Here’s Why Canada Should Focus Our National Defence On Building A Strong Air Force & Specializing In Hypersonic Missiles

These are two areas where our limited financial resources could be put to the most positive impact in securing our nation.

As almost everyone in Canada knows, our armed forces are severely underfunded.

And while more investment is needed across the board, Canada has great potential to focus our national defence on two core areas:

Building a strong air force.

Specializing in hypersonic missiles.

Canada has a large landmass and a small population. That means it is simply not economically feasible for us to build a large ground force to defend our full territory.

That leaves either building a large air force, or building a large navy.

But as I’ll get to in the discussion of hypersonic missiles, modern navy’s will become increasingly vulnerable to hypersonic missiles.

That leaves the air force.

If Canada focused on investing in the best pilot training system in the world, buying and developing advanced fighter jets, and building made-in Canada military drones, we could be a world leader when it comes to having an effective air force. Focusing on a strong air force would give us the ability to defend the Canadian landmass and our ocean territory, without needing a huge amount of personnel.

When it comes to hypersonic missiles, they are weapons that go 5 times faster than the speed of sound and are increasingly being researched and developed by countries like China and Russia.

Below is a 6 minute video that gives a good primer on hypersonic weapons:

Hypersonic weapons cost far less than building a gigantic navy, while also rendering the navies of potential aggressors (such as China), vulnerable.

If Canada had a wide array of hypersonic weapons, we could deter potential adversaries from – for example – encroaching on our northern territory. Consider the cost-benefit-analysis here: A naval fleet that collectively costs billions of dollars could be wiped out by a few hypersonic missiles that collectively cost hundreds of millions.

Focusing on hypersonic missiles would also include a focus on defending against missile attacks. This is something we should work on closely with our ally the United States. As part of NORAD, Canada should invest in advanced missile defences, and place missile defences on our territory, helping to build a North American missile shield that is second to none. We should also consider including Mexico in that effort, to ensure that we not only have a free trade zone in North America but also an ironclad defence zone.

Focusing on an advanced air force and on hypersonic missiles & missile defences provides Canada with the opportunity to direct our defence funding in the most realistic and impactful direction.

We have a relatively small population, but we are a highly educated and technologically advanced nation.

We have a lot of land to defend, and we have a history of advanced aerospace development.

All of that adds up to Canada having the potential for a highly advanced air force, becoming a world leader in hypersonic missiles, and joining with the United States and potentially Mexico in building the world’s strongest missile defence network.

This is where Canada should focus the majority of our national defence spending, and it’s time our country has a serious conversation about ensuring we are defended from the threats of the future.

If you agree with the ideas shared in this article, please share it widely to help spread the word and get the conversation going.

Spencer Fernando

Photo – YouTube

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