🇨🇦 Policy Hawk

If you're wondering what to make of America's unilateral pause of the Joint Board on Defense today -- or just want another perspective -- I have a new piece over on Substack. This move is clearly intended to send a message, but what message? Is the pause even new? Link below.

@RasmusJarlov @theepicmap Canada has a city that's over 28,000km^2, with a popation of just over 11,000.

@theepicmap This map illustrates how Sweden is cheating when they say that Stockholm is the most populous city in Scandinavia. Easy if you count such a large area.

EUROPEAN CITIES BY SIZE

@Andrea_Migone @justinmassie1 We've committed to a spending level by a specific date. One that's not *that* far out in military planning time scales. Yeah, a firm plan means making some decisions. That's a reason to put one together, not an excuse not to.

@CDNPolicyHawk @justinmassie1 Do we need cruise missiles on our subs? If the US is a threat do we need Rafales that are not affected by ITAR rules? Why are we still buying US MALE drones and MLRS? How about redundant build capacity for drones? Defense policy without a defence component is what got us here.

"In my view, the best response would be to make public a credible and detailed ten-year military spending plan, then let Canadians judge for themselves whether they are willing to bear those costs in order to preserve the country's autonomy." 👏👏👏

@fknorm50 @jankool37 A realist would base their critique on reality. You're weaving in falsehoods.

@jankool37 @CDNPolicyHawk Nope, just a realist. Canada more than pulled its weight in both World Wars but its once proud military is an empty shell now with obsolete equipment and woefully low troop numbers due to decades of neglect.

What's so irksome about US posturing against Canada on mutual defence is that they treat us as moochers, when we're clearly net contributors. Here's the USAF Commander of NORAD having to explain to Congress that defending the US would need more resources without Canada.

@Andrea_Migone @justinmassie1 I thought the phrasing made clear that the reason for making the plan, and the target of it, is Canadians. It's not for Trump.

@CDNPolicyHawk @justinmassie1 You could make a 25 years plan, precise down to the penny and it would not make a difference. You are taking about the guy who just said that Taiwan is pretty far for a military intervention after they spent $7B in US weapons.

@mattgurney The digital age has done something weird to how people measure progress.

The easy stuff

@trainofangels00 If you want it there.

🇨🇦 To you wonderful Canadians across this amazing nation... serious question: Does ketchup belong on Kraft Dinner? 🇨🇦

@fknorm50 @jankool37 2% wasn't a commitment until the last couple years.

@jankool37 @CDNPolicyHawk "This is the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall that Canada will be spending two per cent of GDP on defence," Carney said at an event in the naval dockyard in Halifax, noting that interest in the military and recruiting is up since his government made the commitment.

This seems to have touched a chord in Canada, and a nerve in America...

After ten months away, HMCS Harry DeWolf is home. The first ship in the Royal Canadian Navy's Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPV) arrived 14 May 2026, alongside HMC Dockyard Halifax, returning from its inaugural five-year refit at Chantier Davie in…

@NoahGairn This really depends on how we're going to staff them, and I've expressed in the past that I don't see a way we can staff a mixed fleet -- so I can't guess at what the solution might be. That aside, I think there's growing appetite to bring units back into major cities. 1/2

