Canada is rejoining the Western alliance, it seems. Canada will move to become more active in the world, including gearing up their military capabilities:
The defense portion calls for doubling the military's deployment capability in five years and $10.3 billion in new military spending, as well as adding 5,000 more new full-time soldiers and creating a new rapid-response force and buying new ships, aircraft and vehicles. It also pledged to strengthen defense cooperation with the United States, noting Ottawa would create a new command center, the Integrated Threat Assessment Center, to gather and distribute intelligence on potential threats to the continent. It would also establish overseas task forces and a special commando unit.
And this isn't window dressing:
Steven Staples, a defense analyst with the Polaris Institute in Ottawa, said Canada appeared to be giving up its traditional role as peacekeeper for U.N.-led operations, adopting the Washington mode of offensive action.
Of course, this needs political will to carry out and fund, but I am pleased as can be that Canada will rebuild its ability to project military power. Once, an entire Canadian army marched across Europe to defeat threats to world peace.
All I ask for is a brigade combat team. Add air and naval and special forces and I'll be positively ecstatic!
