Defence Spending Boost Can Only Go so Far to Lessen US Reliance: Experts

(The Canadian Press/Giordano Ciampini) A variant of the Light Armoured Vehicles, similar to those ordered by the Canadian Armed Forces, sits inside the General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada factory in London, Ont., on Aug. 16, 2019. The Canadian Press/Geoff Robins

In early 2002, Glenn Cowan touched down in Kandahar province as part of the first wave of regular Canadian Army troops deployed to Afghanistan, serving in a U.S.-led brigade combat team.

After joining Canada’s elite special operations unit Joint Task Force 2 in 2003, he spent the next 13 years collaborating with American soldiers on raids, rescues and reconnaissance missions.