The Pentagon is increasing pressure on Canada over defense spending and delays involving the country’s planned acquisition of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters, according to a Reuters report.
Reuters said a US defense official accused Ottawa of failing to become a “credible” security partner and criticized the Canadian government for not completing a long-running review of its fighter procurement plans.
The comments came after the Pentagon suspended participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, a bilateral US-Canada advisory body established in 1940 to coordinate continental defense matters.
According to Reuters, the Pentagon official said Canada must present a plan to increase defense spending from NATO’s current 2% benchmark to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
The official also criticized delays in Canada’s review of its planned acquisition of 88 F-35A fighters.
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Ottawa selected the F-35 in 2022 after a long competition involving the Saab Gripen and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. However, the government later reopened discussions amid growing political tensions with Washington and speculation that Canada could split the order between the F-35 and the Gripen.
Reuters reported that the review was initially expected to conclude by September 2025 but remains unresolved.
The Pentagon official told the agency that the delays showed “the prioritization of politics over our shared responsibility for North America’s defense.”
Canada’s Defense Ministry responded by stating that the country had already committed major investments to NORAD modernization, Arctic security and military readiness.
Prime Minister Mark Carney also downplayed the Pentagon’s decision to suspend participation in the defense board, saying broader military cooperation between the two countries remained intact through organizations such as NORAD.
The future of the F-35 acquisition has become increasingly sensitive in Canada amid disputes with the United States over trade and foreign policy under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 remains the main Western fifth-generation fighter in production and has been selected by multiple NATO members in Europe and North America.
