Canadian Defense Policy: In its new defence policy, the Canadian government promised to make the military better at fighting and keeping an eye on things in the Arctic, two years after being asked to do so right away. While officials talked about Canada’s new defence policy, they also said that the country won’t be able to meet its NATO spending obligations right now.
Over the next five years, the country will spend an additional $8.1 billion on defence. In addition, the plan includes a list of new weapons that the Department of National Defense plans to acquire, such as new submarines and air defence systems, to safeguard vital infrastructure.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defense Minister Bill Blair unveiled the program on Monday at CFB Trenton. Developed after two years of research and engagement, the program is entitled Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defense.
According to the administration, the 20-year policy would be evaluated and amended every four years. According to the government, it will result in an additional $73 billion in spending over the next 20 years.
The new plan calls for increasing Canada’s defence spending from 1.38% of GDP, which is the current NATO estimate, to 1.76% of GDP in 2029–2030.
A monthly explanation of how Canada’s expenditure will increase from 1.38% to 1.76% is absent from the text, although a large portion of the specific spending is back-ended and will not occur until after the 2025 federal election.
There is no set deadline for meeting NATO’s budget goals, according to officials at a technical briefing.
Reporters were given a technical briefing with the stipulation that the officials remain anonymous.
Canada and the other members of NATO pledged to dedicate 2% of their GDP to defence spending in 2014. Canada only allocated 1.01% of its GDP, at the time, to defence. While many other nations also spent far less than that goal, the majority of NATO nations have increased their spending significantly as a result of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
The U.S. ambassador to NATO stated to CTV News in February that Canada is the final member nation without a strategy in place to meet the 2% target. During a technical briefing on the new policy, officials informed reporters that Mr Blair briefed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the government’s proposal.
A government official reported that Mr. Stoltenberg was very pleased with the plan’s reception.
The military is currently short about 15,000 people due to a serious personnel problem. When asked whether the military could even allocate 2% of GDP due to manpower shortages, an official replied that the forces would need to strive for that amount.
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Mr. Stoltenberg called Canada’s revised spending plans a “step in the right direction” in a statement to The Globe and Mail.
At this point, two-thirds of the Allies have crossed the 2% mark. According to Mr. Stoltenberg, the majority of the countries have plans to reach 2% by 2030. “I rely on Canada to meet this goal as quickly as possible—for the Alliance’s security as well as its own.”
In a statement issued on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen called the expenditure commitments “real progress” and a “down payment” on Canada’s vow to spend 2% of GDP on defence.
According to Mr. Cohen, “the policy update’s firm financial commitments represent some of the most significant investments in defence spending in recent Canadian history.” He also stated that the federal government has assured the United States that additional investments will be made.
Although the plan commits to purchasing new tactical helicopters, no money is allocated for this purpose during the first five years of the strategy. The plan’s breakdown states that by 2044, the total amount spent on helicopters will have been $18.4 billion; however, it does not specify how much will be spent annually.
Over the next five years, $917 million will be spent to improve Canada’s intelligence and cyber operations, and $401 million will be spent on long-range missile capabilities. These are two of the biggest expenditures on new capabilities.
Regarding the kind of missile capability the military hopes to acquire, officials did not disclose any details.
The government also pledges to increase spending on necessities under the plan. It will spend $1.9 billion on maintaining naval vessels, $1.8 billion on producing and supplying ammunition, and $1.4 billion on maintaining military hardware during the following five years.
