Record 003 · Defence
A binational command, established together in 1958.
“Canada is a country that has underinvested in its military that quite literally would get invaded by a foreign country were it not for the umbrella of protection provided by the United States of America.”
JD Vance · Remarks, as published by C-SPAN · August 24, 2026
We have to remember, Canada is a state — sorry, Freudian slip. That was actually an accident. Canada is a country that has underinvested in its military that quite literally would get invaded by a foreign country were it not for the umbrella of protection provided by the United States of America.
But Canada gets the benefit of trading with the U.S. way more than the U.S. gets the benefit of trading with Canada. It's a country that doesn't have a military.
…that Prime Minister Carney has turned this into a political shouting match. I mean, we're not at war with Canada. How are we going to be at war with Canada? Are they going to take their two submarines from the Edmonton Mall and sic them on us?
NORAD is a binational Canada–United States command. The two countries established it together in 1958, and its commander answers to both governments.
Canada runs the Canadian NORAD Region from Winnipeg. It identifies and tracks every aircraft entering Canadian airspace and commands all air defence forces in Canada. Canadian CF-18 Hornets fly NORAD air-defence missions.
Canada has committed $38.6 billion over twenty years to NORAD modernization. Canadian and American forces train and operate together in named, dated operations — listed below, one by one, with sources.
On "underinvested": NATO's own figures put Canada's defence spending at 1.01 percent of GDP in 2014 and 1.47 percent in 2024, below the alliance's 2 percent benchmark every year until the 2025 estimate of 2.01 percent. On "two submarines": Canada has four Victoria-class submarines, which the government itself calls increasingly obsolete, and in July 2026 selected a supplier for up to 12 new ones.
Each block answers one question: what does this source establish?
Evidence 01
National Defence: "a bi-national military organization established in 1958 by Canada and the United States… The commander of NORAD is appointed by and is responsible to both the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States." The 2022 backgrounder calls it "the world's only binational military command."
Evidence 02
National Defence: "We monitor and defend North America through aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning."
Evidence 03
"The Canadian NORAD Region (CANR) identifies and tracks all aircraft entering Canadian airspace and exercises operational command and control of all air defence forces in Canada. It is headquartered with the 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba." The Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division is also Commander of the Canadian NORAD Region.
Evidence 04
The Royal Canadian Air Force bases its CF-188 Hornets at 3 Wing Bagotville and 4 Wing Cold Lake. National Defence's 2023–24 Departmental Plan records two RCAF CF-18s flying "under the direction of the NORAD" during Operation NOBLE DEFENDER on October 27, 2022. NORAD's own Canadian NORAD Region page describes the CF-18 alert role; that extraction is pending manual verification.
Evidence 05
National Defence's fact sheet: "$4.9B on a cash basis for the first six years, and $38.6B over twenty years on an accrual basis," across surveillance, command and control, air weapons, infrastructure and science. That is a twenty-year commitment, not annual spending.
Evidence 06
NATO's Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014–2025), Table 3: Canada at 1.01 percent of GDP in 2014, 1.47 percent in 2024 (estimate) and 2.01 percent in 2025 (estimate). National Defence confirms the 2 percent target was met in the 2025–26 fiscal year. In June 2025 the government's own prepared answer to "Why isn't Canada pulling its weight" was that it needed to "invest more, invest faster, and invest smarter." Facts First does not select evidence because it helps Canada; this is what the record shows.
Evidence 07
National Defence, July 2024: "Canada's current fleet of four Victoria-class submarines is becoming increasingly obsolete and expensive to maintain." On July 6, 2026 the government selected Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems as preferred supplier for up to 12 submarines, with contracting by the end of 2027 and the first four delivered in 2034, ahead of the Victoria-class retirement in the mid-to-late 2030s. The readiness problem the remark points at is real and is stated by the government itself; the count is not.
Evidence 08
Canada's Departmental Plan documents RCAF CF-18s under NORAD direction during NOBLE DEFENDER in October 2022. NORAD's fact sheet and its 2026 Pituffik, Greenland release are the primary accounts of the series; both are retained and pending manual verification.
