Canada, Australia to jointly build new military radar system in Arctic

Canada and Australia are set to collaborate on the development of a new military radar system in the Arctic amid heightened global interest and competition in the region. 

The initiative was announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who raised concerns over increasing security threats in the area.

“Our government will be working with our longstanding defense and security partners, Australia, to build a new long-range over-the-horizon military radar system,” Carney told reporters in Iqaluit, Nunavut at a press conference on Tuesday.

Carney said the radar system, valued at over $6 billion, would enhance Canada’s surveillance capabilities and help the country respond more effectively to air and maritime threats.

“This is an investment of more than $6 billion in the most advanced and efficient radar system,” Carney continued, adding that the new installation “will enable Canada to detect and respond to both air and maritime threats over our Arctic faster and from further away.”

“It will most fundamentally keep all Canadians safe,” Carney said.

Any new Canadian defence infrastructure in the Arctic is expected to align with NORAD requirements, reflecting the country’s ongoing partnership with the United States under the long-standing defence pact.

“Canada must be strong in our partnerships, particularly NORAD,” Carney said. “Today’s announcements will strengthen our commitment to NORAD. We cannot and should not look first to others to defend our nation.”

Carney also revealed plans for a more consistent Canadian military presence in the Arctic, with an additional $420 million earmarked to bolster protection across air, sea, and land domains.

“Our adversaries are increasingly emboldened,” Carney added. “International institutions and norms that have kept Canada secure are now being called into question. And the United States priorities’, once closely aligned with our own, are beginning to shift.”

The Arctic region, which includes territory from just eight nations, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States — has become an arena of intensifying geopolitical competition.

Although Canada maintains close security ties with the US, tensions remain over sovereignty claims. The two countries continue to dispute ownership of the Northwest Passage, with Canada asserting exclusive control, while the US considers it an international waterway.

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Meanwhile, Russia and China have stepped up joint activity in the region, prompting further concern from Western powers. In July, the US Department of Defense warned that “growing cooperation” between Russia and China in the region has the “potential to alter the Arctic’s stability and threat picture.”

That same month, US and Canadian forces intercepted Russian and Chinese bombers flying in formation near Alaska. The two countries’ navies have also conducted joint operations in international waters off Alaska in 2022 and 2023, according to the US military.

As US President Donald Trump intensifies his focus on Greenland, Denmark has increased its own regional military investments, announcing in January a 14.6 billion Danish kroner ($2.05 billion) plan to strengthen Arctic defence capabilities.

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