# Department of National Defence/Ministère de la Défense nationale

> Canada's Department of National Defence is the civilian institution that supports the Canadian Armed Forces, turns federal policy into military capability and manages the people, bases, technology, procurement and partnerships behind operations at home and abroad. Its 2026-27 plan pairs more than $50 billion in planned spending with a rebuilding job: close an 8,600-person force gap, modernize continental surveillance, repair trust after misconduct reviews and retire infrastructure that no longer earns its keep.

- **Founded:** 1923
- **Headquarters:** Ottawa, Canada
- **Founders:** Parliament of Canada (Established the department through the National Defence Act)
- **Team size:** 104,951 planned full-time-equivalent military and civilian personnel in 2026-27; the March 2026 Regular Force and Primary Reserve strengths were about 67,800 and 25,100 respectively.
- **Products:** National and continental defence, Domestic operations and search and rescue, International operations, Capability procurement and sustainment, Defence research and innovation
- **Notable:** Unified Canada's naval, militia and air administration under one department in 1923., Maintains Canada's contributions to the unique binational NORAD command and NATO collective defence., Leads NATO's multinational brigade in Latvia under Operation REASSURANCE.

## Products & services

- **National and continental defence** — Military readiness, surveillance and operations across land, sea, air, space and cyber, including sovereignty and NORAD missions.
- **Domestic operations and search and rescue** — Support to civil authorities, disaster response and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue for people in distress.
- **International operations** — NATO deterrence, Indo-Pacific engagement, training, peace-support and other missions directed by the Government of Canada.
- **Capability procurement and sustainment** — Acquisition and lifetime support for ships, aircraft, vehicles, weapons, bases, housing, networks and supplies.
- **Defence research and innovation** — Science, testing and innovation programs spanning Arctic sensing, AI, autonomy, cyber, quantum, space and counter-drone systems.
- **Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar** — A Canada-Australia program using ionospheric radar to detect airborne threats beyond the curvature of the Earth; initial capability is anticipated by December 2029.

## Achievements

- Unified Canada's naval, militia and air administration under one department in 1923.
- Maintains Canada's contributions to the unique binational NORAD command and NATO collective defence.
- Leads NATO's multinational brigade in Latvia under Operation REASSURANCE.
- Deployed annual all-domain operations across Canada's Arctic and North, including Operation NANOOK.
- Reached approximately 13,100 Regular and Primary Reserve intakes in fiscal 2025-26, up from about 8,100 two years earlier.
- Moved the Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar program from planning into delivery through a 2026 Canada-Australia arrangement.
- Published an AI strategy committing the Defence Team to becoming AI-enabled by 2030.
- Accepted all 48 recommendations from the 2022 Arbour review and placed 194 external-review recommendations into a sequenced 2023-2028 implementation plan.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — The CAF announced a rebalancing of global commitments, closing four small missions and reducing another to return roughly 50-60 personnel to higher-priority roles.
- **2026-07** — The department highlighted Gray Jay, a Canadian-led three-microsatellite research mission exploring space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for Arctic awareness.
- **2026-06** — Canada and Australia formalized the Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar acquisition framework; the radar procurement commitment is C$2.5 billion within a program valued at more than C$6 billion.
- **2026-05** — DND began transitioning the Nanisivik Naval Facility out of operational use after spending C$110.2 million, citing limited seasonal access, construction problems, costly repairs and the longer range of newer ships.
- **2026-04** — DND reported 13,100 Regular and Primary Reserve intakes in 2025-26 while acknowledging the total force remained about 8,600 below authorized strength.
- **2026-02** — The CAF launched an expanded year of Arctic operations integrating ships, aircraft, land forces, special operations, the Canadian Coast Guard and allied forces.

## Links

- Website: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence.html
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationaldefence-defensecanada
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/NationalDefence
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CanadianForcescanadiennes
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canadianforces/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CanadianForces/

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Last updated: 2026-08-23