Canada’s top military officer says it would have been “preferable” for a Canadian fighter jet to shoot down a suspected balloon over Yukon last month—but they were delayed by freezing rain. “I gave direction that it’d be preferable for the Canadian CF-18s to do the shoot down,” Gen. Wayne Eyre said Tuesday. “But I will…

Military prosecutors have dropped their case against a soldier charged in relation to the death of an army reservist during a training exercise in 2020. Cpl. Lars Callsen of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was charged in May 2021 with one count of negligence following the death of Cpl. James Choi. A…

The deputy commander of Norad says a suspected Chinese spy balloon passed through “radar gaps” during its flight over Canada. Lt.-Gen. Alain Pelletier says that affected the military’s ability to track its flight path as it flew over central British Columbia. Pelletier and Maj.-Gen. Paul Prevost of the Canadian Armed Forces strategic joint staff are…

Canada deployed a disaster assessment team to Turkey on Wednesday in the wake of a devastating earthquake that’s killed thousands, as the federal government faced criticism that the window to help with rescue efforts was closing. International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan announced the deployment of the Canadian Disaster Assessment Team on Wednesday evening. He said it consisted…

A Canadian Armed Forces surveillance plane was heading home on Tuesday after two intelligence-collecting flights over Haiti. The CP-140 Aurora’s return came after the Liberal government announced on Saturday that the plane was being deployed to collect intelligence on gang activity in Haiti. Defence Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly also described the deployment…

Canada’s top court has agreed to rule on whether the military’s judges are truly independent. The Supreme Court of Canada announced its decision this morning in response to an appeal from several service members whose criminal cases are on hold. As is customary, the court did provide any reasons or explanation for its decision to…

The Canadian military has concluded on the balance of probabilities that Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin “did not engage in sexual misconduct” after the senior military officer was acquitted of sexual assault late last year. A spokesman for the Canadian Armed Forces says a review process did not result in any administrative action and an administrative review…

Canada is planning to spend $1.24 billion to upgrade its fleet of military search-and-rescue helicopters ⁠—more than $200 million more than what was originally budgeted. Defence Minister Anita Anand and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek announced the sole-sourced deal to upgrade the military’s Cormorant helicopters late this afternoon. The federal government has been planning to upgrade…

A judge has acquitted Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin of sexual assault over an allegation that dates back to 1988. The allegation stemmed from his time at the military college in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., which the complainant also attended. The complainant in the case told the court that she is certain “without a doubt” that the perpetrator was…

Defence Minister Anita Anand pushed back on Friday against suggestions that growing Canada’s military’s footprint in Asia will come at a cost to the country’s long-standing commitments to Europe, where NATO allies are expecting to see more Canadian troops. The issue emerged after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at an international summit in Bangkok that…