Canada Plans $136-Billion Arms Buildup

Canada, declaring its armed forces in danger of “rust out” after decades of neglect, announced today an ambitious defense buildup, including the purchase of 10 to 12 nuclear-powered submarines.

A white paper introduced in Parliament by Defense Minister Perrin Beatty also said Canada will cancel its “unsustainable commitment” to send a brigade and two fighter squadrons to Norway in wartime.

The 5,000 troops will be deployed, in an emergency, with Canada’s main NATO force of 6,900 in West Germany, Beatty said.

The 90-page document pledged a minimum 2% real growth in defense spending over the next 15 years--a pledge valued at $136 billion--with additional sums for special programs, such as the nuclear submarines.

‘Must Do Our Share’

“We must do our fair share in carrying the burden of collective defense if our views are to be respected and our independence is to be preserved,” Beatty told Parliament.

Gen. Paul Manson, chief of defense staff, said the military got everything it wanted in the nation’s first comprehensive defense review in 16 years.

“I can’t think of a single element (left out),” he told reporters.

The plan calls for creation of a “three-ocean navy” with a balance between nuclear-powered subs, surface vessels and patrol aircraft.

The submarines, estimated to cost $300 million to $375 million each, would be delivered between 1996 and 2010, Manson said.

Canada to Do Work

Defense officials have said French Rubis-class and British Trafalgar-class subs are the leading contenders but that about 65% of the work would be done in Canada.

The nuclear subs would carry conventional weapons in line with Canada’s non-nuclear policy, but only nuclear propulsion will enable them to patrol under the ice for long periods.

The white paper also disclosed plans to develop new sonar systems for under-ice surveillance in the Arctic, and research into space surveillance against missile attack.

Canada will establish its first military base in the High Arctic, and boost its armed forces reserves from 51,000 to 90,000.

The document stressed a Soviet military threat in the north and U.S. refusal to acknowledge Canada’s claim to sovereignty over the Northwest Passage through the Arctic.

“After the defense of the country itself, there is no issue more important to any nation than the protection of its sovereignty,” the white paper said.

It added that modern warfare technology makes the Arctic more accessible. “Canadians cannot ignore that what was once a buffer could become a battleground.”