Canada’s longstanding military agreement with the United States could face significant changes if the nation does not fulfill its commitment to purchase 88 fighter jets, according to a warning from President Trump’s ambassador.
This critical statement regarding the North American Air Defence Command (NORAD) was made as Canada considers its partnership with its southern neighbor, including its deal to acquire 88 American-made F-35 fighter jets.
With only 16 of these advanced jets funded and delivered, Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra cautioned CBC that ‘NORAD would have to be altered’ if Canada does not complete the purchase.
Hoekstra explained that if Canada backs out, the US would be compelled to acquire more fighter jets to protect North American airspace, which might lead to US Air Force jets overseeing Canada’s airspace.
“If Canada is no longer going to provide that [capability], then we have to fill those gaps,” he emphasized, underscoring NORAD’s role in defending both nations from aerial threats.
Since the Cold War, NORAD has monitored potential threats to the airspace over Canada, Alaska, and the rest of the contiguous US, with American and Canadian jets intercepting unidentified aircraft as necessary.
However, Hoekstra is indicating that US jets might be required to operate in Canadian airspace if Prime Minister Carney decides against completing the F-35 purchases, which range between $80 million and $110 million per aircraft.
A Canadian national security official criticized this warning as a forceful ‘political pressure tactic,’ suggesting the US is leveraging the NORAD alliance to boost plane sales.
Canada is contemplating the replacement of US-made Lockheed Martin F-35 jets with the Swedish Gripen fighters, which are similarly priced, due to concerns from some allies about America’s control over air force replacement parts.
“If they decide,” Hoekstra remarked, “they’re going with an inferior product that is not as interchangeable, interoperable as what the F-35 is, that changes our defence capability. And as such, we have to figure out how we’re going to replace that.”
Defense experts have long contended that the F-35 is a superior fighter jet platform due to its adaptable equipment, allowing it to perform in various environments, from vertical takeoffs on aircraft carriers to extended-range strike missions.
Vincent Rigby, former National Security adviser under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stated: “This is another off-the-cuff remark by the ambassador. It shouldn’t be ignored but neither should it be taken as gospel truth from either the administration or the Pentagon.”
In Europe, military analysts are beginning to express caution against relying on the American-made platform, with growing concerns about the US as an unreliable ally.
Danish defense committee chief Rasmus Jarlov advised allies to ‘choose another fighter jet,’ following Trump’s threat to annex Greenland, a territory historically linked to Denmark.
Jarlov cautioned that the F-35 program depends heavily on US-manufactured parts, granting America considerable control over whether other nations’ air forces are operational.
Jarlov noted: “They’re in for repairs about half the time or even more. So the Americans have all the power of actually destroying our air force just by shutting down [parts] supplies.”