Americas
Canada’s 2030 Defense Spending Plan Falls Short of NATO Target
- Allies have pressured Canada to boost military spending
- Strategy focuses on Arctic threats, singles out Russia, China
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Canada unveiled a new defense strategy that focuses on strengthening its military capabilities in the Arctic region, but its spending by the end of the decade will still be short of the 2% target set by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The strategy adds an extra C$8.1 billion ($6 billion) over the next five years, allowing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to spend 1.76% of gross domestic product on defense by 2030. The government describes the plan as a “major step” toward reaching the 2% threshold and also projects Canada will exceed NATO’s target of 20% for equipment spending as a proportion of defense funding.