Canadian Military Can Work in Europe, Asia at Same Time: Defence Minister

Defence Minister Anita Anand, right, walks with Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of defence staff, as they attend an announcement in Halifax on Nov.18, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan)

Defence Minister Anita Anand pushed back on Friday against suggestions that growing Canada’s military’s footprint in Asia will come at a cost to the country’s long-standing commitments to Europe, where NATO allies are expecting to see more Canadian troops.

The issue emerged after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at an international summit in Bangkok that the government’s new Indo-Pacific strategy will include “increased defence investments” to ensure peace and stability in the region.

While the prime minister did not offer further details, the statement followed the government’s decision in the summer to send two Royal Canadian Navy frigates to the Asia-Pacific region at the same time, as a sign of Canada’s increased engagement.

Yet that deployment, along with the return of two minesweepers from a stint with a NATO naval task force earlier this month, has left Canada without any warships in European waters for the first time since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014.

Asked about the lack of warships in Europe while announcing Canada’s proposal to host an innovation centre for NATO in Halifax, Anand touted the work that HMCS Vancouver and Winnipeg are doing in the west Pacific.

She also defended Canada’s contributions to both NATO and Ukraine with money and through the deployment of hundreds of troops to lead an alliance battlegroup in Latvia and help train Ukrainian forces in Britain and Poland.

“What we have demonstrated and will continue to demonstrate is that we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Anand said as one of the navy’s new Arctic patrol ships floated in the Halifax harbour behind her.

“We can focus on the unjust and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin by putting more than $1 billion (in military aid to Ukraine) on the table, as well as putting forward an Indo-Pacific strategy which will be forthcoming in the following weeks.”

Yet the minister offered no hints as to the government’s plans for Asia, including the size and scope, even as she faced questions about a promise to expand Canada’s military presence in eastern Europe.

Canada and Latvia agreed in June to double the size of the 2,000-soldier battlegroup that Canada has been leading since 2016 by turning it into a brigade to better defend against any Russian attack or aggression.

Canada contributes about 700 troops to the force in Latvia, which also includes soldiers and equipment from 10 other NATO members.

The deal followed similar arrangements involving seven other eastern European countries where NATO has battle groups designed to deter the threat of a Russian attack.

Basic details such as the size and structure of the planned brigade remain up in the air, though the agreement between Ottawa and Riga does include some specific commitments by both sides.

For Canada, that includes acquiring and deploying anti-tank weapons, counter-drone and air defence systems, ammunition and explosives while positioning troops, equipment and ammunition to quickly surge into Latvia in the event of an attack.

Asked for an update at the start of the annual Halifax International Security Forum, where political and military officials from around the world will meet to discuss the war in Ukraine over the weekend, Anand said Canada was still consulting with its allies.

“I can confirm that we will be committing additional troops to that endeavour in Latvia as we move to brigade level,” she added. “The precise number of troops will depend on the other complementary contributions that the other member countries will be making.”

Defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute said the military is also facing demands in other parts of the world like the Middle East and at home, where natural disasters are growing in frequency and power.

All of that is happening at a time when the military is dealing with a personnel crisis and struggling to replace old equipment, meaning there is only so much the Armed Forces can do—ultimately limiting the government’s options.

“That’s all part of the problem with having a greater focus on the Indo-Pacific,” Perry said. “Unless you’re expanding the pool of resources militarily upon which you can draw, then you are in a scenario where you’re having to make choices.”

Anand sidestepped questions about Canada’s continued refusal to spend the equivalent of two percent of its national gross domestic product on the military, as all NATO members have repeatedly agreed to do.

A report released by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in June estimated Canadian defence spending would instead decline as a share of GDP to 1.27 percent this year, from 1.32 percent last year and 1.42 percent in 2020.