As it looks to replace Canada’s aging fleet of Victoria-class submarines, Ottawa must answer doctrinal questions before committing to a supplier. If not, the blanks will be ultimately filled in by operational constraints that delineate RCN capacity for decades to come.

After decades of near total dependence on the United States, Canada is now looking to Brussels to diversify its defense relationships. But decades of supply chain and regulatory integration with the US defense industry will limit what’s achievable in the short-term.

Canada is present in the Indo-Pacific, but its engagement lacks the policy and material discipline required to shape outcomes. The costs of this approach will only increase as China consolidates its influence in the region.

The involvement of Canadian defense firms in EU’s SAFE instrument could serve as a genuine bridge between two defense industrial bases that have historically operated in separate ecosystems. But the path to Brussels is paved with grand plans that never came to fruition.

A port visit at CFB Esquimalt by a Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine is meant to demonstrate strategic and industrial benefits of the Hanhwa Ocean bid ahead of Ottawa’s final decision on who will supply the next generation of RCN submarines.

Canada’s reported engagement with the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) would strike a balance between developing domestic defense industries while keeping F-35 procurement intact.

The takeaway from Diego Garcia is not that the strike was a failure; rather, it’s that existing defenses are now being tested by increasingly capable systems. Canada must take note and adapt.

This week we examine Trump’s embrace of the Chavista regime in Venezuela, reports of multiple assassination attempts targeting President al-Shaara in Syria, Beijing’s accelerating efforts to offload US debt, and new indications in Europe and Canada of a fundamental realignment in global defense industries.

In his efforts to overhaul the Canadian military, Prime Minister Carney must thread the needle between strategic autonomy and political reality, all while carefully avoiding backlash from Washington.

The Canada-EU Security and Defence Partnership may not represent a systemic shift, but it’s an important step toward correcting the strategic imbalance that has left Ottawa (and Brussels) vulnerable to coercion by Washington.

When only one side abides by global norms, national interests are put at risk. The global environment has shifted, and it’s time for Canada to adapt.

The recent EU–Canada pact is more than a diplomatic milestone; it is a strategic signal. It illustrates how Western allies are adapting to a less predictable world by creating new partnerships, diversifying their defense strategies, and strengthening their capacity to act independently and cooperatively.

The paradox of the Canadian military is clear: it has resources but lacks the means to deploy them effectively.

With the establishment of the Canadian Armed Forces Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), Canada joins eleven other global militaries with a cyber-based command.