The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle set sail from the Mediterranean port of Toulon.
French officials declined to give precise details of its route, sources said the carrier strike group is heading into the North Atlantic,
Category: National Security (Page 3 of 7)
National Security (NatSec) as it affects the protection of Canada’s sovereignty, its territorial integrity, Canadian citizens, and the Canadian way of life, from various threats. National Security is about ensuring the continued existence and prosperity of Canada and Canadians.
“If anyone thinks here … that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming,” NATO chief Mark Rutte told lawmakers on the European Parliament’s defence and foreign affairs committees. “You can’t.”
Rutte then went on to criticize NATO allies. A “European pillar [of NATO] is a bit of an empty word,” arguing a European army would create “a lot of duplication” with the alliance. Moreover, Russian President Vladimir “Putin will love it,” Rutte added.
German defence manufacturer Rheinmetall are in talks with satellite builder OHB about a satellite project for the German armed forces.
The proposed joint venture would bid for a multibillion-euro contract to create a secure, military-grade satellite communications network in low Earth orbit (LEO) for the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces.
US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra describes the current defence relationship between the two countries as “awesome,” but stressed military interventions by the US military into Canadian airspace would increase if Canada does not increase its purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35s beyond the 16 currently on order.
The North American Air Defence Command (NORAD) is a decades-old partnership between Canada and the US which tracks inbound threats and scrambles armed jets to intercept where appropriate.
In any age of economic stagnation and extremes of inequality, popular trust in democratic institutions corrodes. It has been corroding not just in the US but across the Western world for decades now. As such Trump may be a symptom, not a cause, of Carney’s “rupture” with the post-World War Two order.
Watching those old men making their way through the Normandy cemeteries was a graphic and poignant reminder that democracy, the rule of law, accountable government are not naturally occurring phenomena. They are not even, historically speaking, normal. They have to be fought for, built, sustained, defended.
And that is the challenge from here facing what Mark Carney called “the middle powers”.
Source:
Allan Little, BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99kkerr93ko
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commented Thursday, January 22, 2026, on the separatist movement in Alberta, saying “I think we should let them come down into the US, and Alberta’s a natural partner for the US.”
Bessent falsely claimed the federal government would not allow Alberta to build a pipeline to the Pacific coast.
Lucas believes “NATO is dying,” comparing it to a “marriage where you have one of the partners in the marriage using threats of violence and mocking the other partner for being trusting and idealistic.”
British security expert Edward Lucas: 'We can't rely on the United States' | DW News
Source: Deutsche Welle (DW)
EU remains on its guard despite Trump backing down on tariff threats • FRANCE 24 English
Trump has backed down from his threats of tariffs on European countries to push them to agree to a US purchase of Greenland.
While the European Union wants to continue trade ties with it’s largest trading partner, it warned the bloc will stand up for its interests.
The message for 2026 is clear: the security environment is increasingly complex and requires continuous monitoring and foresight. The public overview of military intelligence 2026 notes, among other things, the following:
- Russia continues its efforts to restore its global superpower status, and the war in Ukraine is ongoing. Russia is continuing its defence reform, but the changes have so far not significantly increased Russia’s military capacity in the vicinity of Finland. Russia’s extensive influence in Europe has increased over the past few years.
- The shift in power relations in the Middle East has become increasingly evident.
- The Baltic Sea has become a central point in international politics. Tensions have increased significantly since the beginning of 2022.
- The global security situation is characterized by a return to power politics and increasing tensions worldwide.
Canada and the US have exchanged military personnel for decades. Beyond joint task-forces, intelligence sharing, and organizations like NATO and NORAD, Canada’s DND also regularly sends members of the CAF on exchange programs with US military units, sometimes for years.
Canadian Brigadier-General Robert McBride is the deputy commanding general of operations for the US 11th Airborne Division in Alaska. His role in a division waiting to support US ICE is a pointed example of how Canadian military personnel are caught awkwardly between Trump’s orders, Canada’s military mandate, Canadian law, and public opinion.