Hoekstra said the United States would likely buy more F-35s for its own air force and fly them into Canadian airspace more frequently to address threats. “If Canada is no longer going to provide that [capability], then we have to fill those gaps,” he said.
NORAD is a long-standing joint defense partnership that tracks airborne threats and allows the closest aircraft from either country to respond. U.S. jets have already operated in Canadian airspace in recent incidents, including a response near Calgary in September after a bomb threat on a German airliner and the 2023 shootdown of a suspicious balloon over Yukon.
While Hoekstra described the current defense relationship as “awesome,” he warned that U.S. interventions over Canada would increase if Canada does not expand its F-35 purchase beyond the 16 aircraft already ordered. His comments drew caution from experts, including Andrea Charron, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, who said, “Public sniping only benefits our adversaries and risks undermining the credibility of our shared deterrence.”
Charron emphasized the stability of the partnership, saying, “Political disputes come and go,” adding that “NORAD’s mission does not.” Hoekstra said a decision by Canada to instead buy Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets would also force a rethink of the NORAD arrangement, arguing that choosing “an inferior product that is not as interchangeable, interoperable as what the F-35 is” would change defense capabilities.
Former national security adviser Vincent Rigby described the ambassador’s remarks as “clearly a political pressure tactic to force the Canadian government’s hand.” “This is another off-the-cuff remark by the ambassador,” Rigby said, adding, “It can’t be ignored but neither should it be taken as gospel truth from either the administration or the Pentagon.”
The debate comes as some allies question the F-35, including Denmark, where defence committee chair Rasmus Jarlov has expressed “second thoughts” about the aircraft. Jarlov warned Canada to “choose another fighter jet,” saying, “They’re in for repairs about half the time or even more, so the Americans have all the power of actually destroying our air force just by shutting down [parts] supplies.”
Polling by Ekos Politics found strong public support in Canada for including the Gripen in the country’s fighter fleet, though experts note that operating two aircraft types would strain the air force. When asked about concerns from Canadians who view the United States as a threat amid President Donald Trump’s comments about Canada and Greenland, Hoekstra dismissed the idea, saying, “That’s crazy. We’re not a threat.”
Source: CBC News.
