Category: National Defence

UK should prepare for a “worst-case scenario” in which Europe can no longer rely on US support in a crisis, and build stronger relations with “middle powers” such as Canada

In a report published on Friday, 2026.03.27, the British parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) said the UK government should prepare for a “worst-case scenario” in which Europe could no longer rely on US support in a crisis.

The report warned, “The UK must be prepared to take on more of the cost for its and Europe’s security through investing in partnerships and multilateral dialogues with other ‘middle powers’, for example Canada, Australia and India, to avoid being squeezed by great power competition between the United States and China.”

The UK currently relies on the US in several key national security areas, including maintenance of its Trident nuclear missiles, intelligence sharing, and major projects such as the F-35 fighter jet and Aukus submarine deal with Australia.

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PM Mark Carney announces Canada has achieved the NATO 2% defence spending target

The 2 percent of GDP defence spending target is a foundation for an even  stronger, more independent, more secure Canada.

Prime Minister Carney announced Thursday, 2026,03.26, more than $3 billion in infrastructure and defence-related investments across Atlantic Canada:

  • In Nova Scotia, targeted investments to modernize critical infrastructure, build new facilities to support the next generation of naval and air fleets, and expand training and operational capacity. Canada is investing:

Federal government announced an investment of $1.4 billion into Domestic Ammunition Production

On Wednesday, 2026.03.18, David McGuinty, the Minister of National Defence, announced an investment of $1.4 billion to expand Canada’s domestic ammunition production capacity.

Under the Canadian Defence Industry Resilience (CDIR) Program, Minister McGuinty announced that the Government of Canada will provide up to $305.4 million in financial assistance to IMT Precision in Ingersoll, Ontario. This will establish a new manufacturing facility capable of producing empty metal shells for more modern and effective 155mm artillery projectiles, which will increase Canada’s sovereign ammunition production capacity reducing dependency on foreign suppliers. The facility will also act as a vital backup to North American supply capabilities, strengthening Canada’s position within NATO.

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Trump’s threats to NATO reveal glaring absence of any strategy on Iran

Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian’s defence and security editor, writes:

If there was a moment when the absence of a US strategy on Iran was exposed, then this was it. Donald Trump demanded on Saturday that the UK, China, France, Japan and others participate in a naval escort for oil tankers through the strait of Hormuz.

Despite launching the attack on Iran, with Israel, the White House does not seem to have fully anticipated what was likely to follow. Iran had few good military options for fighting back, but attacking US bases, US allies and merchant shipping in the Gulf was the most obvious response – to try to impose costs on the west.

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Trump, fixated on military power, had no particular desire to work with any country other than Israel – and none wanted to join in starting a war against Iran. As a result, naval preparation by US allies before the start of the war was nonexistent. None of Britain, France, China and Japan had warships ready to take up convoy duties.

For any escort operation to be viable, it might require eight to 10 destroyers, according to Richard Meade, the editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, though that would be enough to protect only “five to 10 vessels, making a transit every day and a half”. That would amount to about 10% of prewar shipping volumes.

Ottawa investing $200-million to enable sovereign satellite launches

Irene Galea and Pippa Norman, reporting for The Globe and Mail:

Ottawa is investing $200-million in a Canadian-owned spaceport to enable sovereign satellite launches and has selected three companies to receive funding from its launch grant program as part of its effort to boost Canada’s space and defence capabilities and encourage new investment in the industry.

Ottawa will lease a dedicated space launch pad at Spaceport Nova Scotia, the facility near Canso, N.S., being constructed by Halifax-based Maritime Launch Services.

The Department of National Defence will pay $20-million per year over 10 years, with 90 per cent of gross rental payments being spent in Canada to support the domestic space agency.

Meanwhile, three companies – Canada Rocket Company, Reaction Dynamics, and NordSpace – will each receive a $8.3-million non-repayable grant to develop space launch vehicles and technologies.

