Pentagone veut une décision rapide du Canada sur 72 F-35
Le pentagone wants Mark Carney’s government to make a rapid decision on the remaining 72 F-35 fighters after Ottawa ordered 88 aircraft in 2023. Pentagon officials also want Canada to present a clear plan for meeting NATO’s new military-spending threshold.
Ottawa and the 72 aircraft
Canada is already bound by a contract for 16 Lockheed Martin aircraft, but the government has not committed to the other 72. Carney’s government is reviewing the F-35 contract as the Canada-United States alliance deteriorates, and it is also exploring a mixed fighter fleet that would include F-35s and Swedish Gripen aircraft.
One Pentagon official told journalists Thursday that Canada should make a rapid decision on the F-35 purchase and called the delay a major source of dissatisfaction. The same official said the issue reflects “l'absence de décision quant à la poursuite ou non de l'achat complet d'avions de chasse F-35 de fabrication américaine” and criticized “la priorité accordée à la politique au détriment de notre responsabilité commune en matière de défense de l'Amérique du Nord”.
Washington and the defense committee
Washington withdrew this week from a Canada-United States defense collaboration committee, and a Pentagon official said the suspension does not affect NORAD operations. The Canada-U.S. permanent joint defense commission appears to be suspended because Canada has no plan to devote 3.5 percent of GDP to its armed forces plus an additional 1.5 percent of GDP to defense infrastructure.
That spending gap now sits beside the fighter-jet decision. Ottawa has shown interest in contributing to Trump’s Golden Dome air and missile defense system, but has not made a firm commitment, while the U.S. Congressional Budget Office said last week that the system could cost about $1.2 trillion over 20 years.
NATO spending pressure
The Pentagon’s push puts two Canadian choices on the same track: whether Carney will approve the full F-35 order and whether Ottawa can spell out how it will meet NATO’s new defense-spending target. The result will shape not just the air force fleet, but the terms on which Canada deals with Washington in the weeks ahead.
