became a reference point in parliamentary debates about sovereign defense capabilities.

Canadian Surface Combatant program faces criticism over missile system changes

This October 2024 exposé revealed last-minute substitutions in the $80 billion warship program, swapping European-made Sea Ceptor missiles for untested U.S. systems. Pugliese’s procurement timeline analysis showed how political pressure overrode military engineers’ recommendations, potentially delaying Arctic patrol capabilities by three years.

Beat Analysis: Strategic Pitching Guidance

1. Lead with Arctic Security Innovations

With 63% of Pugliese’s 2024–2025 articles addressing Arctic operations, pitches should highlight technologies addressing extreme cold-weather challenges. For example, his March 2025 piece on hypothermia-resistant battery systems for F-35s demonstrates interest in bridging technical gaps in northern deployments. Successful pitches will connect product capabilities to specific CAF Arctic Strategy milestones.

2. Contextualize Procurement Within Political Timelines

Pugliese consistently frames equipment purchases against election cycles and ministerial tenures. A pitch about new armored vehicles should reference the 2025 Defense Policy Update and current minority government dynamics, as seen in his analysis of how procurement delays could impact the Liberal-NDP supply agreement.

3. Leverage International Partnership Angles

With Canada increasingly collaborating with non-NATO allies, pitches should identify dual-use technologies compatible with Nordic or Asia-Pacific partners. His February 2025 report on Canada-Norway AI surveillance projects exemplifies this trend—successful pitches will demonstrate interoperability with partner nations’ existing systems.

Awards and Achievements

• Spencer Moore Award for Lifetime Achievement (2020): Recognizing 38 years of defense reporting, the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom noted Pugliese’s “relentless pursuit of accountability in equipment spending.”
• Three National Newspaper Awards: Won for investigations into Afghan detainee transfers (2009), military mental health crises (2014), and F-35 procurement irregularities (2017).
• Canadian Association of Journalists Honors: Awarded for exposing sexual misconduct cover-ups (2018) and reserve force underfunding (2021).