The United States has sharply escalated pressure on Canada’s government to proceed with its planned purchase of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, warning that failure to do so could fundamentally alter North American defence arrangements.
At the centre of the dispute is Canada’s CAD 19-billion (US$14.2-billion) agreement signed in January 2023 with Lockheed Martin to acquire 88 F-35A fighter jets in four tranches through 2032. The aircraft are intended to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) aging CF-18 Hornets, many of which are approaching the end of their operational lives.
However, since taking office in March, Prime Minister Mark Carney has ordered a review of the acquisition amid worsening political relations with Washington under US President Donald Trump. Ottawa has confirmed it will accept delivery of the first 16 aircraft already paid for, but is reassessing whether to move ahead with the remaining 72 jets.
That uncertainty has triggered unusually blunt warnings from Washington. US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said in an interview with CBC News that Canada’s failure to complete the F-35 purchase would carry “significant consequences” for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the bi-national military framework responsible for defending the continent’s airspace.
“NORAD would have to be altered,” Hoekstra said, arguing that if Canada does not field a sufficient number of F-35s, the United States would be forced to compensate by deploying more US Air Force aircraft into Canadian airspace.
“If Canada is no longer going to provide that capability, then we have to fill those gaps,” he added.
NORAD operates on the principle of seamless integration, allowing the closest available fighter—American or Canadian—to respond to airborne threats regardless of national boundaries. The system relies on shared radar networks, satellites, command centres and highly interoperable fighter fleets to ensure rapid intercepts and effective deterrence.
Canadian officials have repeatedly emphasized that Ottawa remains committed to NORAD. In late 2025, Carney’s office confirmed negotiations with Washington to modernize the command, including potential participation in advanced layered missile defence initiatives as Arctic and hypersonic threats increase.
Yet Hoekstra suggested that Canada’s consideration of alternative aircraft—particularly Sweden’s Saab Gripen—would undermine that integration. The ambassador said choosing a platform he described as “inferior” and less interoperable than the F-35 would force Washington to rethink its defence posture.
“If they decide they’re going with a product that is not as interchangeable, interoperable as what the F-35 is, that changes our defence capability,” he said.
The comments have drawn criticism in Canada, where some experts see them as heavy-handed political pressure. Andrea Charron, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, warned that public threats risk weakening deterrence rather than strengthening it.
“Public sniping only benefits our adversaries and risks undermining the credibility of our shared defence,” she told CBC.
A former senior Canadian national security official, speaking anonymously, described the ambassador’s remarks as a clear attempt to force Ottawa’s hand.
The review of the F-35 deal comes against a backdrop of deepening political friction. Trump has imposed steep tariffs on Canadian goods, publicly suggested Canada should become the 51st US state, and raised concerns in Ottawa that Washington could weaponize its control over F-35 software, upgrades and spare parts during a future dispute.
Those fears intensified in January when Trump posted a map on social media showing Canada and Venezuela covered by the US flag, implying American dominance over both.
Carney has responded by publicly pushing back on US rhetoric, including defending Greenland’s autonomy amid Trump’s claims over the Arctic island. “The future of Greenland is a decision for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark,” Carney said, reaffirming Canada’s support for Danish sovereignty and NATO’s collective defence obligations.
He also rejected Trump’s claim that “Canada lives because of the United States,” saying instead that “Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”
At the same time, Canada has faced pressure over its economic ties with China. Trump recently threatened 100% tariffs on Canadian imports if Ottawa pursued a trade deal with Beijing. Carney later clarified that Canada has no intention of signing a free-trade agreement with China, describing recent measures as limited tariff adjustments in specific sectors.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Saab has renewed its bid to supply Canada with 72 Gripen E/F fighter jets along with six GlobalEye airborne surveillance aircraft. The company has highlighted extensive domestic benefits, promising more than 12,600 Canadian jobs and local manufacturing through partnerships with firms such as Bombardier.
Saab argues that the package would diversify Canada’s defence procurement while boosting its aerospace sector.
Still, support for the F-35 remains strong within the Canadian military. RCAF commander Lt-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet has warned that both China and Russia now field fifth-generation fighters and advanced missiles that threaten Western forces, making stealth capabilities increasingly critical.
A 2021 evaluation by Canada’s Department of National Defence also favoured the F-35, awarding it a 95% score for military capability, compared with just 33% for the Gripen E, according to data obtained by Radio-Canada.
As Ottawa weighs military effectiveness, economic benefits and political risk, the fighter jet decision has become more than a procurement question—emerging instead as a test of Canada’s strategic autonomy amid an increasingly volatile relationship with its closest ally.
