Key Points and Summary: Canada’s defense strategy is increasingly misaligned with its geographic realities, leaving critical vulnerabilities in the Arctic, North Pacific, and North Atlantic.
-Challenges like Russia’s Arctic militarization, China’s Pacific assertiveness, and shifting NATO priorities demand decisive action.
-While plans for new submarines and NORAD modernization show potential, Canada’s underfunded military and inefficient procurement system hinder progress.
-Ottawa must focus on securing its northern sovereignty through pragmatic investments in infrastructure, surveillance, and force projection capabilities.
-Avoiding overextension and prioritizing core interests will be essential for Canada to remain a credible security actor in its own neighborhood.
From the Arctic to the Pacific: Canada’s Military Challenges
Canada’s defense and security posture is increasingly misaligned with the geopolitical realities of its own neighborhood. As a North Pacific, Arctic, and North Atlantic power, Canada faces mounting challenges from adversaries who are expanding their military and economic influence in these critical regions.
Yet, Ottawa remains distracted by ill-defined global engagements and half-measures on defense investment. The Trudeau government’s recent pledges to increase military spending remain vague, and absent a major course correction, Canada risks becoming a marginal security actor even in its own backyard. A coherent grand strategy must focus on securing vital interests through pragmatic military investments and disciplined regional priorities.
For too long, Canada has allowed external pressures and political inertia to dictate its defense policy. The country’s primary security threats are not abstract but tangible—Russia’s militarization of the Arctic, China’s assertiveness in the North Pacific, and NATO’s shifting burden-sharing dynamics all demand a response rooted in Canada’s core geographic imperatives.
Instead of pursuing an overextended defense posture, Canada must concentrate its limited resources on deterring near-term threats where its sovereignty is directly at stake.
Despite repeated commitments to NATO’s 2 percent GDP spending target, Canada continues to underfund its armed forces. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are beset by severe recruitment deficits, outdated equipment, and a procurement system that has long been synonymous with inefficiency.
The proposed acquisition of up to 12 new submarines suggests an overdue recognition of the importance of undersea capabilities, particularly in the Arctic and North Pacific. However, a history of procurement mismanagement raises doubts about execution. To ensure credibility, Canada must streamline its defense acquisition processes and commit sustained funding beyond rhetorical promises.
Canada’s Arctic security remains a glaring vulnerability. With minimal deepwater ports, an inadequate icebreaker fleet, and insufficient surveillance capabilities, Canada is ill-prepared to protect its northernmost territory.
Arctic sovereignty is not merely an abstract concern; it is a tangible national interest that requires immediate investment in infrastructure and force projection capabilities. A failure to do so will leave Canada unable to counter increasing foreign activity in its northern waters.
Strengthening defense cooperation with the United States through NORAD modernization is crucial, but Canada must also take unilateral steps to enhance its regional deterrence.
Canada’s participation in alliances must also be reassessed through a realist lens. While NATO remains an essential security framework, Ottawa must resist unnecessary entanglements that distract from its immediate security needs.
Calls for Canada to join AUKUS, particularly its technology-sharing pillar, merit careful scrutiny. While integrating into high-tech defense networks is desirable, Canada must ensure that its participation does not come at the cost of focusing on its core defense responsibilities in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

A Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank of the Royal Welsh Battle Group on Exercise Prairie Storm at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Canada.
Instead of stretching itself thin in distant regions, Canada should deepen bilateral and trilateral security arrangements with the United States, the United Kingdom, and key Arctic allies such as Norway and Denmark.
Canada’s strategic challenge is not merely a question of resources but of political will. The gap between its security environment and its policy responses is widening, and failure to act will have lasting consequences for its sovereignty and credibility.
The solution lies in disciplined prioritization: meeting NATO commitments not as an end in itself, but as a means to reinforce its own defense, investing in capabilities that directly serve its national security interests, and adopting a strategy that is focused on the Arctic, North Pacific, and North Atlantic. The time for half-measures has passed—Canada must act decisively to secure its future.
About the Author: Andrew Latham
Andrew Latham is a non-resident fellow at Defense Priorities and a professor of international relations and political theory at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. Andrew is now a Contributing Editor to 19FortyFive.

Webej
January 20, 2025 at 1:01 pm
» Canada must concentrate its limited resources on deterring near-term threats where its sovereignty is directly at stake. «
? What threatens Canadian sovereignty? It has only two direct neighbors that could threaten it, only one of which has invaded and ceaselessly pressures and threatens its course of action. All of Canada’s military efforts can be seen as largely an attempt to placate and mollify its aggressive neighbor to the south.
» Yet, Ottawa remains distracted by ill-defined global engagements and half-measures on defense investment. «
Not ill-defined. Attempts to appease American demands.
