Hegseth Hosts Canadian Counterpart at Pentagon for Bilateral Discussion

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today hosted the Canadian Minister of National Defense David McGuinty for a bilateral discussion at the Pentagon. 

Canada is one of the United States’ closest defense partners as both nations share responsibility for defense of North America through the North American Aerospace Defense Command. 

“Our great nations have served together in many wars. … And today our warfighters continue that, serving together through joint exercises, defending the homeland and really the only binational command of its kind, which is NORAD,” Hegseth said. 

The secretary said the work at North American Aerospace Defense Command is important for the defense of North America, but also that there’s much that can be done between the U.S. and Canada to modernize its operations. 

“The threats to North America require a strong U.S.-Canada defense relationship — there’s no doubt,” Hegseth said. “And I know Canada has committed at the [NATO] summit to increasing defense spending to 5% of [gross domestic product] by 2035, which is incredible to see. A very strong step.” 

The Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in June an additional $9.3 billion in defense investments, McGuinty said. These investments bring Canada’s commitment to defense to 2% of its GDP “a full five years ahead of schedule.” 

McGuinty said the increase in spending is not just about budgets. 

“It’s a game changer,” he said. “These investments are building combat-ready forces, recruiting and retaining the best, modernizing critical infrastructure on 33 bases, upgrading our cyber [and] our digital defense, [and] sharpening our ability to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with folks like you.” 

Canada, like the U.S., is also working to strengthen its defense industrial base, McGuinty said. 

“We’re launching a major defense industrial strategy for the country; cutting through red tape to deliver faster, improving resilience, securing access to vital resources, like critical minerals — turns out, we have lots of those,” he said. “These hard power capabilities are going to ensure we’re ready to strike back and defend whenever and wherever we need.” 

While Canada is stepping up its defense involvement in both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, McGuinty said homeland defense in North America, in partnership with the U.S., remains the top priority. 

“Defending North America remains our top priority,” McGuinty said. “That starts in the Arctic — our shared front line. Canada is locked in to protect the north, its people, its environment and its strategic advantage. It’s where our sovereignty, our national security and our partnership with the U.S. comes together strongest. So, from NORAD modernization to Arctic surveillance and infrastructure, we’re taking major and fast, bold, decisive action to shore up our collective defense.”