Canada

Personnel & posture

Active personnel

68k

Reserve / mobilization pool

22k

Mobilization window

~30 days to full field army

Alliance

NATO / NORAD

GDP (est.)

$2140B

Order of battle

• Air & missile defense

  • Long-range SAM batteries4 – 14
  • Medium-range SAM8 – 24
  • Point defense / C-RAM12 – 36
  • MANPADS teams120 – 450

    Distributed mobile fire groups

• Combat aviation

  • Multirole fighters24 – 90
  • Strike / ground attack12 – 40
  • Transport / tanker wing8 – 24
  • ISR / AEW platforms4 – 16

• Ground forces

  • Mechanized brigades4 – 10
  • Infantry brigades4 – 12
  • Artillery regiments6 – 18
  • Special operations groups2 – 8

• Naval forces

  • Surface combatants8 – 24
  • Submarines2 – 8
  • Amphibious / coast guard6 – 16

• Armored forces

  • Main battle tanks60 – 220
  • MRAP / light armor120 – 450

• IFV / APC / MRAP

  • Infantry fighting vehicles400 – 1,200
  • Armored personnel carriers600 – 1,800
  • MRAP / light protected mobility200 – 800

• Unmanned systems

  • Tactical UAS80 – 250
  • Armed UCAV12 – 40

• Cyber & EW

  • Cyber operations units4 – 12
  • Electronic warfare battalions3 – 10
  • SIGINT companies4 – 14

Bases & infrastructure (23)

• Canada Ministry of Defense

  hub

  National command and crisis coordination

  command

• Canada Army Headquarters

  military base

  Ground forces command and mobilization center

  army

• Canada Primary Air Base

  airport

  Combat aviation and airlift hub

  air

• Canada Naval Base

  port

  Fleet homeport and coastal defense

  naval

• Canada Main Seaport

  port

  Strategic maritime trade and logistics gateway

  trade

• Canada Defense Industrial Complex

  factory

  Ammunition, vehicles, and sustainment production

  manufacturing

• Canada Munitions plant

  factory

  Artillery shells, small arms, explosives

  ammunition

• Canada Oil & gas refinery

  factory

  Fuel processing and petrochemicals

  energy

• Canada Integrated Air Defense Site

  military base

  Long-range SAM coverage for capital region

  air_defense

• Canada Early Warning Radar

  military base

  Air and missile tracking

  air_defense

• Canada Combined Arms Training Area

  military base

  Brigade-level exercises and mobilization

  training

• Canada Border Defense Outpost

  military base

  Frontier surveillance and rapid response

  army

• Canada Cyber Command Center

  hub

  Offensive/defensive cyber operations

  cyber

• Canada Forward Corps HQ

  military base

  Theater-level ground command

  army

• Canada Secondary Airfield

  airport

  Dispersal, training, and surge capacity

  air

• National Defence Headquarters (Ottawa)

  hub

  Canadian Armed Forces national command.

  command

• General Dynamics Land Systems (London ON)

  factory

  Light armored vehicles and army modernization.

  vehicles

• Chalk River Laboratories

  research

  Canadian nuclear and materials science for defense and energy.

  nuclear

• CFB Halifax / HMC Dockyard

  port

  Atlantic Fleet homeport and naval sustainment.

  naval

• CFB Cold Lake

  airport

  Fighter training and NORAD air defense node.

  air

• Prince Rupert Port

  port

  Pacific gateway for trade and sealift.

  trade

• CFB Valcartier

  military base

  Army mechanized brigade and munitions depot area.

  army

• Irving Shipbuilding (Halifax)

  factory

  Frigate and Arctic offshore patrol vessel construction.

  naval

Deployable units (10)

• 1st Canadian Division HQhq · Ottawa-area army command
• 409 Tactical Fighter Squadronair · Cold Lake fighters
• HMCS Halifax (class) Atlantic Squadronnavy · Atlantic fleet
• 2nd Battalion PPCLIarmy · Western Canada mechanized
• Special Operations Task Grouparmy
• Coastal Defense Regimentnavy
• Tactical UAV Squadrondrone
• Logistics Support Brigadefacility · Supply and transport hub
• Armored Cavalry Squadronarmor
• Combat Aviation Wing (detachment)air

Theater glossary

Chokepoint

Narrow sea or land passage where trade or military traffic can be blocked.

Rare earth

Elements used in magnets, motors, and precision weapons — China dominates refining.

SPR

Strategic Petroleum Reserve — emergency crude stockpile.

TSMC

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing — advanced logic fab cluster.

Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz — ~20% of global oil transits.

Malacca

Strait of Malacca — busiest shipping lane between Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Suwałki corridor

Poland–Lithuania land bridge — NATO logistics vulnerability.

Cobalt belt

DRC–Zambia mining corridor — battery supply chain.

Lithium triangle

Chile–Argentina–Bolivia brine deposits — EV battery input.

Grain corridor

Black Sea / Danube export routes — global food security.

Red Sea corridor

Bab el-Mandeb through Suez — Houthi interdiction risk.

Taiwan Strait lane

Kaohsiung–Busan chip & container sea lane under blockade exercise.

Black Sea grain lane

Odesa/Danube export routes under missile and mine threat.

Horn access lane

Djibouti–Massawa–Assab Red Sea port competition axis.