Canada has applied to join the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a European military coalition, as it seeks to diversify its diplomatic and security ties following a sharp downturn in relations with the United States.
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it → apply → States
Prime Minister Mark Carney made the request on Wednesday during an official trip to the United Kingdom, which he visited after meeting with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.
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he → make → Brussels
She invited Canada to become the first-ever “associate member” of the bloc.
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She → invite → bloc
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powers → welcome → risks
In a statement, Carney called the UK-led JEF an “important initiative”.
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Carney → call → JEF
Canada and the US have recently hit each other with tit-for-tat tariffs after trade talks failed.
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talks → hit → tariffs
Ottawa has subsequently launched a transatlantic charm offensive to reduce its heavy reliance on the US on everything from trade to defence.
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Ottawa → launch → defence
Here’s what we know about the military force and what Canadian membership might mean:
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membership → ’ → what
Formed in 2014, the coalition is made up of 10 European states and aims to be capable of rapid military deployments to deter threats from Russia in areas around the North Sea, the wider North Atlantic-Arctic region and the Baltic.
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coalition → form → Sea
It is led by the UK and has its headquarters in Northwood, just north of London.
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It → lead → London
The JEF acts independently of the NATO alliance, although it can support NATO or United Nations missions if needed.
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it → act → missions
Participation in exercises is voluntary, but members of the JEF should have “political will and trust” as it operates as a “coalition of the willing” rather than with a treaty, the organisation says.
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organisation → have → treaty
The UK military envisaged it to function as a faster, more adaptable force with less bureaucratic drag.
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it → envisage → drag
It is designed to take action “below the traditional threshold of war”, according to the UK parliament, meaning it can bypass issues NATO might hesitate to address because of its “an attack on one is an attack on all” policy, which carries a high risk of escalation.
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which → design → escalation
Combined, the JEF’s rapid response forces number about 10,000 soldiers.
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forces → combine → soldiers
The alliance has not been deployed yet on any high-stakes missions, so it remains untested.
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it → deploy → missions
There are, however, questions about how effective UK leadership might be, as London itself is viewed by MPs as not spending enough on defence at the moment.
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London → be → moment
A highly critical report by the parliamentary defence committee last year found that the UK is “nowhere near” where it needs to be to defend itself and allies.
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it → find → itself
The report added that the UK is failing to meet its NATO obligations, and falling “far short of its claimed leadership position”.
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UK → add → position
The UK currently spends about 2.6 percent of its gross domestic product on defence, short of the NATO goal of 3.5 percent by 2035.
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UK → spend → 2035
UK-based policy think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), called for Canada’s inclusion in the JEF last year, and recently urged London to ramp up investment and start deploying the force.
“It has been under-exploited because of the UK’s lack of capacity, so it’s in a position of far less strength than it could be … but changes to the membership structure might see new shifts,” defence analyst Keir Giles, of the Chatham House think tank, told Al Jazeera.
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Giles → base → Jazeera
Why does Canada want to join the JEF?
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Canada → want → JEF
Canada is seeking opportunities that will give the country more options beyond reliance on its traditional ally, the US, amid their ongoing trade war.
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that → seek → war
Like most other JEF countries, Giles said, Canada has in past decades run down its military forces because of reliance on external forces like the US and NATO, but is now rapidly rebuilding.
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Canada → say → US
Although the country’s military capabilities in the NATO alliance are often overlooked because of the US, Giles said Canada has always been a crucial part of NATO’s patrols in the North Atlantic and Baltic waters.
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Canada → overlook → waters
The JEF initially invited Canada to join in 2015, but Ottawa declined, citing the lack of an immediate threat.
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Ottawa → invite → threat
There are no reports of the US being invited.
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US → be → ?
JEF invitations have so far only been extended to northern Europe and Baltic NATO countries.
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invitations → extend → Europe
But the coalition is concerned with securing areas in the North Atlantic where Canada is a neighbour, meaning there is now some geographical logic to the decision.
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Canada → secure → decision
Security is only one aspect of the kind of integration Canada is seeking.
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Canada → seek → integration
Canada will likely agree to join the EU as an “associate member”, for example.
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Canada → agree → example
Besides this, the UK and Canada share Commonwealth ties.
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UK → share → ties
“Canada joining is a logical step because of the JEF’s purpose, because of the cultural affinity it shares with other members and because of a common understanding of how to deal with the threats in that shared area,” Giles noted, adding that the country “now fully understands the dangers of co-dependence with the US”.
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country → join → US
Why is Canada having issues with the US?
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Canada → have → US
Canada is locked in a trade war with the US.
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Canada → lock → US
Back-and-forth retaliatory measures have resulted in both sides slapping new tariffs on each other.
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sides → result → other
That’s especially painful for Canada, which exports 70 percent of all its goods to the US.
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which → ’ → US
In August, trade talks between the two countries broke down, and US President Donald Trump imposed a 50 percent levy on $20bn of Canadian goods, or 5.5 percent of its exports, disrupting the long history of stable relations between the two North American neighbours.
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Trump → break → neighbours
Canada responded with tariffs on US steel, dairy, appliances, farm equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.
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Canada → respond → steel
Trump has also previously suggested making Canada a 51st state, raising sovereignty concerns.
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Canada → suggest → concerns
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
