What You Need to Know: The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is in crisis, struggling with outdated equipment, recruitment and retention issues, and insufficient Arctic defenses.
-Aging Halifax-class frigates and Victoria-class submarines are nearing obsolescence, while procurement delays and skyrocketing costs hamper modernization efforts like the Canadian Surface Combatant program. Personnel shortages, housing challenges, and low morale further erode readiness.
-As Arctic competition intensifies with Russian and Chinese ambitions, the RCN risks falling behind. Addressing these challenges demands bold reforms, including streamlined procurement, Arctic-capable platforms, competitive pay, and modernized training.
-Restoring the RCN’s strength is essential for Canada’s sovereignty, NATO credibility, and future maritime security.
The Royal Canadian Navy at a Crossroads: Can It Recover?
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is at a tipping point. Persistent shortfalls in personnel, aging equipment, mismanaged procurement, and crumbling infrastructure have left the Navy struggling to meet the demands of 21st-century maritime security. These challenges are not abstract; they compromise Canada’s ability to defend its waters, safeguard its sovereignty in the Arctic, and contribute credibly to NATO operations. Without bold reforms and sustained investment, the RCN risks becoming a token force in an increasingly contested maritime domain.
As the son of a Royal Navy veteran, I have long understood the pride and sense of duty that come with naval service. Yet, today, the Canadian Navy faces crises that would have been unthinkable in my father’s time. Chronic personnel shortfalls have left some ships unable to deploy, forcing others to operate understaffed. Naval service has always required sacrifice, but the Navy’s current conditions—aging ships, long deployments, and limited family support—are driving sailors out faster than they can be replaced.
Many sailors cite burnout, inadequate housing near bases, and a lack of meaningful career opportunities as reasons for leaving. Housing challenges at bases like Halifax and Esquimalt further complicate retention. Sailors stationed at Halifax report skyrocketing rents, forcing many to live hours away from base. In Esquimalt, outdated infrastructure compounds the problem, leaving service members to contend with poor living conditions on top of demanding jobs.
Recruitment fares no better. Younger Canadians increasingly view the military as outdated and irrelevant. Meanwhile, the Navy has struggled to modernize its pitch, failing to align with the aspirations of today’s workforce. Unlike the U.S. or Australia, which have reframed military service as a pathway to high-tech careers, Canada’s recruitment efforts lack coherence and resonance. A compelling national narrative about the Navy’s vital role in protecting Canadian interests could begin to close this gap, but such a vision is sorely absent.
Equipment deficiencies compound the RCN’s personnel challenges. The Halifax-class frigates, while upgraded, are decades old and nearing the end of their operational lives. Replacement is years away, with the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program mired in delays and cost overruns. Initial estimates pegged the program at $26 billion; current projections exceed $80 billion, raising doubts about its feasibility. Meanwhile, the Navy’s four Victoria-class submarines—critical for Arctic sovereignty and North Atlantic security—are approaching obsolescence.
These deficiencies leave Canada struggling to meet its NATO commitments. In joint exercises, Canadian frigates have lagged behind allies equipped with cutting-edge technology like Aegis combat systems. The absence of advanced air-defense capabilities, modern anti-submarine systems, and robust Arctic patrol vessels is glaring. While NATO allies such as the U.K. and Poland have invested heavily in modernizing their fleets, Canada’s delays highlight its complacency.
The Arctic represents a particularly glaring vulnerability. As geopolitical competition in the region intensifies, Canada remains unprepared to defend its interests. The RCN’s Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS), while a step forward, are too few and too lightly armed to address the ambitions of competitors like Russia and China. Russia has built a formidable fleet of icebreakers and militarized its Arctic presence, while China has declared itself a “near-Arctic state,” signaling intentions to exploit the region’s resources. Yet Canada’s Arctic capabilities remain modest at best, leaving its sovereignty increasingly vulnerable.
Underlying these challenges is a dysfunctional procurement system. Decades of bureaucratic delays and ballooning costs have left the RCN with a fleet ill-suited for modern threats. The CSC program, intended to replace the Halifax frigates, exemplifies these failures. While allies have streamlined acquisition processes and embraced off-the-shelf solutions, Canada’s approach has been plagued by indecision and inefficiency. The result is a fleet that risks becoming obsolete before its replacement arrives.
Infrastructure shortfalls further undermine the Navy’s readiness. CFB Halifax and CFB Esquimalt, the Navy’s two principal bases, suffer from outdated facilities that can no longer meet the demands of a modern fleet. Dry dock capacity is limited, slowing maintenance and repairs, while base housing is woefully inadequate to support sailors and their families. These deficiencies not only affect operational readiness but also erode morale, exacerbating recruitment and retention challenges.

Victoria-Class Submarine from Canada.
The Navy’s training programs also require urgent attention. Modern naval warfare increasingly relies on advanced technologies such as cyber capabilities, autonomous systems, and electronic warfare. Yet the RCN’s training remains rooted in conventional paradigms, leaving sailors ill-prepared for the complexities of contemporary maritime operations. Joint exercises frequently expose these gaps, as Canadian crews struggle to integrate with allies operating advanced systems.
Strategically, the RCN suffers from a lack of focus. Spread thin across multiple missions—from NATO deployments in the North Atlantic to counter-piracy patrols off Africa—the Navy struggles to prioritize. A more concentrated approach, focusing on the Arctic and North Atlantic, would better align with Canada’s core security interests. The Arctic, in particular, demands immediate attention as climate change accelerates and rival powers expand their presence in the region.
Fixing the RCN will require more than incremental change; it demands a complete overhaul. Recruitment and retention must become top priorities, with competitive pay, improved housing, and family support programs as immediate steps. Recruitment campaigns must be modernized to emphasize the Navy’s critical role in defending Canada and its high-tech career opportunities.

