Category: NATO

Peter Menzies: Canada’s Descent Into Military Penury and Ungrateful Freeloading Is a Disgrace

Commentary Flying low over the desert at night, their helicopters’ lights out, U.S. Navy Seals zipped in and out of Khartoum on April 23 to safely extricate its diplomats from a country on the edge of destruction. The United Kingdom pulled off a similar operation, while countries such as France, Germany, Spain, and Italy have…


Canada’s National Defence in Peril With Inadequate Spending: Former Defence Ministers

An open letter, signed by former defence ministers among more than 60 former senior public servants and military and security officials, has been issued by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDAI), warning that Canada is failing to live up to international expectations for military spending. The April 16 letter came just days before an April…


Ukraine’s Allies Must Count Cost of a Long War, Analysts Say

Russia will not give up on its war aims in Ukraine and is able to sustain a long war of attrition, some leading analysts say. That means NATO allies must clearly define their own endgame for the hostilities and be prepared for the domestic cost of supporting a lengthy conflict in Eastern Europe. Experts on…


Australian Prime Minister to Attend NATO Summit in Lithuania

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accepted the invitation to attend this year’s NATO leaders’ summit after reports that he would skip the event. A spokesperson for the prime minister’s office said Australia “shared a commitment to supporting democracy, peace and security, and upholding the rule of law” with NATO nations. “The prime minister’s attendance…


AUKUS Is Developing Operational Vitality, but Faces Strategic Challenges

Commentary AUKUS, the nascent Australia-United Kingdom-United States of America strategic pact, continues to show considerable pace and development at an operational level but increasing division and dysfunction at a strategic political level. AUKUS, with three member states of the five-state “Five Eyes” intelligence exchange treaty (UK, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand), is showing…


Trudeau Responds to Report Saying He Told NATO Canada Will Never Meet Military Spending Target

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has responded to an American media report alleging that he privately told NATO officials that Canada will never meet the military alliance’s defence-spending target for its member countries. The prime minister was asked by reporters on April 19, after leaving question period in the House of Commons, to confirm or deny…


China Accelerating Nuclear Armament ‘Without Any Transparency’: NATO Chief

China’s communist regime is rapidly building its nuclear capabilities without any apparent regard for the safety of the world or itself, according to NATO’s chief diplomat. The regime is not cooperating with international norms and laws regarding nuclear proliferation, and will not be honest with the international community about the extent of its nuclear expansion,…


US Would Run Out of Missiles in a Week in Two-Front Conflict: ‘War Game’ Analysis

Institutional think-tanks such as the Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) routinely scrutinize data in “war game” analyses that alert Pentagon planners of projected stresses and shortfalls across varying conflict scenarios. Right now, with Ukraine receiving weapons, munitions, and financial support from more than 50 nations in fighting off Russia’s February 2022 invasion,…


Blinken Says Trump’s Case ‘Did Not Come Up’ in Talks With NATO Allies

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on April 5 that the topic of former President Donald Trump facing criminal charges did not come up during a meeting with NATO allies. Blinken was in Brussels to take part in the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, as well as to attend a ceremony marking Finland’s accession to the…


Macron in China Urges ‘Shared Responsibility for Peace’

BEIJING—French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday he wants to “engage China toward a shared responsibility for peace” in Ukraine when he meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week. French officials said earlier that Macron planned to urge Xi in talks Thursday to use Beijing’s influence with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but didn’t expect a big…