US pauses joint defense effort with Canada that dates to WWII

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is pausing its participation on a joint board with Canada for continental defense that dates back to World War II, the Pentagon announced Monday, accusing Canada of failing “to make credible progress on its defense commitments.”

President Donald Trump has long accused Canada and other NATO countries of spending too little on their own militaries, arguing that the U.S. shoulders too much of the defense burden. Tensions with Canada also are simmering over tariffs, an expiring North American trade pact and a feud between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“We can no longer avoid the gaps between rhetoric and reality,” Elbridge Colby, an undersecretary of defense, said in announcing the pause in a string of posts on X. “Real powers must sustain our rhetoric with shared defense and security responsibilities.”

Colby’s posts noted the increases in defense spending that Canada and other nations agreed to at a summit in 2025. He said the U.S. will assess how the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, comprised of military and civilian officials from both countries, “benefits shared North American defense.”

European allies and Canada have been investing heavily in their armed forces since Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022. And NATO countries, including Canada, pledged last year to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense by 2035.

Carney said last year the Canadian government would meet the previous 2% target for this year.

The Pentagon said it had nothing further to provide beyond Colby’s posts on X. Carney’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the Pentagon’s announcement.

The announcement reflects a weakening of U.S. relationships with traditional Western allies during Trump’s second term. Last week, the Pentagon decided to draw down thousands of American troops in Europe by canceling deployments to Poland and Germany after Trump criticized NATO members for a lack of support for the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.

Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska criticized Monday’s decision by the Pentagon, stating in a post on X, “Cooler & wiser brains are needed to preserve a close alliance w/ our neighbor.”

“This all started w/ taunts of ‘Canada will be the 51st state’ & ‘their Prime Minister will be the 51st governor,’” said Bacon, who is not running for reelection. ”The insults gained us nothing but animosity that cost us economically & now militarily.”

The board was established in 1940 — a year before the U.S. entered World War II — by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Mackenzie King, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Also known as the Ogdensburg Agreement, it helped provide a framework for continental defense during World War II and then the Cold War, according to the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.

The board provided advice on the implementation of North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. The joint command was formed by the two countries in the 1950s to spot potential enemy attacks as tensions rose with the Soviet Union, along with fears of nuclear war.

The board was also involved in the setup of early warning systems using radar stations, the Mulroney Institute said, and advised on the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.