NATO – NAOC

Caught between Allies and Autonomy: What the F-35 vs Gripen Dilemma means for Canada’s Defence and Security

Canada’s decision to replace its aging CF-18 fleet has taken on new geopolitical weight. Initially committed to procuring 88 F-35s, Ottawa began reconsidering further orders in 2025 amid deteriorating US-Canada relations, turning its attention to Sweden’s Gripen as an alternative. This article evaluates the two programs across four dimensions: homeland defence, alliance interoperability, industrial sovereignty, and combat performance. It finds that while the F-35 offers superior stealth and NATO integration, the Gripen presents compelling advantages in Arctic operability, cost efficiency, and supply chain independence. Ultimately, the right choice depends on whether Canada prioritizes allied commitments or long-term defence autonomy.

Security, Trade and the Economy

Europe’s Rearmament and the Question of Allied Market Access

As the European Union moves to a more structured defence-industrial strategy, its new programmes are beginning to shape who gets financed to produce what, and on what terms. Canada has secured rare, privileged access to this emerging system through SAFE, but access alone does not guarantee durable industrial relevance. Are Canada, and allies, able to be meaningfully included?

Morgan Singer Women in Security

Women on the Northern Front: Canadian Women Leading Arctic Resilience

As Arctic security becomes increasingly central to Canada’s defence strategy and the broader priorities of NATO, women and notably Indigenous women, retain imperative roles in deploying Canada’s northern security strategy. Integrating women’s leadership into Arctic defence planning is critical to ensuring that Canada’s northern security strategy is both operationally effective and socially sound. This article aims to highlight key women currently contributing to Canada’s Arctic strategy, as well as illuminate the broader gendered implications of resilience in the North.

Environment, Climate Change, and Security

La souveraineté canadienne à l’épreuve du Passage du Nord-Ouest

Avec la fonte accélérée des glaces, le Passage du Nord-Ouest devient progressivement navigable, transformant une route longtemps marginale en un enjeu central du commerce et de la sécurité internationale. Cette évolution remet directement en cause le statut juridique de cette voie maritime et, par conséquent, la capacité du Canada à en contrôler l’accès. L’importance croissante Read More…

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats

Les algorithmes au pouvoir : comment l’IA redéfinit la guerre de l’information?

Dans l’espace numérique, l’information circule à une vitesse inédite. Les réseaux sociaux permettent à chacun de diffuser des contenus en quelques secondes auprès d’un public mondial, favorisant les échanges d’idées à grande échelle. Pourtant, ils facilitent aussi la propagation de contenus trompeurs. Avec l’essor de l’intelligence artificielle (IA), cette réalité a franchi un nouveau cap Read More…

Isabelle Zhu Women in Security

Breaking Barriers from the Battlefield: Women Journalists Reporting From the Front Lines

Female journalists experience harmful stereotypes, increased susceptibility to violence, and additional barriers, especially when reporting in conflict zones. Journalism is a crucial mechanism that contributes to peace and security, and it is essential to support women in this space as they add differing perspectives in this traditionally male-dominated space.

Security, Trade and the Economy

The Value of our Strength: How Carney’s Davos Speech Exposes NATO’s Economic Security Gap

As NATO faces an era of unprecedented economic coercion between allies, can a military alliance built for tanks and treaties truly protect its members from tariffs and trade wars? In this article, Kaya Dupuis examines Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s landmark speech at the World Economic Forum, arguing that Canada’s pivot toward “strategic autonomy”, leveraging energy, critical minerals and bilateral trade deals as defensive tools, exposes a fundamental gap in NATO’s mandate, one that leaves middle powers increasingly vulnerable to economic threats that Article 5 was never designed to address.

Indo-Pacific and NATO

Avoiding Escalation Pitfalls: Australia and NATO

What does the Australia-NATO partnership mean in the current moment of geopolitical flux? In this piece, junior research fellow Joel Sawyer examines the strategic histories driving Australia-NATO alignment, the potential hazards of deepening military cooperation, and how to move the relationship forward.

Indo-Pacific and NATO

Not Just a Submarine: South Korea’s Bid and Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy

As Ottawa weighs its next submarine fleet, the stakes extend far beyond procurement. Tasneem Gedi argues that South Korea’s KSS-III could help Canada restore its undersea capabilities, strengthen its Indo-Pacific posture, and lay the foundation for a deeper defence relationship with Seoul. In a more demanding world, that makes this a strategic decision with consequences well beyond the navy itself.

Security, Trade and the Economy

The power of Atom, shared: Future of Canada’s extended nuclear deterrence within NATO.

Recent shifts in US defence policy have cast doubt on the reliability of the American nuclear umbrella that Canada and NATO allies have relied on for decades. While European states explore alternative deterrence arrangements through possible nuclear sharing by France and the UK, Canada’s access to these options is limited by its geography. This article argues that Canada can address this vulnerability without compromising its non-proliferation commitments by deepening its role in NORAD. Canada’s strategic importance to North America’s Arctic defence gives Ottawa unique leverage – which it should actively use to reinforce its membership within the American extended nuclear deterrence in face of mounting global security challenges.