Nordic countries and Canada deepening partnerships in trade, technology, energy, defence, and security

To bolster Canada’s Arctic security, defence, and economic partnerships, Prime Minister Mark Carney, travelled to Bardufoss and Oslo, Norway, this week. In Bardufoss, the Prime Minister observed Exercise Cold Response – a Norwegian-led NATO exercise above the Arctic Circle to enhance the Alliance’s readiness, interoperability, and defence capabilities. Prime Minister Carney was joined by the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, and the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz.

Prime Minister Carney also attended the Canada-Nordic Summit, where he met with leaders from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden to reinforce efforts to strengthen transatlantic security in the North.

Joint statement by the Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries and Canada, 2026.03.15, Oslo, Norway:

We – the Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries and Canada – met in Oslo today, 15 March 2026.

At a time characterised by heightened geopolitical tension, war and a multitude of crises, we are united in the view that international cooperation, based on international law, shared values and interests, remains the best way to strengthen our common security and prosperity.

As democracies and countries committed to the rule of law, human rights, and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states, we share fundamental values, and strengths.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $35 billion investment for defence and infrastructure in Canada’s North

From Yellowknife, NWT, on Thursday 2026.03.12, Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a detailed $35 billion plan to modernize and expand Canada’s military footprint in the country’s Far North and Arctic.

From the Government of Canada’s News Release:

To defend fully Canada’s Arctic and North, deter new threats, and support NATO Allies and NORAD continental defence, Canada’s new government is:

European Parliament calls for deeper EU-Canada cooperation to tackle security threats and boost trade amid rising geopolitical tensions

Given the current turmoil in the international order, the EU must elevate its strategic partnership with Canada to a new level, Members of the European Parliament say, pointing to shared interests and values.

In a report adopted on Wednesday, 2026.03.11, MEPs called for deeper EU-Canada cooperation to tackle security threats and boost trade amid rising geopolitical tensions.

To address security threats such as Russia’s war against Ukraine, hybrid attacks, terrorism, foreign interference and China’s assertiveness and economic coercion, MEPs call for increased cooperation with Canada. They stress the need to implement the security and defence partnership in full, complementing NATO’s efforts through initiatives such as Security Action for Europe (SAFE) and the ReArm Europe plan/Defence Readiness 2030.

More at the European Parliament Press Release: Stronger EU-Canada partnership amid global turmoil

With his war of choice on Iran, Trump continues to do lasting damage to international trust in America

Edward Luce, the US national editor and a columnist at the Financial Times, writes:

Trump chose to go to war and has taken explicit satisfaction in his power of life and death. War is a grave step after all other options have been exhausted. That Trump had other courses of action is well understood. That he preferred this one is hard to unsee.

With US’s credibility eroding, Europeans are looking for alternatives to American extended nuclear deterrence

Rafael Loss, European Council on Foreign Relations, writes:

America’s credibility is in tatters. According to ECFR’s latest public opinion poll, fewer Europeans than ever consider the United States under President Donald Trump “an ally that shares our interests and values”. This shift has been building since at least February 2024, shortly after Trump encouraged Russia to attack “delinquent” US allies on the campaign trail—an intervention that crystallized fears about Washington’s reliability and fuelled Europeans’ desire for alternative models of nuclear deterrence.

Britain and France, Europe’s two nuclear-armed NATO allies, are central in the resultant conversations. Britain’s nuclear weapons have long been committed to the defence of the alliance, whereas France’s deterrent sits outside of the NATO framework. As such, French president Emmanuel Macron’s address on nuclear deterrence, which is due to take place on March 2nd, is sure to draw particular scrutiny.

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America’s eroding credibility means that it remains necessary for France and Britain to retain their nuclear forces, especially when considering future NATO security. However, to become instruments of non-proliferation or escalation management, they require development. To borrow from the latest US Strategic Posture Commission, French and British nuclear forces—as the core of a future European strategic deterrent—likely need to grow in size and change composition (or both) to account for structural changes in US defence strategy and Trump-specific hits to US credibility. But they would not have to replicate the US posture to achieve this.

Moreover, France, Britain and their European partners would also have to agree on joint rhetoric and actions to signal resolve and capability in European deterrence. This is not only to assure each other, but also to deter potential adversaries.