The Undefended Country

We have an undefended country.

Canada, this is dangerous. In human history, no nation has ever successfully carved out a permanent place for itself on this earthly rock without being able to command the respect of its enemies.

We have treasures others covet.  

Some of the world's most powerful and expansionist nations have their eye on our water resources. They hunger for the crop potential that comes with it. Driven by the worldwide race for rare earth, they are lured by our mineral riches. And every nation that is, or aspires to be, a maritime power, covets access to our Northwest Passage. Some dream of controlling it.  

Yes, we have a powerful ally and neighbour. But it is not enough.   

First, the United States is not, in fact, our only neighbour. Russia is just over the North Pole. With today’s aviation and missile technology, that is the equivalent of… across the street. A Russian invasion is no longer the absurd idea it once was. With a prize as rich as control over the coveted Arctic Sea lanes, on which Europe-America-Asia shipping has come increasingly to depend, this is a contingency we can no longer ignore.

Secondly, the United States is only our neighbour, not our saviour. The notion long and erroneously held by many in the Canadian establishment, and public, that Washington would ride to the rescue should we be attacked is a dangerous one, on two levels. The first is: who knows? When Donald Trump was president, he publicly disavowed his NATO obligations. No-one can guarantee there will not be a similar-thinking president in the future. The second is: who will we become, if they do? It is difficult to imagine that the aftermath of such a war would find us still a sovereign nation. More than likely, Canada would become an American colony.

Thirdly, our relationship with our military allies has been allowed to deteriorate. Not only has our feeble defense spending left us vulnerable at home, but we have also fallen embarrassingly behind in our NATO commitment. The 2% of GDP standard in defense spending is not being met. We are at grave risk of losing the respect of those whose support we would most need in times of trouble: our allies.

And so, here are our present-day defense realities. Our enemies are getting closer. We need to diminish our reliance on our neighbour. And we are weakening the very alliance we should be doing our upmost to uphold.

And yet, the answer in all three cases is the same: build a proper military. An army with enough guns and tanks. An air force that can command the skies. And a navy with a large, sea-worthy fleet, for all our coasts. For at present, we have none of these things. Our country is vulnerable.

Our air force is small and outdated. We have fewer than 100, museum-vintage fighter aircraft. We have no bombers at all. We have a pathetic, aging navy. Many of our ships are rusting and in disrepair. We have no supply ships, leaving us dependent on other navies to fuel and stock ours. With no destroyers, we would be unable to engage in, much less win, a real naval battle.

We have an immense 10 million square kilometer land mass, the second largest on earth. An unending coastline of almost 250,000 kilometers, the planet’s longest. And a 10,000-kilometer land border with our southern neighbour.

And, just as the Arctic is becoming more heavily transited, we have no submarines to ensure effective patrol of its immense surface or its icy depths. And so, the world’s ships churn their way through our territorial waters, as we leave them unpatrolled.

Our army is small and equipped with weapons that are often obsolete. Should we be invaded, perhaps it could defend one province.

The quality, courage and fighting ability of our men and women in uniform is not in question. On land, in the air and at sea they are second to none. However, we do not have enough of them. And those we are lucky to have, do not have enough modern tools to do the job.

In World War I, Canada surprised allies and enemies alike by fighting as a country, not a colony. Where our allies had failed, we Canadians defeated the Germans at Vimy Ridge. Barely two decades later, our still-young country once again showed its mettle. Before World War II was over, we had fought at Anzio, on the beaches of Normandy and across Holland. We were instrumental in the liberation of Europe.

In all cases, we punched far above our weight class. This is, or was, the Canadian military legacy. A country built on freedom. We were more than ready to help others defend theirs.  

Now the question is different: are we ready to defend our own?