Canada Is NATO’s Soft Underbelly

The alliance has reacted swiftly to Russian incursions in Eastern Europe. It’s less prepared to do so in the Arctic.

Canadian soldiers secure the rotor blades of a CH-147F Chinook helicopter during Operation Nanook, the Canadian Armed Forces' annual Arctic training and sovereignty operation, in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. September 25, 2025, 7:00 AM Comment icon View Comments ( )

In September 2021, Russia and Belarus launched Zapad (or “West”)—a massive military exercise on NATO’s eastern flank, near the borders of Lithuania and Poland. It included around 200,000 troops, 80 aircraft, 300 tanks, and 250 artillery pieces simulating how they would defend a hypothetical NATO invasion of Belarus. The arms buildup provided cover for Russia’s rea

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