» As a North Pacific, Arctic, and North Atlantic power, Canada faces mounting challenges from adversaries who are expanding their military and economic influence in these critical regions. «
The most urgent threats relate to the US muscling in on the Arctic by way of Greenland, threats to destroy its economy, and pressure exerted on its independent foreign, trade, and economic policy. None of these threats are easily derisked by greater military spending.
» Russia’s militarization of the Arctic, China’s assertiveness in the North Pacific, and NATO’s shifting burden-sharing dynamics «
These are American talking points and have nothing to do with Canadian interests, which would obviously be to co-operate more closely with Russia (ice-breakers!) and China.
securocrat
January 20, 2025 at 1:39 pm
Truth to be told, with Donald trump as the great 47th president of america, Canada will no longer be misled or bamboozled by the goebbellian agitprop churned out by the US office of global control.
Canada will at last stopped getting drunk by the noxious alcoholic breath waffing from the southern border.
No more mental confusion and no more drunkenness. No more DUI. Free of intoxicating industrial strength acetone fumes also.
So, who the enemy all the while. Since 1991.
The enemy has always been the shadow agency, the branch of US govt that seeks global control.
Who are they.
They’re a very tight knit conglomeration of US military and intelligence officials and their political allies with their supporters or lackeys in the powerful media industry, in the MIC and wall street moguls.
They control, or try to control what’s always going on in the media, in the markets and in the corridors of power and in the halls of political meetings and gatherings.
A sinister bunch of animals that want or seek only one aim, to control the globe and turn it into a chattel of Yankee management that spews out ARTIFICIAL or ersatz forms of human culture, human consciousness and human identity.
But, but, but with Donald trump in the white house from today, January 20 2025, all that dark veil of artificial evil will be lifted, and the world will become free at last.
Canada will be free as well.
AMEN !
NewYear2025
January 20, 2025 at 2:01 pm
With the exit of genocide joe biden from the scene, the future will become less dangerous and less turbulent and less chaotic.
Genocide Joe was the great master of chaos and mayhem. The puppetter in charge of an army of zombies and halfwits.
But now, genocide joe’s gone.
The world is now becoming less dangerous and less chaotic.
Thus no need for canada to become another policeman of the world. No need at all.
megiddo
January 20, 2025 at 2:56 pm
Never miss the forest because of the trees.
A saying or advice for the ages.
There’re three dangers confronting Canada from today, now, or from Jan 20 2025.
No need for Canada’s military to handle.
The dangers don’t come from trees planted by mischievous gardeners right in your frontyard but the forest further ashore.
One big massive huge danger for 2025 is the high risk posed by french and British and possibly German forces wanting to intercede directly in the Ukraine fighting.
That spells ww3 in Europe.
Another big danger is the influx of migrants into Canada. With trump chasing away illegal aliens, Canada will become their next port of call. Be wary.
Another big danger is the rising influence peddling by south Asian and east Asian political centers.
Like from new Delhi, Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei.
Watch who are coming from all there. Spies, and assassins or what.
Those are the dangers. But no need to use military to face them. Only smart people needed.
PseudoExpertent
January 20, 2025 at 3:38 pm
Canada needs a new leader, in place of the current piece of shitty dross named trudeau, who’s a complete nitwit fully influenced by joe biden of washington’s democrats.
The new leader should put himself or herself in lockstep with the new US leader politically. In perfect synchrony. So, in 2025, possibly some quite urgent things to do.
First of them is demanding all the neo-nazis in ukraine pull back to the right bank (western side) of the dnieper river.
Second, make sure the ceasefire in gaza lasts for at least the next several months.
Third, get the UNSC to declare a mini-state for the palestinian people.
FORGET gaza. The place is utter destruction. Not liveable anymore.
One-World-Order
January 20, 2025 at 8:56 pm
What did president trump say on inauguration day.
Canada now better listen up !
Trump said we have a (biden) govt that couldn’t protect law abiding america citizens, couldn’t manage a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad.
Hear that, canada !
Biden pardoned or commuted the sentences of many dangerous and unhinged criminals, including tough members of the extremely notorious 18th street gang and the MS-13 gang while ignoring the fervent pleas of victims’ families.
Abroad, biden added great fuel to his terrible proxy wars and fanned their flames and at same time spilled enormous amounts of bloody blood.
Canada, wake up now.
JingleBells
January 21, 2025 at 1:12 am
With joe biden gone from the scene, the future is brighter and less dangerous.
Biden was america’s wokeist fascist master of censorship.
Without biden, the truth sprouts to the surface and people become free of wokeism, fascism, neo-nazism and biden’s fibs, lies, whoppers, fakers, falsehoods and gross fabrications and tall tales.
Away with all the lies and censorship. In with the truth.