Eliot Pence argues that Canada's recently announced significant increase in defence spending, committed by Prime Minister Mark Carney, should be guided by lessons from the brief but intense Israel-Iran conflict. He emphasizes the need for Canada to prepare for both rapid, high-volume 'flash wars' and long-term, attritional proxy conflicts, requiring a dual approach to procurement and industrial base development to effectively modernize its Armed Forces.
Opinion: Canada has much to learn from the Israel-Iran war as we boost defence spending
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Eliot Pence argues that Canada's recently announced significant increase in defence spending, committed by Prime Minister Mark Carney, should be guided by lessons from the brief but intense Israel-Iran conflict. He emphasizes the need for Canada to prepare for both rapid, high-volume 'flash wars' and long-term, attritional proxy conflicts, requiring a dual approach to procurement and industrial base development to effectively modernize its Armed Forces.
Trending- 1 Recently (Wednesday): Prime Minister Mark Carney commits to a significant defence spending increase.
- 2 Recently (This week): A ceasefire is declared in the Israel-Iran conflict after 10 days of intense air campaigns.
- 3 2035: Canada is committed to boosting defence spending to 5% of GDP.
- Potential shift in Canada's defence procurement and strategy
- Adaptation of military doctrine to modern warfare
- Empowerment of small manufacturers alongside large traditional defence contractors
- Increased resilience and sophistication of Canada's Armed Forces
What: An opinion piece arguing that Canada should learn from the recent Israel-Iran conflict to guide its significant increase in defence spending.
When: The ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict occurred 'this week' (article published June 27, 2025), after a 10-day conflict. Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement was on Wednesday.
Where: Canada, Middle East (Israel, Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq), Red Sea, Ukraine.
Why: To ensure Canada's increased defence spending is effectively utilized to prepare for the dual modes of modern warfare: rapid, high-volume escalation and long-term, attritional proxy conflicts.
How: By analyzing the Israel-Iran conflict's characteristics (flash war vs. proxy war), the author suggests Canada needs to rethink procurement, production, and military doctrine to accommodate both expensive, long-lead systems and cheap, rapidly deployable 'attritable' systems.