Canadian Army commander Lt. Gen. Michael Wright has been pushing for more U.S.-built equipment (Canadian Forces photo)
By Tim Ryan
Article from Volume 32 Issue 12 - Esprit de Corps
The Canadian Army is buying the U.S.-built High Mobility Artillery Rocket System or HIMARS.
The Army has long wanted this piece of American kit and the purchase was pushed by Army commander Lt. Gen. Michael Wright.
Canada submitted a request to the U.S. government on Dec. 14, 2024, for the proposed purchase of HIMARS.
But then came U.S. President Donald Trump and his threats to economically destroy Canada and turn it into the 51st state.
Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to cut down on sending hard earned Canadian tax dollars to the Americans.
But that didn’t resonate with the Canadian Army leadership. They are extremely close to their U.S. Army counterparts and appear not to believe that Trump is a threat to Canada.
And critics have pointed out that the Canadian Forces leadership seem to have little sympathy for the thousands of fellow Canadians who have lost their jobs so far in the Trump trade war. The military leadership doesn’t believe economic factors should be a major consideration in their push for U.S.-built equipment.
The HIMARS deal was confirmed to be moving forward with a September announcement from the U.S. government. The deal would further strengthen the U.S. military industrial base and sustain high-tech American jobs, the Ottawa Citizen reported. The HIMARS are to be built in Arkansas by Lockheed Martin, with the cost to Canada at approximately $2.4 billion.
The Canadian Army leadership could have purchased a South Korean or an Israeli rocket system that would have been just as effective as HIMARS.
In fact, South Korean defence giant Hanwha pitched Canada on its alternative to HIMARS. Polish soldiers are currently undergoing training on the company’s Chunmoo high mobility rocket systems which were purchased to counter Russian aggression. Hanwha was offering Canada speedy deliver and more importantly full control over the technology needed to operate the system.
Their offer was rejected.
In an interview with the CBC published Dec. 11, Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright defended the HIMARS purchase. “We’re saying the HIMARS system is the long-range precision strike system that we need for land operations,” Wright said. “It’s a capability that’s been proven on the battlefield in Ukraine. More importantly, of the systems that are available right now, it’s the system that we can put onto the back of a Royal Canadian Air Force strategic airlift, the C-17, and deploy anywhere.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/
politics/colt-modular-assault-rifles-army-9.7011113
While the South Korean system was available almost immediately, Canada will now have to wait for the U.S. HIMARS. Production for Canada will start in 2026. Delivery isn’t expected until late 2029. That is, if there isn’t any delays.
Wright is correct to say HIMARS has been proven on the battlefield in Ukraine.
But what he didn’t say is that the HIMARS comes with a significant strategic drawback…the U.S. can easily limit its effectiveness anytime it wants.
And that is what pretty much what happened in early 2025 in Ukraine.
After Trump announced the suspension of all military aid for Ukraine, HIMARS systems stopped receiving data it needed to attack Russian targets at long-range. As a result, the weapons became extremely limited.
As Forbes magazine reported earlier this year, Ukraine could still zero in on short-range Russian targets for HIMARS with its drones and other intelligence assets. But the U.S. controlled the intel for longer range targeting. In addition, the U.S. controls the supply of rockets for HIMARS/
Wright is taking a chance with the U.S. system but the Army leadership doesn’t seem to think that the Americans will ever pose a threat to Canada. Maybe he is right.
Or perhaps, the lieutenant general should take a read of the newly released U.S. national security strategy. The message is clear: the Americans view Canada as a vassal state and if we, or other nations in the hemisphere, step out of line there will be consequences.
That doesn’t seem like a country you would want controlling one of your major land weapon systems, does it?
Wright and the Army leadership are reportedly pushing to purchase more U.S.-built equipment. The potential strategic threat to Canada from the Americans is not considered part of the equation when deciding what equipment should be purchased.
Should it be?
