Canada announces continental defence modernization

Canada announced a plan to modernize the country’s continental defence capabilities.

The government says this is supported by an investment of $3 billion over six years from existing Budget 2022 allocations, starting in 2022-2023, with $1.9 billion in remaining amortization. The plan includes a series of new and enhanced capabilities to ensure the Canadian Armed Forces and NORAD can detect, deter and defend Canada against threats well into the future.

These capabilities include:

• Bolstering the country’s ability to detect threats earlier and more precisely by modernizing surveillance systems
• Improving the country’s ability to understand and communicate threats to those who need it, when they need it, through investments in modern technology
• Strengthen the countries ability to deter and defeat aerospace threats by modernizing air weapons systems
• Ensure the Canadian Armed Forces can launch and sustain a strong military presence across the country, including in Canada’s North, through investments in new infrastructure
• Supporting capabilities and future-proof capabilities to defend North America through investments in science and technology

The government says the investments will also reinforce NATO’s Western Flank as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

“As autocratic regimes threaten the rules-based international order, as the security and defence impacts of climate change increase, and as our competitors develop new technologies like hypersonic weapons, there is a pressing need to modernize the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) that has kept us safe for over 60 years. The plan brought forward today will deliver modern, state-of-the-art equipment for our Canadian Armed Forces, who put their lives on the line every single day to ensure the security and sovereignty of our country, and it will protect Canadians for generations. NORAD has continually adapted and evolved in response to new threats. Today, we turn another page, and begin NORAD’s next chapter,” said Minister of National Defence Anita Anand, in a statement.