Defense Secretary accelerates NATO spending timeline by 2% to 2027 amid pressure from Trump

Facing ongoing criticism from US President Donald Trump over military spending, Defense Minister Bill Blair said it was “quite possible” that Canada could meet NATO’s military investment benchmark of 2 per cent of gross domestic product within two years.

This accelerated timeline for achieving the goal by 2027 is nearly five years earlier than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in July.

“My goal is to do this as quickly as possible, and I am increasingly confident that we will be able to do it,” Blair said in response to questions from CBC News.

Canada is among eight NATO allies out of 30 countries estimated to have fallen short of the target and has faced persistent criticism from allies. According to a NATO report last year, it is estimated that Canada will spend approximately 1.37 per cent of its GDP in 2024.

Blair’s comment comes a day after Trump used the international stage for the first time to once again suggest that Canada become a US state.

During a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Trump said he would urge all NATO countries including Canada to increase military spending to five percent of gross domestic product.

While Trump threatened to impose tariffs, he also said it would be “better national security” to integrate the two countries.

“Don’t forget: We are fundamentally protecting Canada,” Trump said at a news conference in Florida on January 7.

Blair said when Canada achieves that goal will depend on when the government gets funding, and that the attempt to accelerate defense spending is not entirely due to Trump’s comments.

“I think attributing this solely in response to a specific individual is wrong,” Blair said. “We have worked hard to accelerate this spending to get the job done as quickly as possible. But this is in Canada’s national interests, not just in response to threats made by what we have always considered our closest ally and friend.”

Trudeau told NATO leaders last summer that the government was on track to meet NATO’s spending target by 2032. Blair’s office said that official deadline has not changed, but the minister’s focus is on trying to speed up that timeline by completing individual projects more quickly. With one.

Those projects include submarine and ammunition contracts and member support such as housing and child care, his office said. Blair’s office said the Canadian Armed Forces, which is facing a staffing crisis, will also need existing personnel to fully staff it.

“I think it is entirely possible that we can reach this level of spending. We must be responsible,” Blair said.

Analyst says 2027 ‘more reasonable’

The Army’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Jenny Carignan, said the Army now had the funds it needed to “start the process” of getting closer to the alliance’s spending target, but added that this was always under review.

She said the forces had been working over the past few months to get closer to NATO’s spending standard.

“Because the longer we wait, the less platforms or equipment we can get for the same amount of money,” Carignan said. Rosemary Barton Live In an interview broadcast on Sunday. “So we have established a way forward to divest early.”

She added that the focus so far has been on investments in “preparedness, professional conduct and people.”

Dave Berry, president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs, says the international reaction has been that Canada’s 2032 timeline is “too long,” especially as NATO talks about increasing its spending benchmark.

He said the 2027 timeline is “much more reasonable.”

He added, “But for Minister Blair to do that, he will need money and a fundamental and significant change in the way the Government of Canada operates when it comes to approving the injection of resources that he is talking about.”

Perry said the government would have to overhaul its operating mechanisms to move away from bases, cut red tape and change its mindset to invest more money quickly in the forces.

Trudeau defended his government’s record on Thursday, saying defense spending has nearly tripled since he took office in 2015. He said the government will continue to work with NATO members “to make sure we do everything necessary to keep Canada safe.”