- A lack of coordination is an ongoing problem among allies regarding the Arctic, and the U.S.-Canada bilateral relationship is no exception, said Lieutenant Colonel Wendy Tokach
- In recent alleged leaks from the instant messaging service Discord reported by the Washington Post, Pentagon documents discuss meetings where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told NATO allies that Canada will never meet the organization's defence spending target of two percent of GDP.
- As Russia’s military continues to be overextended and depleted in Ukraine, “the Arctic Council could be considered as a means of engaging in search of international cooperation and peace,” said Tokach.
A top United States defence expert said there’s no coordination between Western allies on defending the Arctic, an issue that will only get worse as the world becomes more geopolitically unstable.
“I feel there is no unity of command or even centralized alliance for Arctic security between Western and allied partners,” said Lieutenant Colonel Wendy Tokach, the U.S. visiting fellow at Queen’s University’s Centre for International and Defence Policy.
This lack of coordination is an ongoing problem among allies regarding the Arctic, and the U.S.-Canada bilateral relationship is no exception.
“Between NATO and NORAD, who both include areas of the Arctic as defensive responsibilities, there’s a lack of synchronization, no common objective or unity of effort,” said Tokach.
In recent alleged leaks from the instant messaging service Discord reported by the Washington Post, Pentagon documents discuss meetings where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told NATO allies that Canada will never meet the organization’s defence spending target of two percent of GDP. The alleged leaks also highlight attempts by Washington to pressure Ottawa to boost its defence spending and military infrastructure and capabilities in the Arctic due to warnings of increased Russian and Chinese assertiveness.
Tokach has also observed this security reality, pointing out that Russia and China have been increasing their traffic and exercises in the Arctic.
The Arctic Council suspended operations in March 2022 amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite resumed cooperation in a limited number of approved projects since June 2022, Russia is still excluded.
Tokach said this has been counterproductive. Russia updated its foreign policy in February 2023 in a way that prioritizes national interests and removes cooperation in the Arctic, further isolating them and making the security environment dire.
Yet as Russia’s military continues to be overextended and depleted in Ukraine, “the Arctic Council could be considered as a means of engaging in search of international cooperation and peace,” said Tokach.
But she warns that war will continue if Western and allied partners “cannot resume communications with Russia.”
In China’s case, despite its observer status in the Arctic Council, Tokach mentioned that China has nonetheless increased activities in the Arctic.
“The intensity of the great power competition with the United States [has increased as well],” said Tokach. This is especially the case in light of the recent surveillance balloon operations earlier this year.
Criticism of Canada’s defence position has been growing. In response to the alleged leaks, Conservative defence critic James Bezan said Canada has been too heavily dependent on the collective security provided by other nations.
“The top-secret Discord leak in the United States showed that the prime minister has no intention of ever meeting our NATO commitment. It showed that many of our allies are frustrated and disappointed by Canada’s response to recent global crises like those in Haiti and Ukraine,” said Bezan, in the House of Commons.
This sentiment is also increasingly coming from the military and political establishment. More than sixty of Canada’s former top security officials, military commanders, politicians and a former chief justice signed an open letter to the federal government imploring them to take the country’s defence and national security more seriously.
A few days after the letter was released, in a meeting with the U.S. and other allies in Germany, Defence Minister Anita Anand announced that Canada will commit another $39 million in weapons and non-lethal military aid in Ukraine, adding to the already more than $1 billion of given military aid since the invasion.
Tokach said the U.S. understands that there might not be much more coming from Canada.
“In reality, as far as capacity, we can’t operate alone. It’s one of those things that we understand that there are some limitations to the equipment and the manning from our Canadian partners,” said Tokach.
Yet despite limitations, Canada and the U.S. have communicated quickly and coordinated well in response to China’s surveillance balloons, said Tokach.
“I think that the partnership between the United States and Canada is very strong,” she said.
