“CAF – Canadian Armed Forces”

As global instability grows and international threats evolve, Canada can no longer afford to underinvest in its national defence. The government’s renewed commitment to strengthening the Canadian Armed Forces is timely — and long overdue. But as we debate where to allocate dollars, we must remember one fundamental truth: national defence isn’t just about equipment or infrastructure. It’s about people.

OTTAWA—Canada’s top soldier says the military should keep buying at least some additional F-35 fighter jets from the United States, which she said will remain a key partner as Prime Minister Mark Carney pursues deeper defence ties with the European Union.

Gen. Jennie Carignan, the chief of the defence staff, said Monday that the F-35 jet comes with many advantages, from the capacity to cover Canada’s immense territory, to the ability for regular upgrades to keep up with rapidly advancing technology. Canada has already signed off on buying 16 of the jets through the American government, but the Liberal government put the rest of the purchase under review in March, amid tensions with the U.S. over President Donald Trump’s tariffs and talk of making Canada the 51st American state.

Carney and his pals get a piece of the action by choosing a Euro fighter.

Interest has spiked in the Canadian military, with recruitment levels hitting their highest point in a decade. But as more people walk in the door, thousands of enlisted members are deciding to walk out.

Numbers obtained by Global News show the retention crisis worsened year over year, as Prime Minister Mark Carney who is attending the NATO summit in Brussels, vows to rebuild the Armed Forces and reduce Canada’s dependence on the U.S.

My guess is that the CAF are simply not Transgender friendly enough. They should just outright ban heterosexuals.

To watch the war between Ukraine and Russia, and the wars between Israel and Hamas/Hezbollah/the Houthis/Iran, is to be reminded of how unprepared Canada is. After decades of neglect, the Canadian Armed Forces are poorly armed, and in some important respects, they are not armed at all.

For example, when the Russian military invaded Ukraine in early 2022, two weapons were key to Ukraine’s ability to resist: anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles.

The Canadian Army used to have several different weapons systems to defend soldiers on the ground against air attack. These were all retired by 2012, and nothing replaced them. Ottawa purchased an advanced air-defence missile battery last year, known as a NASAMS, but only for the purpose of donating it to Ukraine. The Canadian Forces don’t have this kit.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced this week Canada will reach the NATO defence spending target of 2% of GDP this fiscal year, marking the first time since 1990 the country has hit this milestone. The move will cost roughly $20 billion more.

New data from the Angus Reid Institute shows Canadians largely back the plan to spend 2% of GDP on defence. About half (51%) say Canada should spend to this level, while 17% support spending even more — a figure that has doubled since March 2024 amid rising concerns over U.S. reliability.

The number of regular force members grew by approximately 2,000 members from April 1 last year to March 31 this year when accounting for attrition, the department said. The CAF had 65,154 regular force members and 23,561 primary reserve members on April 30, and it anticipates reaching 71,500 regular force members and 30,000 primary reserve members by 2032.

… While intake has increased, the CAF has faced issues retaining the new members, according to a leaked military report obtained by CBC News and covered in May. The attrition rate of new members is double that of the rest of the force, with recruits expressing frustration about the lengthy wait prior to receiving training.

One the biggest complaints among departing recruits is the perceived misalignment of the organization’s focus on cultural change rather than on operational requirements, the report noted. It also said an office to focus on retention had been defunded.