The U.S. has suspended a joint defense program with Canada — Al Jazeera
The United States is officially ending its participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense with Canada, which has been in operation since World War II.
This was reported by Al Jazeera, noting that this decision was a logical extension of the White House’s global security strategy.
Washington has accused Ottawa of systematically ignoring its own defense commitments and relying too heavily on U.S. military capabilities.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby officially announced that the Pentagon is suspending its participation in the joint bilateral body in order to fundamentally reassess the feasibility of this format.
The U.S. Department of Defense emphasized that Washington no longer sees any point in the council’s existence when one of the parties completely ignores its financial and strategic obligations.
According to U.S. officials, the Canadian side has shown no real progress for years, limiting itself to empty promises of security reforms.
Defense policy analyst Elbridge Colby publicly confirmed his country’s hardline stance on social media: “A strong Canada that prioritizes hard power over rhetoric benefits us all.
Unfortunately, Canada has failed to make significant progress on its defense commitments. We can no longer ignore the gap between rhetoric and reality.”
For now, the Pentagon will focus on reviewing joint programs to protect its own national interests.
The sharp curtailment of military cooperation is linked to a shift in Washington’s geopolitical course after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025.
The U.S. administration has outlined three key grievances against its northern neighbor: a chronic lack of real investment in “hard power,” freeloading on U.S. military might, and a complete disconnect between Ottawa’s public statements and its actual actions.
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