Has Trudeau ruled out fulfilling NATO defence target? U.S. report stirs questions – National | 24CA News
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is going through new questions on his authorities’s army spending commitments after a report instructed he has privately instructed NATO officers Canada won’t ever meet the army alliance’s two-per-cent-of-GDP spending goal.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday {that a} secret Pentagon evaluation — a part of a trove of paperwork leaked to the Discord messaging app and social media websites earlier this month — says Canada’s “widespread” army deficiencies are “straining partner relationships and alliance contributions.”
Asked in regards to the report in Ottawa on Wednesday, Trudeau instructed reporters that Canada stays dedicated to NATO and investing in Canada’s army, however he didn’t reply whether or not he has dominated out Canada assembly the NATO spending goal.
“I’ve continued to say and will always say that Canada is a reliable partner to NATO, a reliable partner around the world with our military investments, with the support we give Canadians. We will continue to do that,” he mentioned.
“We will continue to be working on investing in giving the support necessary to the men and women in the Canadian Forces to deliver … Canada continues to be a partner that is much sought after.”
Global News has not seen the leaked doc or independently verified its contents. Requests for remark despatched to the Prime Minister’s Office, NATO and the U.S. Northern Command weren’t instantly returned.
A Pentagon spokesperson wouldn’t touch upon the leaked doc, however instructed Global News that “the bond between the U.S. and Canada remains close.”
NATO’s newest annual report, launched final month, reveals Canada spent an estimated 1.29 per cent of its GDP on defence spending in 2022. That’s down from 1.32 per cent the yr earlier than and is much under the 2 per cent threshold agreed to by NATO members, a goal NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has known as “a floor, not a ceiling.”
Only seven of NATO’s 30 member states met the 2 per cent goal final yr. The report notes simply 4 members have been assembly it when the rule of thumb was set in 2014.
The doc cited by The Washington Post, which reportedly bears the seal of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, was allegedly leaked together with a number of others that included categorized data on all the pieces from assessments of the battle in Ukraine to U.S. intelligence on China and Turkey.
Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested and charged over the weekend for allegedly being behind the leak.
The evaluation reportedly says allies together with Germany are rising involved in regards to the Canadian Armed Forces’ means to steadiness its myriad commitments, from aiding Ukraine towards Russia’s invasion to boosting its battle group in Latvia to a brigade stage — all whereas assembly its contributions to NATO and NORAD, the continental defence pact Canada shares with the U.S.
Global News has spoken to a number of defence sources from the U.S., Turkey and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance over latest months who’ve expressed the identical considerations.
A spokesperson for Defence Minister Anita Anand instructed Global News Wednesday that Canada “will continue to grow its military capacity to meet the challenges of today’s world,” pointing to various latest spending and procurement bulletins.
Those embrace $19 billion for 88 new F-35 fighter jets to switch its getting old fleet, a $1.4-billion improve to its Dwyer Hill Training Centre particular forces base, and $1 billion so far in army help to Ukraine.
Canada has additionally pledged practically $40 billion towards modernizing NORAD over the subsequent 20 years, although it stays unclear how a lot of that spending is definitely new cash.
Anand’s spokesperson additionally pointed to the defence coverage evaluate introduced final yr. Yet he didn’t deal with the missed NATO spending goal or whether or not it is going to ever be met.
“Canada is a founding member of NATO and has the sixth-largest defence budget among the Alliance’s members,” Daniel Minden mentioned in an announcement. “Our commitment to Euro-Atlantic and global security is ironclad–and we continue to make landmark investments to equip our Armed Forces.
“We will continue to invest in the Canadian Armed Forces and deliver modern equipment to our military, which is renowned around the world for its excellence and professionalism.”
The Canadian Armed Forces has been going through a recruitment scarcity and prolonged delays in procurement of latest gear for years, which specialists say have lowered Canada’s army readiness. The recruitment challenges come after unique reporting from Global News that started in early 2021 detailing what specialists name the “crisis” of sexual misconduct within the army.
On Wednesday, the assistant deputy minister of materiel, Troy Crosby, the Department of National Defence’s high procurement officers, blamed the delays on defence firms overpromising what they’ll ship so as to win contracts, slightly than specializing in assembly their commitments.
—With information from Global News’ Mercedes Stephenson
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
