Trump administration pressures Canada over F-35 contract, warns to send fighter jets into Canadian airspace

The US ambassador to Canada said that if Canada were to backtrack on the purchase of 88 F-35 fighter jets, then the NORAD defence pact would have to change. He said that the US would be compelled to send its fighter jets into Canadian airspace, to “fill those gaps” in security concerns. US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said that the United States would have to buy more of the advanced fighter aircraft for its own airspace.

Under the current terms of NORAD, the US and Canada can operate in one another's airspace and track and intercept threats. US ambassador Pete Hoekstra was with CBC during a recent interview at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. He argued that alternatives such as Sweden’s Gripen would be less interoperable with US forces. He said that if “they’re going with an inferior product that is not as interchangeable, interoperable as what the F-35 is, that changes our defence capability. And as such, we have to figure out how we’re going to replace that.”

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What is the US-Canada F-35 fighter jet deal?

In 2022, Canada and the US agreed to purchase 88 F-35A advanced fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. The deal was supposed to be for 16 jets upfront, then followed by the rest. The 16 jets were due to be delivered by this year, while the Canadian government is mulling over the purchase of the rest, as the price has increased from $19 billion to $27.7 billion. Since then, the US and Canada have been going back and forth about the deal. Sweden-based defence contractor Saab has also approached the Canadian authority for a possible deal. Hoekstra said last month the U.S. will put forward “a strong case” as to why Canada should move forward with Lockheed Martin. Now the rhetoric has shifted significantly. Defence experts have warned against public pressure tactics.

Former National Security Adviser Vincent Rigby has said that the ambassador has been pressuring the Canadian Government. These pressure tactics have been previously seen for increasing NATO Defence spending. Experts argue that the Trump administration is moving towards its mercenary era, seeking revenue for its Defence Contractors. US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said Lockheed Martin makes 97 per cent of their money from the US government they are basically an arm of the US government.