After decades of underinvestment, Canada is reclassifying the Arctic as a primary defence and economic priority.
The threat picture has changed. NORAD tracked at least nine separate Russian aircraft events in the Alaskan and Canadian ADIZ in 2025. U.S. DHS characterized Chinese activity in Arctic waters last summer as “unprecedented.” Russian submarine patrols are operating at Cold War levels.
The policy response has moved from incremental to structural:
→ $40B Arctic plan announced March 12, 2026
→ $32B for Forward Operating Locations at Yellowknife, Inuvik, Iqaluit, and Goose Bay
→ $6B Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar in partnership with Australia
→ $87.4B over 20 years for NORAD modernization
→ NATO 2% target achieved this fiscal year — 5% pledged by 2035
The capability layer is moving in parallel. 88 F-35s on order with first deliveries this year. A submarine fleet decision expected in June. The Polar Max heavy icebreaker under construction at Davie. Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT 2026 — the largest Arctic operation in CAF history — closed with a 5,200 km Ranger patrol, the longest since 1947.
What’s emerging is a coherent operating environment: budget, infrastructure, platforms, and force posture aligned for the first time in decades.
The execution layer — the technology, the sovereign industrial base, the dual-use capabilities that turn announcements into operational reality — is where the next decade will be defined.