⚓ 도산안창호함, 캐나다 빅토리아 입항! | ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho Arrives in Victoria, Canada! ⚓ 한국-캐나다 해군 연합협력훈련에 참가하는 해군 국산 잠수함 도산안창호함(SS-III, 3,000톤급)이 한국 시간으로 5월 24일 캐나다 서부 빅토리아 에스퀴몰트 기지에 입항했습니다. 입항 전 대함경례를 통해 데이비드 펫첼 캐나다 태평양사령관과 임기모 주캐나다 대사에게 예의를 표하며 국제적인 해군 예절을 선보였습니다. ⚓ 도산안창호함은 대한민국 해군 잠수함 역사상 최초로 태평양을 횡단하는 대기록을 세웠습니다. 지난 3월 25일 진해군항을 출항해 괌과 하와이를 거쳐 캐나다 빅토리아까지 편도 약 1만 4,000km에 달하는 거리를 안전하게 항해하며 역대 최장 항해기록을 경신했습니다. 특히 하와이 출항 시점부터 캐나다 해군 잠수함사령부 소속 승조원 2명(브리타니 부르주아 소령, 제이크 딕슨 하사)이 편승하여 연합 C4I 체계를 통해 소통하며 양국 해군 간의 깊은 신뢰와 상호운용성을 직접 증명했습니다. ⚓ 이병일(대령) 도산안창호함장은 "대한민국 잠수함 최초의 태평양 횡단 성공은 거친 대양 환경에서도 장기 임무를 성공적으로 수행해 내는 우리 국산 잠수함의 우수한 성능과 세계적인 기술력을 여실히 증명한 쾌거"라며 "남은 기간에도 현존 최강 디젤 잠수함의 독보적인 우수성을 깊이 각인시킬 수 있도록 주어진 임무를 완벽히 수행하겠다"고 말했습니다. ⚓ 편승했던 브리타니 부르주아 캐나다 해군 소령은 "한국 해군 도산안창호함에 편승해 함께 항해할 수 있어서 매우 기쁘고 영광스러웠다"며 "우리의 시야를 넓혀주었을 뿐만 아니라 양국 해군 간 강력한 파트너십을 더욱 공고히 하는 계기가 됐다"고 소감을 밝혔습니다. ⚓ The Republic of Korea Navy's domestically designed submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho (SS-III, 3,000-ton class) arrived at Esquimalt Base in Victoria, Canada, on May 24 (KST) to participate in the ROK-Canada naval joint training. Upon arrival, the crew paid passing honors to Rear Admiral David Patchell and Ambassador Lim Ki-mo. ⚓ ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho has set a historic milestone as the first ROK submarine to successfully cross the Pacific Ocean. Navigating approximately 14,000 km via Guam and Hawaii since March 25, it broke the ROK Navy's all-time longest voyage record. Notably, two Royal Canadian Navy crew members embarked from Hawaii, demonstrating deep mutual trust and enhanced interoperability through combined C4I systems. ⚓ Captain Lee Byung-il, commanding officer of ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho, stated, "The successful first-ever Pacific crossing clearly proves the outstanding capabilities and world-class technology of our indigenous submarines." ⚓️ Canadian Navy Lieutenant Commander Brittany Bourgeois also shared, "It was a great honor to sail aboard ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho, further solidifying the strong partnership between our two navies."

@danielmullen @NoahGairn Maybe I should dig up my twitter thread about that, and rework it into a proper article.

@CDNPolicyHawk @NoahGairn We should, no joke, build aircraft carriers.

It's the time you've all been waiting for. After a *long* hiatus, it's the first "Hawky Night in Canada" AMA of 2026. Ask questions (related to Canadian defence is preferred, but whatever) in this thread or at ngl.link/cdnpolicyhawk. Answers will be below, and retweeted.

A milestone for the ROK Navy. KSS-III submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho arrives in Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt after completing an over 14000km voyage across the Pacific Ocean. kss-iii.ca/republic-of-ko

@amartin_nl @NoahGairn The question was about moving units back into cities. CFB Greenwood isn't as far into the boonies as some CFBs, but it's still almost a two hour commute from Halifax with no really sizable cities closer.

@CDNPolicyHawk @NoahGairn Why not Greenwood?

I've just wrapped up my AMA for the night but, by my count, there were 21 questions asked and answered. We covered a lot of ground on a variety of topics, so feel free to peruse for topics of interest to you.

@NoahGairn Okay, calling it here for the night. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions! It was a lot of fun to do this again!

@NoahGairn There's an RFI out to industry on tanks. But, basically, they're exploring their options. If something got greenlit today, the working timeline is 2032/2033, but that will drift back until something is greenlit. x.com/DoubtingTom_/s…

@NoahGairn Probably. The space is still there, and it's a reasonable length even for F-35s. I don't know if there would be significant local opposition but, fundamentally, it's a CFB that's been there for a long time. Expect noise. 1/