Canada rushes to build up its military as US relationship frays
Story by Amanda Coletta • 16h
TORONTO—For decades, Canada’s military has been considered a weak link in NATO. Now, it is rushing to rearm.
In the past year, Canada has met its North Atlantic Treaty Organization spending target of 2% of gross domestic product ahead of schedule. Canadian Armed Forces recruitment has also reached a 30-year high, and the country has begun acquiring billions of dollars in new military hardware. On Monday, Canada said it would buy up to 12 new submarines in an overhaul of its aging fleet.
“In a more dangerous and divided world, Canada must do more to defend ourselves, secure our sovereignty and support our allies,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday on the eve of the NATO summit, as he announced that the country had entered into negotiations with a German-Norwegian group led by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems for the submarines in the largest military procurement in Canadian history.
“The assumptions that shaped decades of Canadian defense and foreign policy have been upended,” he added. “History is back with a vengeance.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/canada-rushes-to-build-up-its-military-as-us-relationship-frays/ar-AA27l63v
