Britain offers Canadian military aid to defend the Arctic
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Britain is signaling interest in working with the Canadian military in the Arctic by offering to participate in cold weather exercises and bring some of its most advanced capabilities – such as nuclear powered submarines – to help with surveillance and defense in the Far North.
In a recent exclusive interview with CBC News, the UK’s top military commander said his country was ‘keen to cooperate’ and learn more about how to survive and fight in a cold and remote setting. .
General Sir Nick Carter said Britain would also like to “cooperate to help Canada do what Canada needs to do as an Arctic nation”.
The offer was quietly launched months ago in government circles. Experts say, however, that successive Canadian governments have been reluctant to allow anyone – even close allies – to get too deep in the region.
WATCH: General Sir Nick Carter discusses prospect of military cooperation with Canada in the Arctic
Much of this reluctance is linked to contested claims to Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. Concern over Canada’s exclusion from the recent security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia could, however, give new urgency to the United Kingdom’s proposal.
CBC’s interview with General Carter took place before the AUKUS Pact was announced.
As members of NATO, Britain and Canada took part in winter warfare exercises in Norway. General Carter said he believed the cooperation could be expanded to the benefit of both countries. For many years, the British Army conducted armored and combined warfare training in Wainwright, Alberta.
Take a closer look at the Arctic
The Arctic is increasingly becoming a priority for NATO and Canada’s closest allies. The potential threat posed by the reactivation of bases in northern Russia dating from the Cold War, as well as the interest of potential adversaries such as China, quickly featured in speeches and roundtables at the recent summit of Russian leaders. NATO last June.
Canada’s former Conservative government focused on increasing Canada’s military presence in the Far North; she built a naval refueling station and set in motion the construction of Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, which have just been delivered.
These measures, however, provide limited military capabilities for Canada. Underwater and satellite surveillance of the region is still in the planning and initial implementation phases.
Carter said the UK has capabilities that could help monitor the rapid melting of Arctic seas and inlets more closely, but it would be up to the Canadian government to decide.
“We are absolutely relying on Canada’s expertise in this area,” Carter told CBC News.
“I think we have military capabilities, certainly in the maritime domain and in terms of our science that would be useful to Canada and I think operating alongside Canada in this regard will clearly be good for both countries.”
Go nuclear
What Britain has – and Canada lacks – is a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, which can operate under ice for long periods of time.
When Canada bought its current diesel-electric submarines from Britain in the late 1990s, it embarked on a project to equip them with fuel cells that would have provided better performance. under the ice longer. The plan failed and was quietly shelved.
In the late 1980s, the Conservative government of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney offered to purchase 12 nuclear-powered submarines for use in Arctic defense. The end of the Cold War and subsequent reductions in defense resulted in the plan being abandoned.
Rob Huebert of the University of Calgary, one of the country’s leading arctic defense experts, said after a hiatus of nearly a dozen years, the British have joined the exercise. biennial military in the High Arctic in 2018 with their nuclear-powered submarines.
In March, the Russians deployed three ultra-quiet nuclear submarines to simultaneously pierce arctic ice in one spot – a demonstration that rocked the defense community.
“We don’t have the capacity to engage Russian or Chinese submarines, if and when that becomes a reality,” Huebert said, speaking of the Canadian Navy’s Arctic inventory. “This is the # 1 capability that the British are bringing to the Arctic.”
CBC News has asked Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan’s office for comment on the idea of ââcloser cooperation with the British in Canada’s Far North. The request went unanswered.
Huebert said successive Canadian governments have been reluctant to let allies become more involved in the region, beyond the Operation Nanook exercise that takes place every summer.
“We are concerned that any kind of involvement with NATO will undermine our sovereignty,” Huebert said, noting that the United States and Britain do not recognize Canada’s claim to the Northwest Passage. .
Canada must show the flag: defense expert
Britain’s offer of cooperation and assistance is a wake-up call to the Liberal government on several fronts, said Dave Perry, vice-president of the Canadian Institute of World Affairs.
It is, he said, a reminder that Canada must be more present in the region.
“There have been [Canadian] commitments to increase situational awareness there, but there is still a long way to go and what Canadians need to remember is that this is our true home and our backyard â , did he declare.
“I think it’s great to work with other people, but we should do what we can to make sure we have an advantage on the pitch.”
As Australia considers acquiring nuclear submarines – which could also operate in the Arctic – Perry has been asked whether Canada will need to rely more on its allies to monitor and defend its territory.
“I think the AUKUS deal is an indicator that there are countries with which we are intimately familiar and intimately allied. Some of our best friends on the planet are strengthening the smaller clubs even more,” he said. he declares.
“The United States under successive administrations is much less forgiving of allies that it sees as pulling – or not pulling – their weight … The United States is looking for people who will match its weight.”
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