NATO and Canada Victoria Clennan

NATO’s 2% Spending Minimum. Will Canada Ever Make It?

On April 8th, 2024, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new federal investment plan in defence spending for the 2024 federal budget. The “Our North: Strong and Free” defence policy update proposed to raise Canada’s defence spending-to-GDP ratio to 1.76% by 2029-30, amounting to $8.1 billion over five years, and $73 billion over 20 years, in new Read More…

Jake Rooke Security, Trade and the Economy

Towards a Stronger Europe: EDIS Feasibility and Collaboration for Enhanced Defence Resilience

Europe faces unprecedented security challenges, and the European Commission is seeking the opportunity to transform its defence-industrial base by creating the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS), pledging €1.5 billion to support this initiative between (2025-2027). Critical procurement vulnerabilities have been exposed since the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the potential return of a Trump administration. Addressing these vulnerabilities and diversifying Read More…

Society, Culture, and Security

Should Canada Enhance Its Defence Posture Amid the Russia-Ukraine War?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had expressed concern that the risk of direct involvement by NATO forces in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine threatened to escalate tensions and lead to a wider conflict with Russia. However, since then, he has committed Canada to bolstering Ukraine’s war effort. This raises the complex issue of whether Canada should increase defence spending Read More…

Expanding Community

The Role of the Transatlantic Bond and Democratic values as a Prerequisite for the Relevance of NATO: Ukraine and the Pandora Box Dilemma

There is an ongoing debate whether there is a linkage between the importance of transatlantic values and the level of effective commitment that might contribute to the enduring success of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In my strongest opinion, there is a precondition to how our alliance can achieve success in the future. And Read More…

Canadian Armed Forces Christopher Maternowski NATO and Canada NATO Operations

Language Lessons: Fate of Afghan Interpreters Exposes Gaps in Canadian Armed Forces Training and Recruitment

During operations in Afghanistan, mustering enough qualified linguists proved a constant challenge for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). These difficulties point to larger problems with how the CAF—and Canada—approach strategic languages.

Canada China Climate Change Defence Spending Defense Diplomatic Relations Eric Jackson Europe NATO and Canada NATO Operations The United States of America Western Europe

Prepping for 2030: The Young Leaders’ Perspective on NATO’s Future

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is set to outline the NATO 2030 initiative to the 30 NATO member countries next week. In prep, Eric Jackson highlights the NATO 2030 Young Leaders’ recommendations on how to strengthen the Alliance.

Eric Jackson NATO and Canada NATO Operations

Political Accounting: Rethinking NATO’s ‘2 percent’ Rule

Is the ‘2 percent’ rule an effective way to measure a member State’s commitment to NATO? Eric Jackson explores how political manipulation in current defence spending misrepresents a nation’s military readiness and suggests a broader definition for security expenditures.