After what the world has witnessed over the last 40 days in the Middle East, I would hope that Canada is not still contemplating purchasing billions of dollars in conventional weapon systems such as submarines, "stealth" fighters or frigates i.e. weapon systems that were used to fight the wars of the past. Instead, Canada should look to Iran for inspiration (and Ukraine for that matter!) for how we could defend against an attack by the United States.
Yes, the United States!
The once unthinkable is longer unthinkable after Trump. Canada is the second richest country in the world in terms of natural resources just behind Russia. We need to take our collective heads out of the sand and come to grips with the fact Canada could come under attack from our "friend" and "ally" to the South. According to a recent report in the CBC Trump wanted to annex parts of Canada but backed off when he discovered that King Charles, who he respects, was the Head of State of Canada:
Trump's respect for King Charles possibly quashed desire to annex Canada, says royal commentator
Trump is not the first US president to covet Canada's vast riches on Americas doorstep, and he won't be the last, so we need to stop pretending that the US will respect our sovereignty or that Europe will somehow come to our defense if the Americans invade us. This is where Iran could provide the inspiration and template for a new Canadian defense force. A defense force focused solely on protecting the Canadian homeland not trying to "project power" around the world in defense of imagined "allies". Why does Canada have naval vessels plying the South China Sea trying to antagonize China? Why does Canada have troops deployed in the Baltics? I would start by renaming the Canadian Armed Forces the
Canadian Civil Defense Force "CCDF". I would contemplate making service in the CCDF mandatory just as is done in Israel with the IDF. The writing is on the wall. NATO is dead. Canada needs to wake up to the fact that no military alliance will save us if we are ever under attack (from anyone). We need to be prepared to take care of ourselves. We need to prepare just as Iran has done over the last five decades.
Iran has been under American and world sanctions for almost 50 years. Its military budget is just a tiny fraction of the American military budget and yet look what Iran has been able to accomplish in just forty days. Iran was able to obliterate every American military base in the Gulf Arab region with its advanced missiles and drones - some of the most advanced in the world. It was able to destroy every American advanced early-warning radar installation in the region, installations costing a billion dollars each using drones that cost just $30K and in doing so blinding failed American air defense systems such as Patriot and THAAD and along with that the vaunted Israeli "Iron Dome".
Today Iran has a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz and thus the World's economy. Iran has not only brought the United States to its knees but the world economy! When the Strait of Hormuz eventually opens up it will be subject to tolls of about $2 million per tanker. Before Trump launched his illegal war of aggression all tankers transited the Strait for free.
Iran is winning by using asymmetric warfare. Short of dropping nukes on Iran the Americans and Israelis cannot defeat Iran. I predict when this war is over Iran will emerge as the Middle East hegemon and the emerging fourth unipolar power after China, United States, Russia and Iran (in that order). Trumps decision to start an ILLEGAL unprovoked war of aggression against Iran will go down as one of the biggest blunders by an American president and of course Trump did not wage this war on behalf of the United States. Trump is about to go down as the WORST AMERICAN PRESIDENT IN HISTORY!
