Dr. Rob Huebert joins today's Expert Series podcast to discuss the implications of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement that Canada is exploring participation in the United States' “Golden Dome” defence initiative, unveiled by Donald Trump earlier this week. The Golden Dome, designed to intercept hypersonic, ballistic, and space-based threats, would mark a major expansion of American missile defence capabilities, echoing Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).

Dr. Huebert explains the technical ambition and geopolitical motivation behind the Golden Dome, contrasting it with Israel’s Iron Dome, noting the far greater complexity required for continental-scale coverage. While Canada has historically abstained from joining U.S. missile defence programs, evolving threats posed by Russia and China mean that Canada's defence posture is under renewed scrutiny.

Huebert suggests that participation in the Golden Dome may now be strategically necessary, despite ongoing concerns about Trump’s remarks about Canadian sovereignty. Canada must exercise caution, but has to realize that it needs to protect itself from the other geopolitical threats, while managing its relationship with an increasingly unpredictable United States.

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What do recent changes in the United States’s strategic posture mean for the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance?

Over the past several months, allies within the Five Eyes have flagged an alarming level of polarization within the U.S. intelligence community. While the alliance has faced challenges before, new difficulties regarding intelligence-sharing dynamics, as well as domestic politics, and bilateral relationships between individual partners have raised concerns.

Today, we meet with Vincent Rigby, former national security advisor to the Prime Minister; Dan Stanton, former CSIS intelligence officer and current Director of the National Security Program at the University of Ottawa; and Artur Wilczynski, Senior Strategy Advisor at Samuel Associates, to discuss the challenges Canada faces amidst these shifts. Although the Five Eyes will likely remain the cornerstone of Canada’s contribution to global security through intelligence, Canada benefits from considering opportunities to diversify relations with new regional alliances and partnership blocs.

With a new government in Ottawa, policymakers must increase the capabilities of the Privy Council Office and other relevant areas of the national security apparatus, as well as transparency surrounding it to Canadians. Canada must prioritize its own strategic autonomy and national interests in an increasingly tumultuous international system.

Don’t miss an episode – subscribe to the CDA Institute newsletter today:
https://bit.ly/40ykggq

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

Learn more: CDA Institute

Don’t miss an episode – subscribe to the CDA Institute newsletter today:
https://bit.ly/40ykggq

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

Learn more: CDA Institute