Canada can’t find senior officers to work with Americans and NORAD after Trump’s threats

Canada is having trouble filling senior military billets that place its officers inside American commands, including NORAD in Colorado Springs, as relations between Ottawa and Washington sour, The Atlantic reports, citing current and former officials who spoke anonymously. Such postings once ranked among the most coveted for Canada's top personnel, according to The Independent.

According to those officials, officers worry that a U.S. assignment could stall their careers if ties deteriorate, expect limited access because of political friction, and hear objections from relatives uneasy about hostility toward Canadians. One Canadian officer asked whether a two-star general with only a couple of key jobs left would spend one where there might be little real work. Analysts warn that thin staffing could complicate joint action in a crisis. A NORAD spokesperson countered that senior Canadian roles at the command are fully staffed and still viewed as good for careers.

Ottawa has halted its purchase of U.S.-made Black Hawk helicopters and is reconsidering F-35 fighters. Defense Minister David McGuinty described a push to broaden Canada's sources of equipment. Former defense chief Wayne Eyre called the American treatment of the alliance insulting, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken of a "rupture."

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →