WASHINGTON – The United States has decided to pause its involvement in a joint defense board with Canada that has been around since World War II, the Pentagon announced on Monday, claiming Canada hasn’t made “credible progress on its defense commitments.”
President Donald Trump has consistently criticized Canada and other NATO nations for not spending enough on their own military forces, suggesting that the U. S. is carrying too much of the defense load. Tensions with Canada are also rising due to tariffs, an expiring North American trade agreement, and a dispute between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“We can no longer ignore the gaps between what’s said and what’s done,” Elbridge Colby, an undersecretary of defense, stated while announcing the pause in a series of posts on X. “Real powers must back up our words with shared responsibilities in defense and security.”
Colby’s posts highlighted the increase in defense spending that Canada and other countries committed to at a summit in 2025. He mentioned that the U. S. will evaluate how the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, made up of military and civilian officials from both nations, “supports shared North American defense.”
European allies and Canada have been pouring resources into their armed forces since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Moreover, NATO members, including Canada, pledged last year to allocate 5% of their gross domestic product toward defense by 2035.
Carney noted last year that the Canadian government would meet this year’s earlier target of 2%.
The Pentagon stated it had nothing more to add beyond Colby’s posts on X. Carney’s office did not immediately reply to an email requesting comment about the Pentagon’s announcement.
This announcement shows a decline in U. S. relations with traditional Western allies during Trump’s second term. Just last week, the Pentagon decided to reduce thousands of American troops stationed in Europe by canceling deployments to Poland and Germany after Trump criticized NATO members for lacking support for U. S. efforts against Iran.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon from Nebraska expressed disapproval over Monday’s decision from the Pentagon, writing in a post on X, “Cooler & wiser brains are needed to preserve a close alliance w/ our neighbor.”
“This all started w/ taunts of ‘Canada will be the 51st state’ & ‘their Prime Minister will be the 51st governor,’” Bacon said while not seeking re-election.” The insults gained us nothing but animosity that cost us economically & now militarily.”
The board was set up back in1940 – just before America entered World War II – by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Mackenzie King as per information from Congressional Research Service.
Also calledthe Ogdensburg Agreement, itprovidedaframeworkforcontinentalaffairsduring World War IIandthe Cold War,” accordingto Brian Mulroney Instituteof Governmentat St. Francis Xavier Universityin Nova Scotia.Theboardadvisedontheimplementationof North American Aerospace Defense Command , or NORAD. Thisjointcommandwasestablishedbythetwo Countriesinthe1950stopreventpotentialenemyattacksas tensionsgrewhwiththe Soviet Unionandconcernsaboutnuclearwar.Theboardalsohelpedcreateearlywarningsystemsusingradarstations , saidthe Mulroney Institute , andanadvisedontheconstructionofthe St. Lawrence Seawaythatconnectsthe Atlantic Ocean tothe Great Lakes.
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