Canada leaves this week’s NATO Summit in Ankara with good reason for cautious optimism. After years of debating defence budgets and delayed procurements, the Alliance has reached an important turning point. The discussion is no longer about promises. It is about military capability. That is precisely where Canada’s focus must remain.
For years, NATO measured commitment by the percentage of GDP devoted to defence. That benchmark still matters, but it is no longer sufficient. The true measure of national security is whether those dollars produce soldiers, ships, submarines, aircraft, armoured vehicles and ammunition that can fight. Capability deters aggression. Announcements do not.
Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Ankara with one of Canada’s most significant defence agendas in decades. His government announced the procurement of Joint Strike Missiles, advanced negotiations for Canada’s next submarine fleet, new Arctic military satellite communications, an accelerated Light Utility Vehicle program, participation in NATO’s Innovation Fund, and an extension of Operation REASSURANCE in Latvia until 2031, with Canada’s deployed force increasing to approximately 2,600 personnel.
Canada also committed nearly $1 billion in additional military assistance to Ukraine, including 35 Canadian built armoured combat support vehicles and more than 39 million rounds of ammunition produced by Canadian industry. These measures strengthen both Canada’s defence industrial base and NATO’s collective deterrence.
These announcements deserve recognition. For far too long, Canada’s defence policy has been characterized by procurement delays, underinvestment, and ambitious plans that rarely translated into operational capability. This summit suggests Ottawa recognizes that national defence is no longer a discretionary policy choice. It is a fundamental responsibility of government.
But summits should never be judged by headlines or communiqués. They should be judged five years later. Will the submarines actually be under construction? Will the missiles have been delivered? Will Arctic surveillance systems be operational? Will Canadian industry be producing ammunition at scale? Most importantly, will the Canadian Armed Forces have enough trained personnel to operate the equipment we purchase?
Canada still faces significant challenges. The Canadian Armed Forces remain well below authorized strength. Naval modernization continues to lag, ammunition stockpiles require expansion, and procurement remains far too slow.
Buying equipment is only one component of military capability. Training, logistics, maintenance, sustainment, and industrial production are equally essential. A modern military is measured not by procurement announcements but by operational readiness.
History offers an important reminder. Before World War II, democratic governments announced military expansion, but deterrence became credible only when factories began producing aircraft, ships, tanks and ammunition in enormous numbers. Military power is built through sustained production, not political declarations.
That lesson remains relevant today. Russia continues producing military equipment at a remarkable pace despite years of war in Ukraine. China is undertaking the largest naval expansion in modern history while investing heavily in advanced missiles, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems. Authoritarian powers measure capability, not intentions.
NATO’s commitment to invest 5 percent of GDP in defence by 2035 is therefore about far more than spending targets. It is about generating the military capability required to deter conflict before it begins. Canada should embrace that objective without hesitation.
Our national conversation must now shift from budgets to measurable outcomes. How many operational battalions can we deploy? How many combat ready aircraft are available? How many submarines can put to sea? How many days of ammunition can Canadian forces sustain during high intensity operations? Those are the questions Canadians should be asking.
The Ankara Summit marks an encouraging beginning, but only a beginning. Prime Minister Carney deserves credit for recognizing that Canada must rebuild its military after decades of decline. Now comes the harder task: accelerating procurement, rebuilding the Canadian Armed Forces, strengthening Canada’s defence industrial base, and delivering real capability.
Canada does not need another decade of defence announcements. It needs more soldiers, more sailors, more aviators, more ships, more armoured vehicles, and more ammunition. Above all, it needs a military that is ready, deployable, and capable of defending Canada’s sovereignty and fulfilling our commitments to our NATO allies.
