Canada’s defence spending has come under the spotlight with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but experts say the issue is more complicated than simply meeting the 2 percent of GDP NATO benchmark to solve the issue. For the academics testifying before the Standing Committee on National Defence on March 21, increasing the budget without a defence review and an articulated strategy will not solve Canada’s military deficiencies. “It’s not really a question of increasing the defence budget per se,” said professor James Ferguson of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba. “The question is how much, over what period of time, and particularly dedicated to what acquisitions—independent of operations and maintenance, and independent … to the problems of recruitment. If you want to punch this money into or funnel it into expanding the Canadian Armed Forces [CAF], recruitment and retention is a big problem, and you’re …