Canadian Army soldiers attack during Silver Arrow 2017, the multinational military exercises involving eleven NATO member countries in Adazi, Latvia on October 29, 2017.
Kalnins Ints
The Canadian government defends itself against accusations of US President Donald Trump says that Canada does not spend much on defense, that it plans large increases in military spending in the coming years and that this country is still contributing to deployments
A military badyst, however, says that Canada avoids, rather than responds, justified criticism by changing the subject into deployments from funding levels.
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The Prime Minister will travel to Latvia for two days, starting July 9, before traveling to a meeting of Heads of State and Government in Belgium on 11 and 12 July. to be heavy with Russia.
Trudeau 's Baltic visit comes after Canada and several other NATO allies received letters from the Trump administration complaining that they did not respect the commitment of the government. NATO to incur military expenditure equivalent to 2% of the annual economic output
. Mr. Trudeau received a letter from Mr. Trump. Letters were also sent to Germany, according to the New York Times, and letters confirmed by Reuters were sent to Britain, Belgium and Norway
. further. US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, the author of this letter, warned London that it was likely to lose the ability to project power into the world if it did not revive military spending – despite the fact that Britain already reaches the goal of 2%. of the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine and its support for pro-Moscow separatists in the war in eastern Ukraine have disrupted relations between Moscow and the West and have revitalized the alliance Military Staff
. in Latvia, which includes 450 Canadian soldiers, part of a large accumulation of troops and goods on the east flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to counter Russian expansionism . Canada's leadership in the Battle Group represents Canada's largest sustained military presence in Europe for more than a decade.
After the annexation of Crimea, NATO allies this year agreed to end the defense budget cuts, start spending more while their economies grew and d & # 39; achieve a target of 2% of GDP for defense spending in a decade.
A spokesman for Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan defended Canada's military commitment to the latest criticism of the Trump administration, pointing out that the Trudeau government had promised to boost spending
. ] "In 2017, as part of a comprehensive review of Canada's defense spending, the Government of Canada is committed to increasing [the Department of National Defence] funding by over 70% over the next year. decade, "Renée Filiatrault, director of communications Sajjan said in a statement
:" This plan has been rigorously costed, fully funded and meets Canada's defense needs. It also confirms our long-standing role as an active contributor to global peace and security. "
Sajjan's spokesperson also pointed to Canada's long-standing contributions
" The Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian. The Air Force is one of the most engaged, agile, deployable and responsive armed forces in NATO. Canada is proud to have contributed to every NATO operation since the founding of the Alliance more than six decades ago, "said Ms. Filiatrault, a researcher at the Institute of Science and Technology. Conference of Defense Associations,
With the new budgetary commitments made in recent years, Canada is still not on track to meet the 2% spending target.
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"The Canadian government obviously sees itself on the wrong side of discussion … because it refuses to engage in a direct conversation about the question, "said Davies. "Instead, he continues to play with the bait, trying to divert attention to the entirely different subject of the policy around the commitment of forces in the operations of the company. "NATO is an intellectually dishonest response to worthy criticism."
This week, other NATO allies have also rebuffed American criticism.
In an email sent on July 3 to the Associated Press, Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen said: "Norway maintains its decision of the 2014 NATO Summit and follows this trend. "
"German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday:" We are sticking to the 2% target we have set, "she added. we are on the way there. And we are ready … to take on substantial responsibilities within the alliance. "
When she was confronted with the idea that such German explanations for not spending 2% of GDP might not make an impression on Mr. Trump, she retorted: We do not want impressing anyone. "
Trump's letter writing campaign before the NATO meeting further accentuates geopolitical tensions in the 69-year-old NATO alliance. The US president plans a controversial summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately after the NATO meeting. Mr Trump, who has already defended the annexation of Crimea by Russia, has left the door open for the recognition of this seizure of land.
million. Mr. Trudeau's visit to Latvia follows a January 2018 trip by Governor General Julie Payette. He will be joined by Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Mr. Sajjan and General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defense Staff.
With records from Reuters and the Associated Press
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