The U.S. State Department has granted Canada permission to acquire additional light, off-road troop transport vehicles. This decision is likely to compound the current challenges faced by the Liberal government, which has emphasized reducing defense procurements from the United States.
The approval from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency pertains to the acquisition of light tactical vehicles for the country’s special forces under the Next Generation Fighting Vehicles (NGFV) program. This authorization follows the procurement of 90 joint light tactical vehicles by the Department of National Defence for Canadian troops stationed in Latvia over a year ago.
The new planned purchase, valued at approximately $220 million, is part of the broader initiative to modernize the special forces and the overall army. The Liberal government had promised during its campaign to diversify defense acquisitions away from the U.S. towards other allies, with Prime Minister Mark Carney notably seeking a review of the $27.7-billion plan to purchase F-35 fighters from Lockheed Martin.
Despite speculation, no decision has been made to deviate from the fighter jet program, as confirmed by Carney while announcing a military pay raise. The Royal Canadian Air Force is currently conducting a review on the matter.
Additionally, other procurement programs, including the acquisition of P-8 surveillance planes and multiple rocket launcher systems from the U.S., are in progress as part of the army’s broader rearmament efforts. The special forces off-road vehicle procurement has been under consideration for several years, predating the recent trade and political tensions with Washington.
Following a request made last December, the federal government is still navigating through various hurdles before finalizing the purchase of the joint light tactical vehicle. According to Defence Department spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin, neither the request nor the recent approval obligates Canada to proceed with the procurement, as the government will carefully assess the terms and conditions of the offer.