What the evidence does not establish
Who protects whom. NORAD is a shared command with shared missions; the record shows what each country contributes, not a ledger of who owes what.
Named, dated, sourced. Facts First does not publish a count of "joint missions" because no authoritative complete dataset supports one.
October 27, 2022 · recurring
Canada Two Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18s deployed to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard under NORAD direction.
United States Hosted by the Pennsylvania Air National Guard; NORAD-directed air-defence operation.
Canadian fighters operating inside a NORAD air-defence operation on U.S. territory.
Government of Canada →2026
Canada NORAD operation in the Arctic approaches; Canadian participation to be confirmed from the release.
United States Conducted by NORAD from Pituffik Space Base.
The series continues in 2026 across NORAD's regions.
NORAD →Extraction pending manual verification
2023
Canada Two Royal Canadian Navy Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessels, HMCS Margaret Brooke and HMCS Harry DeWolf.
United States United States Coast Guard Cutter Northland and United States Navy destroyer USS Delbert D. Black.
U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships sailing Canada's Arctic waters under a Canadian-led operation.
Government of Canada →2025 · and 2026
Canada Canadian Armed Forces High Arctic operation, led by Canada.
United States About 70 members of the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing among roughly 110 foreign participants in 2025; U.S. military personnel again in 2026.
Recurring U.S. participation in Canada's signature Arctic operation.
Government of Canada →February 13–22, 2024
Canada Over 350 Canadian Army soldiers, part of more than 600 CAF members, training in cold-weather combat.
United States Hosted at the U.S. Army's Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Canadian soldiers validating a high-readiness force on a U.S. training centre.
Government of Canada →February 17–28, 2025
Canada 40 members of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.
United States A U.S.-sponsored exercise: 850 Finnish and United States military personnel in Sodankylä, Finland.
Canada, the United States and Finland training together on NATO's northern flank.
Government of Canada →Annual since 2013 · 2023 and 2026 iterations
Canada Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, with the RCMP and provincial and municipal police in the 2026 tactical phase in Toronto.
United States Led jointly with U.S. Northern Command; about 1,400 participants from 23 U.S. and Canadian agencies in 2023.
A bilateral counterterrorism and counter-weapons-of-mass-destruction exercise run every year.
Government of Canada →Government of Canada
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) — National Defence organizational page
"…a bi-national military organization established in 1958 by Canada and the United States. We monitor and defend North America through aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning." Describes the Canadian NORAD Region, headquartered with 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg.
View original →Government of Canada
NORAD backgrounder (National Defence, June 2022)
"In 1958 … Canada and the United States formally established the world's only binational military command."
View original →NORAD
NORAD Agreement — the binational command, its 1958 origin and its three missions
Primary source retained. norad.mil refuses automated retrieval; the Canada.ca pages cited alongside establish the same facts.
Extraction pending manual verification
View original →Royal Canadian Air Force
1 Canadian Air Division
"1 CAD is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Commander of 1 CAD also serves as Commander of Canadian NORAD Region (CANR)…" Lists CF-188 Hornets at 3 Wing Bagotville and 4 Wing Cold Lake, and "aerospace warning and control" systems among what 1 CAD manages.
View original →NORAD
Canadian NORAD Region — Winnipeg headquarters, surveillance, control and warning, CF-18 alert
Primary source retained. norad.mil refuses automated retrieval; Government of Canada pages cited alongside establish the region, its headquarters and its command role.
Extraction pending manual verification
View original →Government of Canada
National Defence Departmental Plan 2023–24 — Operations
Photo record: "Under the direction of the NORAD, two CF-18s assigned to the Royal Canadian Air Force flies to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard during air-defense Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, October 27, 2022."
View original →NORAD
Fact sheet — Operation NOBLE DEFENDER (OND)
Primary source retained. norad.mil refuses automated retrieval; Canada's 2023–24 Departmental Plan independently documents Canadian CF-18 participation.
Extraction pending manual verification
View original →NORAD
Press release — NORAD conducts Operation NOBLE DEFENDER in Pituffik, Greenland (2026)
Primary source retained. norad.mil refuses automated retrieval; a manual read is owed before this item is treated as verified.
