The United States on Thursday approved a $2.68-billion sale of air-strike munitions to Canada, as Prime Minister Mark Carney accelerates defense spending amid uncertainty in relations with Washington.
The package includes up to 3,414 BLU-111 500-pound bombs designed for targeting troop formations, 3,108 precision-guided GBU-39 bombs for stationary targets, and more than 5,000 JDAM kits that convert unguided bombs into guided weapons.
According to the State Department’s notification to Congress, the sale will bolster Canada’s ability to deter regional threats, enhance interoperability with US forces, and strengthen its contribution to shared continental defense.
Carney announced in August that Canada would meet NATO’s two-percent-of-GDP defense spending target this year—well ahead of schedule—citing rising concerns over US commitments to NATO and potential Russian activity in the Arctic.
