Canada has launched a formal procedure for applying for membership of the Joint Expeditionary Forces. This information was provided on Wednesday by Prime Minister Mark Carney during a visit to the UK, after an interview with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
The gathering of both Heads of Government was an chance to discuss the relation between Canada and the UK, which, as stressed in the Canadian Prime Minister's Communication, is based on long-standing historical ties and common values. The discussions besides focused on developing cooperation between both countries in the area of safety and defence and on the possibilities for further expansion.
What is JEF?
One of the results of the gathering was Ottawa's authoritative declaration of willingness to join the JEF. The Canadian Prime Minister thanked the British side for supporting Canada's participation in this structure.
The JEF was created in 2014 on the initiative of the United Kingdom, which plays the function of a leading state. It is now besides made up of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Ukraine has besides been cooperating with Ukraine as part of the extended partnership since 2025.
The combined Expeditionary Forces were created primarily with a view to fast consequence to emergency situations and conducting military operations. The formation functions outside NATO structures, but its forces can be utilized to support the Alliance's activities.
Multi-level cooperation
Carney and Burnham besides raised the issue of defence manufacture cooperation within the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), an global venture to make next generation combat capabilities. Canada gained its observer position in July 2026 to let it to cooperate more closely in the improvement of future military technologies.
In parallel, Canada and the United Kingdom are negotiating a fresh long-term agreement on the modernisation of the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS). The BATUS Future task involves transforming the Canadian Forces Base Suffield base into a modern training and R & D centre.
The base is intended to become a world-class ground for investigating fresh generation military equipment and developing and checking the most modern technologies utilized in military operations.
