Canada’s defense chief eyes change in Arctic approach with change in weather

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For decades, Canada relied on geography and the strength of its North American Aerospace Defense Command partnership with the U.S. to protect itself from potential adversaries. But the situation in the high north is rapidly changing and Canada must adapt just as quickly, Ottawa’s military chief said Monday.

Canada and the U.S. operated a system of radar stations in the northern Arctic region of Canada called the Distant Early Warning Line from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. It was set up to detect incoming bombers from the Soviet Union during the Cold War and provide an early warning of any sea or land invasion.

“It gave us some situational awareness in the far north, but it is not comprehensive,” Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said Monday during a meeting of the Defense Writers Group in Washington, D.C. “We need to really up our game.”

He said Canada’s Arctic region is rapidly warming, making the area far more accessible to other countries, including those whose intentions may be suspect, Mr. Blair said.

“We’re seeing some of the more assertive and even aggressive actions of potential adversaries who are really leaning forward in the Arctic,” Mr. Blair said. “The region is facing new challenges and potentially new threats and it really demands that we respond in an appropriate way.”

Russia under President Vladimir Putin has made the Arctic a priority, both economically and militarily. Multinational attempts to manage competition in the frozen north have suffered with Russia’s break with the West because of the war in Ukraine.

Mr. Blair said Canada is making significant military investments, including purchasing combat and support aircraft, and will replace its aging submarine fleet. The investments mean Canada will spend 1.76% of its GDP on military hardware. He acknowledged that means the country still hasn’t hit the NATO benchmark of 2% of GDP for defense, a sore spot for multiple U.S. administrations.

“That’s a commitment we made to NATO but it’s also a commitment we made to all of our allies,” he said. “This is what we must do and this is the direction we’re going.”

Mr. Blair said he wants a new series of over-the-horizon radar stations in the far north to deter potential attacks on North America. But it won’t come easy.

The Arctic Ocean could be the primary transit route between Europe and Asia by 2050. The Russians have deep-water ports in the Arctic Ocean. Mr. Blair didn’t say how many Canada has other than to say it “wasn’t enough.”

He said critical infrastructure like airports, power plants, highways and fiber optic networks will be needed to support a new radar systems the government seeks in northern Canada.

“There is a great deal of work that needs to be done between Alaska and Norway, and a great deal of that responsibility is Canada’s,” Mr. Blair said. “I want the Canadian Armed Forces to be persistently present in the north.”