Extraction pending manual verification
View original →Government of Canada
Fact sheet — Funding for Continental Defence and NORAD Modernization
"The minister announced $4.9B on a cash basis for the first six years, and $38.6B over twenty years on an accrual basis." Breaks the $38.6 billion into five areas of investment.
View original →Government of Canada
Our North, Strong and Free (2024) — Annex C: Canada's NORAD Modernization Plan
Itemises the plan: $6.9 billion for surveillance (over-the-horizon radars and satellites), $4.13 billion for command and control, $6.38 billion for air-to-air missiles, $15.68 billion for infrastructure and support, and science and technology.
View original →Government of Canada
Operation NANOOK — National Defence current operations page
2023: "United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Northland; United States Navy (USN) destroyer USS Delbert D. Black" sailed with two RCN Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessels. 2025: about 110 foreign military members including "Around 70 members of the USAF National Guard New York 109th Airlift Wing". 2026: "Military personnel from the United States, Belgium, France, and Denmark also took part in Op NA-NU 26."
View original →Government of Canada
News release — Over 600 Canadian Armed Forces members training with Allies and partners in Alaska on Exercise GLOBAL RESOLVE 24 (February 13, 2024)
"Over 350 Canadian Army soldiers will begin practicing their cold weather combat skills in a joint exercise at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) in Fort Wainwright, Alaska from February 13 to 22, 2024."
View original →Government of Canada
News release — Canadian Army to train with US and Finnish allies in Sodankylä, Finland (February 13, 2025)
"From February 17 to 28, 40 members of the Canadian Army's 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2 CMBG) will join 850 Finnish and United States (US) military personnel on Exercise ARCTIC FORGE 25."
View original →Government of Canada
The Maple Leaf — Exercise Vital Archer 2023 (June 30, 2023)
"Vital Archer 23, a bilateral exercise focused on counterterrorism, and counter weapons of mass destruction, came to a close June 22, 2023, across the United States and Canada. Led by U.S. Northern Command and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, Vital Archer 23 featured approximately 1,400 participants from 23 U.S. and Canadian government agencies."
View original →Government of Canada
The Maple Leaf — High-stakes scenario, wide-scale cooperation: VITAL ARCHER 2026 (May 26, 2026)
"Beginning in 2013 as a tactical exercise between the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) and U.S. military counterparts, it has since evolved to reinforce a whole-of-government approach to crisis response. It is now an annual exercise…" Tactical phase in Toronto, April 14, 2026.
View original →NATO
Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014–2025), Table 3: defence expenditure as a share of GDP
Canada: 1.01% (2014), 1.20, 1.16, 1.44, 1.30, 1.29, 1.41, 1.27, 1.20, 1.33 (2023), 1.47 (2024 estimate), 2.01% (2025 estimate). Figures for 2024 and 2025 are estimates.
View original →Government of Canada
Backgrounder — Canada achieves the 2% of gross domestic product defence spending benchmark (National Defence, March 2026)
"The Government of Canada has achieved the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) defence spending target in the 2025–26 fiscal year." Canada is investing more than $63 billion in defence.
View original →Government of Canada
Question Period Note DND-2025-QP-00008 — NATO Funding (NATO 2%), June 20, 2025
The government's own prepared answer to "Why isn't Canada pulling its weight when it comes to contributing to NATO and meeting the 2% NATO defence spending target?": "we know that we need to invest more, invest faster, and invest smarter." Forecast spending from $41 billion in 2024–25 to $57.8 billion in 2029–30.
View original →Government of Canada
News release — Canada launching process to acquire up to 12 conventionally-powered submarines (July 10, 2024)
"Canada's current fleet of four Victoria-class submarines is becoming increasingly obsolete and expensive to maintain. Canada needs a new fleet of submarines…"
View original →Government of Canada
Backgrounder — Government of Canada advances Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (Defence Investment Agency, July 6, 2026)
"On July 6, 2026, the Government of Canada announced that Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has been selected as the preferred supplier to begin negotiations…" Contracting by the end of 2027; "the first four submarines to be delivered ahead of schedule, in 2034, ahead of the planned retirement of the Victoria-class fleet in the mid-to-late 2030s." Up to 12 submarines.
View original →Last checked:
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