Top defense officials from the United States and Canada discussed ongoing investments, priorities, policies and efforts to address security challenges in the Arctic and North American regions in a meeting at the Pentagon on Monday.
Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair informed U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III about Canada’s renewed vision for defense involving multibillion-dollar investments over the next 20 years in new capabilities to improve regional security.
The meeting also discussed updates regarding the North American Aerospace Defense Command, their binational organization tasked with providing aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Canada, the United States and Alaska.
Blair shared the latest NORAD modernization plan, which includes a $38 billion funding package to support the development of new Arctic and polar over-the-horizon radar systems for early warning radar coverage, among other efforts.
Other topics discussed included the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., in July, the integration of the Canadian and American defense industrial base, and enhanced military collaboration to promote rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.