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The Pentagon has announced the suspension of its participation in a joint defense council with Canada in 1940, amid tensions over Canadian military spending and the F-35 fighter jet program. Washington particularly criticizes Ottawa for hesitating on purchasing American aircraft and deems its military engagement insufficient.

This move has escalated tensions between the United States and Canada. On Thursday, May 21st, the Pentagon announced the suspension of its involvement in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, an advisory body jointly established in 1940 between Washington and Ottawa. This decision directly targets Canada, accused by the United States of dragging its feet on its military commitments, starting with the purchase of 88 F-35A fighters from Lockheed Martin, as reported by AeroTime.

“The Canada has not yet made the difficult decisions necessary to become a credible partner in the mutual defense of our continent,” a Pentagon official told the press on May 21st. Washington specifically criticizes Ottawa for the slow pace and lack of transparency surrounding the revision of its F-35 order, initiated in 2025 by Prime Minister Mark Carney amid trade and political tensions with Donald Trump.

The contract, signed in 2023 for approximately $13.9 billion USD, covers 88 F-35A aircraft. Canada has already begun paying for the first 16 aircraft and some necessary equipment for another 14. However, Ottawa is now considering reducing its order and also purchasing Gripen aircraft from the Swedish manufacturer Saab to diversify its suppliers and lower costs.

Beyond the F-35 issue, the Pentagon is urging Canada to increase its military spending as it has done with European Union countries in the past. Washington aims for its neighbor to raise defense spending from 2% to 3.5% of GDP by 2035. Ottawa has put forward a $87 billion plan over twenty years to modernize the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and enhance security in the Arctic.

Mark Carney, however, downplayed the significance of the American gesture. “I would not overstate the importance of this. We have many aspects of very close cooperation in defense with the United States,” he stated on May 19th.