Canada faces dense defense-acquisition docket as F-35 review looms

VICTORIA, British Columbia — Self-propelled artillery, submarines and early-warning aircraft are on the purchasing docket for Canada’s new government as part of its agenda to strengthen the country’s military.

Prime Minister Mark Carney named his new Cabinet on May 13 which included David McGuinty as defense minister and former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot Stephen Fuhr as Secretary of State for defense procurement.

“Everyone is expected and empowered to show leadership – to bring new ideas, a clear focus, and decisive action to their work,” Carney said in a televised speech at the Cabinet announcement.

“We will build a stronger Canadian Armed Forces to defend every inch of our territory through unprecedented investments in land, air, sea, and cyber space,” he added.

Carney said his government’s priorities will be announced on May 27.

But his defense platform, released April 19 in the middle of the federal election, has already outlined a significant rearmament program for the Canadian military. That includes the purchase of 80 to102 self-propelled howitzers, a fleet of conventionally-powered submarines, and a fleet of Canadian-made early-warning and control aircraft. A new ground-based air defense system will also be purchased for the Canadian Army. Carney has also promised purchasing additional heavy icebreakers, although he has not provided details on numbers of such ships.

In addition, Carney had already ordered a review of Canada’s purchase of the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet. The Canadian government committed in January 2023 to spending $13.2 billion (19 billion Canadian dollars) for the purchase of 88 F-35s from the United States.

Carney, who linked the review to U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war against Canada, said at this point the country has only committed to purchasing the first 16 F-35s. He noted that he has had discussions with French and British government officials about whether they could provide an alternative to the F-35 and whether that aircraft could be built in Canada.

Carney has also pointed out that Canada has choices on its defense alliance partners.

Trump’s threats against Canada have raised issues about the state of the U.S.-Canada military relationship. “What degree of interoperability do we have in our military in a world that is more dangerous and divided,” Carney asked May 13 when referring to U.S.-Canadian defense arrangements. “So we have big decisions to make there.”

Fuhr will take on the job of overseeing the F-35 review as well as making improvements to the defense procurement process.

Fuhr previously questioned the cost and value of the F-35 in 2011 and 2014 when he was a civilian involved in the aviation industry.

But he was later elected in 2015 as a Liberal member of parliament. Then-Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had promised never to purchase the F-35 during the 2015 election campaign, later changed his policy and his government approved the purchase of the fighter jet in 2023.

Fuhr said he has yet to be briefed on his role.

The F-35 review is still in its early stages. Canada’s Department of National Defence has continued to decline to provide a timeframe for when the process might be finished.

“The F-35 review is ongoing and progressing in a timely manner; it is taking into consideration internal, external, and independent input,” Department of National Defence spokesman Nick Drescher Brown stated in a May 15 email to Defense News.

In addition, the Canadian military hopes to start working with industry this summer on the acquisition of a new helicopter fleet that will deal with existing rotary aircraft gaps in firepower and mobility.

The proposed purchase wasn’t specified in Carney’s defense policy.

But a briefing to the aerospace industry and defense analysts noted that Canada will spend $12.9 billion (CA $18.4 billion) on new tactical helicopters. The briefing was prepared by RCAF Brig. Gen. Brendan Cook, director general of air and space force development, and provided to Defense News by the Department of National Defence.

The new fleet would replace the existing CH-146 Griffon helicopter fleet.

David Pugliese is the Canada correspondent for Defense News.

加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省维多利亚市——作为加强国家军事力量计划的一部分，加拿大新政府已将自行火炮、潜艇和预警机列入采购清单。

5月13日，总理马克·卡尼任命了新内阁成员，其中包括国防部长戴维·麦金蒂和前加拿大皇家空军战斗机飞行员斯蒂芬·富尔，后者担任国防采购国务大臣。

卡尼在内阁宣布的电视讲话中表示：“每个人都被期望并被赋予权力来展现领导力——为工作带来新的想法、明确的重点和果断的行动。”

“我们将通过在陆地、空中、海洋和网络空间进行前所未有的投资，建设一支更强大的加拿大武装部队，保卫我们领土的每一寸土地，”他补充道。

卡尼表示，他的政府将于5月27日公布其工作重点。

但他在4月19日联邦大选期间发布的国防纲领已经概述了一项重要的加拿大军备重整计划。该计划包括采购80至102门自行榴弹炮、一支常规动力潜艇舰队以及一支加拿大制造的预警和控制飞机舰队。加拿大陆军还将采购一套新的陆基防空系统。卡尼还承诺采购更多重型破冰船，但他没有透露具体数量。

此外，卡尼此前已下令对加拿大购买洛克希德·马丁公司F-35战斗机一事进行审查。加拿大政府于2023年1月承诺斥资132亿美元（190亿加元）从美国购买88架F-35战斗机。

卡尼将此次评估与美国总统特朗普持续对加拿大发起的贸易战联系起来，并表示目前加拿大仅承诺购买首批16架F-35战机。他还提到，他已与法国和英国政府官员讨论过他们是否能提供F-35的替代方案，以及这些替代方案是否可以在加拿大生产。

卡尼还指出，加拿大在选择国防联盟伙伴方面有自主权。

特朗普对加拿大的威胁引发了人们对美加军事关系现状的担忧。“在一个更加危险和分裂的世界里，我们的军队究竟拥有多大的互操作性？”卡尼在5月13日谈到美加防务安排时问道，“所以我们在这方面需要做出重大决定。”

福尔将负责监督 F-35 的审查工作，并改进国防采购流程。

福尔此前曾在 2011 年和 2014 年质疑过 F-35 的成本和价值，当时他还是航空业的一名平民。

但他后来在2015年当选为自由党国会议员。时任自由党总理贾斯汀·特鲁多曾在2015年竞选期间承诺绝不购买F-35战斗机，但后来改变了政策，其政府在2023年批准购买该款战斗机。

福尔表示，他尚未收到有关其职责的简报。

F-35的评估工作仍处于早期阶段。加拿大国防部一直拒绝透露评估工作何时完成的具体时间表。

“F-35 的评估工作正在进行中，进展顺利；评估工作正在考虑内部、外部和独立机构的意见，”国防部发言人尼克·德雷舍尔·布朗在 5 月 15 日发给《防务新闻》的电子邮件中表示。

此外，加拿大军方希望今年夏天开始与业界合作，采购一支新的直升机机队，以弥补现有旋翼飞机在火力和机动性方面的不足。

卡尼的国防政策中并未明确提出这项采购计划。

但一份面向航空航天业和国防分析人士的简报指出，加拿大将斥资129亿美元（184亿加元）采购新型战术直升机。这份简报由加拿大皇家空军准将、空军和太空部队发展总监布伦丹·库克撰写，并由加拿大国防部提供给《防务新闻》。

新机队将取代现有的 CH-146 狮鹫直升机机队。

David Pugliese 是《国防新闻》的加拿大通讯员。