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NORAD pact would change if Canada pulls back from F-35 order, warns U.S. ambassador

U.S. Ambassador Hoekstra says abandoning Canada’s $19 billion F-35 deal would force the U.S. to adjust NORAD and increase its own F-35 deployments, affecting continental defense.

  • On Dec. 8, 2025, U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra warned NORAD would have to be altered if Canada retracts its promise to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets during a U.S. Embassy in Ottawa interview.
  • Last March Canada announced a review of its $19 billion F-35 order after U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats, while Saab courted the Carney government with Gripen E jets and GlobalEye aircraft.
  • Canada signed the Lockheed Martin deal and funded 16 jets, due this year, while its military examines alternatives for fighter jets.
  • The United States would have to buy more F-35 fighter jets, Hoekstra said, and operate them more frequently over Canadian airspace to fill capability gaps if Canada cancels its purchase.
  • Those comments signal planners must map replacement options if Canada diverges, as Hoekstra warned choosing a non-F-35 platform raises interoperability questions requiring new operational planning.
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CBC News broke the news in Canada on Monday, January 26, 2026.
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