Members of a Military Honor Guard stand with an American flag and a Canadian flag at the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 13, 2017. On Monday, the Defense Department said it was suspending its involvement in a joint military board with Canada. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
May 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Defense announced Monday it's suspending its participation in a military partnership with Canada that's been in place for more than 85 years.
Eldridge Colby, undersecretary for the Defense Department, made the announcement in a series of posts on X.
"A strong Canada that prioritizes hard power over rhetoric benefits us all," he said in one post. "Unfortunately, Canada has failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments. DoW is pausing the Permanent Joint Board on Defense to reassess how this forum benefits shared North American defense."
In his posts, Colby shared a video of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech before the World Economic Forum earlier this year in which he warned against relying on partnerships with larger countries and instead pushed to make alliances with countries other than the United States, CBC reported. Carney also took issue with President Donald Trump's tariff war and his calls to make Canada the 51st state.
