For most of history, a country’s strength has depended not just on fielding the best military equipment but on its capacity to afford it. Balancing capability with cost has always been the practical constraint shaping military readiness. The appeal of equipping soldiers with the most advanced drones, radar and software is understandable – what government wouldn’t want to give its troops every possible advantage?
But in Canada’s case, this logic often backfires. The pursuit of “best-in-class” foreign systems – often encouraged by the appeal of interoperability, proven performance, aligned requirements and ease of integration – can come at the expense of building domestic capacity, ultimately undermining both sovereignty and long-term effectiveness.
