Canada’s defense and Arctic protection are entering a new era, as stated by Canadian Chief of Defense Staff Jennie Carignan to AFP, who describes it as a “turning point” noting that “geography” no longer protects the country “as well as in the past.”
With only one direct neighbor, who has always been considered an ally, two oceans, and the Arctic, Canada has built itself without fear for its territorial security.
However, climate change and melting ice making northern lands more accessible and desirable, along with rising tensions with the American neighbor, have reshuffled the cards.
In this context, the Canadian armed forces are forced to “transform” deeply, explained Jennie Carignan in an interview with AFP in Ottawa.
Appointed as Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces in July 2024, she is the first woman to hold this position in a G7 country.
Referring to climate change making the Arctic and thus northern Canada more accessible, she highlights the importance of the country “positioning itself differently” today to “ensure that we have control and take responsibility for defending” this territory.
“There is a modernization of our infrastructure, repositioning of material and equipment (…) and an increasing number of military exercises and operations in the north.”
Warming three to four times faster than the planet, the Arctic is attracting growing interest, with melting sea ice allowing increased access to resources (hydrocarbons, minerals, fish) and the opening of new sea routes.
– Investments –
More broadly, with a global environment that has “changed significantly in recent years,” the Canadian armed forces are forced to modernize.
This evolution marks a departure from the last three decades dominated by targeted expeditionary missions, such as in Afghanistan. The Canadian forces must now prepare for “larger-scale conflicts,” requiring equipment and structures suitable for conventional inter-army operations, according to the general.
Meanwhile, Ottawa seeks to balance its supply chains to break free from American dependence and has established a defense investment agency to strengthen its national industrial base.
This transformation is part of an increased budget effort. Jennie Carignan is pleased that military spending reached 2% of GDP this year, meeting NATO’s target. However, she believes that “sustained and stable investments over the next 10-15 years” are necessary to implement these transformation and modernization efforts.
Jennie Carignan, hoping that her example can serve as a “model” for other women, notes that recruitment efforts are currently paying off in Canada with a recent influx of candidates.
With its new defense industrial strategy, the country plans to inject $500 billion into defense over the next ten years.
Published on April 1 at 6:41pm, AFP
