By Admin 
Amidst the ongoing tension with Canada, US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has given a big warning to Canada. Hoekstra, a close aide of President Donald Trump and the US Ambassador to Canada, said that if Canada backs out of its decision to buy 88 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter planes, the US will send its fighter planes into Canadian airspace. It can also make changes to its decades-old North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) agreement.
In the latest tussle between the US and Canada over the F-35 deal, Hoekstra said that if Canada buys a small number of fighter jets, the US will be forced to fill the security gaps itself. This could mean that the US buys more F-35 fighter jets for its own use and intervenes in Canadian airspace more often than before.
What did the US Ambassador say on the NORAD agreement?
Under existing NORAD rules, the United States and Canada can monitor or take action to prevent threats in each other’s airspace. However, Hoekstra has pointed out that if there are any changes to the fighter jet deal, then US interference could go further, which would lead to changes in the terms of this Cold War-era agreement.
In an interview with CBC News, US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said that changes will have to be made in NORAD. His statement has come at a time when a few months ago the Canadian government had said that it was reviewing the terms of the fighter aircraft deal, because the deal was proving to be more expensive than anticipated.
The deal was signed between Canada and Lockheed Martin in 2022
Canada had agreed to buy 88 F-35A advanced fighter jets from American company Lockheed Martin in the year 2022. The Canadian government initially approved funding for 16 jets to be delivered, but the deal soon began to face challenges. Not only is the construction of the jets taking longer than anticipated, but the initial audit conducted in 2025 also revealed that the cost of the deal has increased to $37.7 billion, which is much more than the earlier estimated $19 billion.
Amidst Trump’s threats, PM Carney had ordered a review
In fact, amid increasing tension between the US and Canada due to US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had ordered a review of this deal.
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