IRIA News

Canadian Defense Minister William Blair announced that his country would increase military investments to fulfill the policy updates. The announcement came during his meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on May 13, 2024.

According to Blair, fulfilling the policy update requires substantial military investments from Canada. These investments are aimed at increasing defense spending to reach 2% of the country’s gross domestic product, aligning with its NATO commitment.

The planned investments encompass various areas such as acquiring new capabilities and equipment to strengthen Arctic and North American security, modernizing the North American Aerospace Defense Command, providing support to Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, and enhancing NATO’s overall defense capabilities.

Blair revealed that Canada is increasing its military footprint in Latvia, signaling a proactive step towards bolstering security in the region. Additionally, Canada is poised to establish a Canadian-led multinational brigade, a move indicative of its commitment to collaborative defense efforts.

Moreover, Blair highlighted the accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO as a pivotal development that will fortify the alliance’s security posture in the Arctic region. This expansion underscores a collective resolve to address emerging security challenges and underscores Canada’s dedication to fostering stability and cooperation in the Arctic domain.

“Canada is a great neighbor, dependable friend, and steadfast ally. Our countries have stood together for over a century, protecting our homelands, building a prosperous North America, upholding democracy, and defending freedom worldwide. We’re proud to continue working shoulder to shoulder with you,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during his meeting with Blair.

During the discussions, the two leaders also spoke about various key areas of cooperation, including their joint efforts within NATO to address Russian aggression targeting Ukraine. They reaffirmed their mutual dedication to the modernization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a binational military organization involving the United States and Canada.

On May 13, I met with 🇨🇦 Minister Blair and discussed our shared defense priorities. We affirmed our longstanding defense partnership, and discussed Middle East and Indo-Pacific security, NORAD modernization, defense spending, and the situation in Haiti. We agreed to continue… pic.twitter.com/Bx3C67htEF

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) May 14, 2024

The two defense chiefs also exchanged insights on defense expenditure, security dynamics in the Middle East, and the promotion of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

According to the Pentagon statement, the meeting underscored the robust partnership between the United States and Canada in addressing pressing global security challenges and advancing shared strategic interests.

Modernizing aerial capabilities

While speaking about the Canadian government’s efforts to bolster the country’s air defense capability, The defense minister referenced the weeklong journey of a Chinese spy balloon over North America in 2023 as a “wake-up call” for his nation. “The balloon incident, I think, was a good wake-up call for all of us that we needed to do more,” he said while talking to media at the Canadian embassy in Washington.

“It really put a lot of energy behind NORAD modernization, for example, because we saw the limitation of our existing domain awareness assets,” he added.

Canada’s defense policy updates put a significant emphasis on the need to improve air defense capabilities. Ottawa plans to dedicate $38.6 billion toward enhancing NORAD’s capabilities over the next two decades.

“Some of the investments we are committed to making are in many ways justified by the concerns raised in that incident,” Blair said. “Standing up for the principle of integrity and sovereignty of borders also requires us to put action behind our words.”

In terms of aerial threats, Canada faces challenges due to its aging and unreliable CF-18 Hornets and a shortage of experienced pilots to operate them. Notably, when the ‘Chinese spy balloon’ entered Canadian airspace, it was American F-22 Raptors, rather than Canadian fighters, that intercepted and dealt with the object.

To address its airpower deficiencies stemming from years of delayed modernization, Canada made a significant move in 2023 by placing an order for 88 F-35s, marking its inaugural procurement of this aircraft type. This decision comes despite Canada’s long-standing participation in the Joint Strike Fighter program, later known as the F-35 program, since the 1990s.