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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has formally applied for Ottawa's membership to join the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a defence coalition of 10 Northern European NATO nations.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada on Wednesday following Carney's talks with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Liverpool, the two leaders discussed strengthening their defence and security partnership, with Carney announcing Ottawa's formal application to join the JEF and welcoming the UK's support for Canada's participation. "Prime Minister Carney announced that Canada has formally applied to join the Joint Expeditionary Force and welcomed the UKs support for Canadas participation in this important initiative," the statement read. The JEF brings together Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK, which serves as its Framework Nation. The coalition focuses on mutual support, military cooperation and interoperability among its members. According to JEF, its participants collaborate, train and operate together to enhance collective capabilities and maintain readiness to respond to regional security challenges. The force can also integrate into larger international operations, including those led by NATO and the United Nations, and is designed to support NATO as the ultimate security guarantor for the region. Canada's latest move comes more than a decade after Ottawa was previously invited by the UK to join the initiative. The JEF concept was discussed at the 2014 NATO leaders' summit in Wales, but the government of then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper ultimately declined the overtures. At the time, the Canadian military was undergoing significant budget reductions, while there was also reluctance within the armed forces to take on participation in the initiative. During their latest meeting, Carney and Burnham also discussed broader defence cooperation, including opportunities for Canadian participation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), which Canada joined as an observer in July 2026. The two countries are also continuing work on the BATUS Future Project, aimed at establishing a new permanent arrangement to modernise British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Canada. The project is intended to showcase CFB Suffield as a facility for the development and testing of new equipment and advanced technology, according to the Canadian Prime Minister's Office. Beyond defence, the two leaders discussed strengthening economic cooperation and agreed to deepen collaboration on frontier technologies, including the safe and responsible development and use of artificial intelligence. "Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Burnham agreed to remain in close contact," the statement added. (ANI)
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