(Dec. 12, 2011) The Royal Canadian Navy long-range patrol submarine HMCS Victoria (SSK 876) arrives at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor for a port call and routine maintenance. The visit is Victoria’s first to Bangor since 2004. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Ed Early/Released)
Procurement reform is equally urgent. Canada must streamline its processes, adopt off-the-shelf solutions where appropriate, and improve oversight to prevent delays and cost overruns. Partnering with allies on joint procurement initiatives could help deliver advanced capabilities more efficiently. Investments in Arctic-capable platforms, submarines, and advanced technologies like drones and cyber systems are essential to closing operational gaps.
Above all, addressing the Navy’s challenges will require sustained political will. The Trudeau government has shown little appetite for serious reform, favoring symbolic gestures over substantive action. A future Conservative government under Pierre Poilievre could bring the focus and commitment necessary to revitalize the Navy, but success will depend on prioritizing defense as a core policy area.
The stakes could not be higher. A diminished Navy not only jeopardizes Canada’s sovereignty but also erodes its credibility with allies. NATO relies on Canada to contribute to collective security, yet the RCN’s current state leaves it punching below its weight. As competition intensifies in the Arctic and North Atlantic, Canada cannot afford to fall further behind.
The Royal Canadian Navy’s proud history is worth defending. From its vital role in the Battle of the Atlantic to its peacekeeping missions around the globe, the Navy has long been a cornerstone of Canada’s security. Restoring its strength and relevance will not be easy, but it is essential. Canada must act now to ensure the RCN can meet the challenges of the 21st century and safeguard the nation’s future at sea.
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.

pagar
January 3, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Don’t worry.
There are no hostile EP-3s or mysterious RC-135s buzzing at or near canada’s coastlines.
Neither are there any pirate-flagged or skulls-&-bones LCS vessels probing canadian shorelines.
What is worrying are migrants crossing the US-canada border.
Trump is entering white house jan 20. He’s promised mass deportations. Many already taking the hint and making a beeline for canada.
So, the Navy is not ready to tackle the coming deluge.
Don’t worry. They’d be using strictly land routes or dry routes.
R Langkamer
January 3, 2025 at 9:36 pm
If they’re crossing the Canada – US border, then it’s up to the States to do their own work, stopping those migrants !?
We don’t have to stop folks in Canada from crossing South, Not our job, man !
David Chura
January 4, 2025 at 11:09 pm
When things fail such as the navy and it will include the rest of the military and not mentioned as of yet.
Who do we blame ?
It always comes down to the one with the biggest mouth of uselessness,
In this case it is Trudeau and the liberal government, for their neglect and throwing good money out of the country
GhostTomahawk
January 5, 2025 at 1:00 am
But they have socialized medicine!!! Lol
We need to come to grips with the fact that our 20th century allies are not capable of waging a real hot war. England is a joke. FRANCE ISN’T really an ally. Germany doesn’t have a real navy and it’s military isn’t up for a hot war either. The old world stopped being global powers when the USSR died and became socialist nanny states that import people from the 3rd world to float their ponzi schemes.
America needs new allies. Fast
Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.
January 5, 2025 at 7:36 am
Our defence spending must be increased to 2.0% of our GDP immediately and placed at the top of all future budgets … in other words … our defence spending takes priority over all other prograns. All foreign aid must be suspended until we have a balanced budget and our national debt has been repaid in full … in other words … not for the foreseeable future.
I was born in Canada and I did not get to vote in our elections until I was 18 years old. All new immigrants must provide for themselves (no handout & no benefits) including their private health insurance and do not get to vote until they have been in this country for 18 years. If they do not like these terms then they should stay where they are.
Brent Jatko
January 5, 2025 at 10:19 am
Why is everything “rotting away?”
Get a new headline and stop cribbing from other “rotting away” articles.
Robert Black
January 5, 2025 at 1:28 pm
Another puff piece praising the very political party that didn’t invest a nickel in the RCN during the decade they were in office.
The Conservatives let the Navy rust out, decommissioning our supply ships AND air defence destroyers without a replacement, even though they were already being studied in 2004 (two years before they took office). They also committed Canada to 2% of GDP defence spending, but then ut it to .99%, the lowest level since 1949.
NEITHER major party has handled the CAF decently since the 1960s.
Kelly
January 16, 2025 at 7:32 pm
The only way to fix Canada’s military is for canada to be suspended from nato, until such time we rebuild and property equipment are forces and that includes how the government finances and runs the military, to be told that we are on are own until we smartin up and how we reform are military, Canada must be embarrassed so badly that canada has no choice but to rebuild and modernise and reform how the military is supplied and works before we are let back into nato, I say this because no amount of talking from nato country’s has changed how the Canadian governments over the years since ww2 has not changed how canada maintains and runs the military.
Dude
January 17, 2025 at 1:45 pm
What a lame article this is. It left out the elephant in the room of a woke holy war that the canadian armed forces has been waging on it’s white population but it did mention the climate cult!