Canada ramps up defense spending with focus on Arctic

A member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, emerges from a snow shelter demonstration near Resolute Bay in preparation for Operation Nunalivut. CANADIAN ARMED FORCES

THE WATCH STAFF

Faced with what leaders characterize as an increasingly unstable and threatening security environment, Canada proposes to spend $5.9 billion on a five-year defense plan that focuses on the defense of its Arctic territory. Themed “Our North, Strong and Free,” the plan calls for nearly $53 billion over the next 20 years with major investments in weapons systems, war and reconnaissance planes, Arctic patrol vehicles and upgrades in housing and other support for the troops, according to a defense budget released by the government.

The April 8, 2024, defense spending announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlined how the North American country will raise defense spending to 1.76% of GDP by 2029-2030, a significant step toward the 2% goal agreed upon by NATO members. Under the current budget, Canada spends just over 1.3%.

“We live in an increasingly complex world, and the security threats faced by Canada are rapidly changing. Growing challenges to the international order that has long protected Canada’s prosperity and security, the rising impact of climate change, and the rapid pace of technological change [are] all affecting Canada’s national interests. These trends are also having real and tangible impacts on the daily lives of Canadians,” read a statement from Trudeau. “In response to these challenges, the service of our Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is more important than ever — from defending Canada and securing our sovereignty in the Arctic, to protecting our continent alongside the United States, to providing life-saving assistance to Canadians impacted by natural disasters, to strengthening NATO’s collective defence and providing military assistance to help Ukraine defend itself, to increasing our presence in the Indo-Pacific.”

Emphasis on the Arctic is prominent in Canada’s strategy. The government plans to acquire specialized sensors to monitor the country’s maritime approaches and defend against vessel-launched missiles, underwater weapons systems, ships and submarines. A new ground satellite station in the Arctic will also be built to detect threats and communicate them to allies. Northern Operational Support Hubs, at a cost of $157 million, will provide a greater year-round presence across the Arctic and the country’s Far North in multi-use infrastructure that will also provide resources for Indigenous people and rural communities. The country will renew and expand the Royal Canadian Navy’s submarine fleet to project deterrence on all three Canadian coasts with under-ice capability. All-terrain vehicles for traversing Arctic terrain will allow the military to explore ways to allow maritime helicopters to land and take off from the Navy’s Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels.

Canada also will increase spending on upgrades to CAF housing and health care, to replenish ammunition stocks and hone cyber defenses. Defence Minister Bill Blair said the budget fulfills a promise by Canada to “do more” to defend its national security interests. Those priorities include:

• About $38 billion over 20 years to strengthen the defense of North America, reinforce Canada’s support of its partnership with the U.S. under NORAD, and protect its sovereignty in the North.
• $11.5 billion over 20 years for Canada’s contribution to increasing NATO’s common budget and to establish a new regional office in Halifax for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic.
• More than $11 billion since 2015 to enhance benefits for veterans, including improvements to education, employment and caregiver support as well as the introduction of Pension for Life.
• $4.4 billion over 20 years to enhance Canada’s cyber security by expanding cyber operations capabilities and shoring up critical infrastructure to fend off cyberattacks.
• $3.8 billion over 20 years to acquire new critical weapons systems, replenish stocks of ammunition and improve the CAF’s digital systems.
• $3.5 billion to renew and expand Operation REASSURANCE, the CAF’s largest overseas mission, through which it contributes to NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe.
• $4 billion in military assistance for Ukraine.
• $910 million to support military operations in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region.

Canada has also made major equipment purchases in recent years, including approximately 140 new aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) — including F-35 fighters, CC-330 Husky aircraft, and P-8A Poseidon aircraft — and a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System to provide the CAF with the capability to remotely engage targets in complex environments, according to a government fact sheet. Blair said those investments demonstrate Canada’s commitment to its defense and that of its allies.

“In our rapidly changing world, we are committed to fulfilling our essential responsibility of protecting Canada and its people. Our world has evolved significantly in the past few years, and we need to do more to respond to new security threats. Our North, Strong and Free outlines our plan to do more and is a significant step forward in meeting our commitments to our allies. I thank our personnel for their dedication to protecting Canada – and I am more confident than ever in their future,” Blair said in a statement.