Pentagon says it pauses long-standing US-Canada military board

The US Defense Department is pausing participation in the longstanding Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD) with Canada amid concerns over Ottawa’s military commitments, a senior official said on Monday.

"A strong Canada that prioritizes hard power over rhetoric benefits us all. Unfortunately, Canada has failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments," Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby said in on the US social media platform X.

Colby said the Pentagon would "reassess how this forum benefits shared North American defense."

The Permanent Joint Board on Defense, established in 1940, has long served as one of the key bilateral defense coordination bodies between the US and Canada, helping shape continental security policy, Arctic defense planning, and military cooperation across North America.

Colby framed the move as part of a broader strategic shift emphasizing burden-sharing among allies and greater investment in national defense capabilities.

"We can no longer avoid the gaps between rhetoric and reality. Real powers must sustain our rhetoric with shared defense and security responsibilities.

"Delivering on shared continental defense begins by recognizing our shared geography. Only by investing in our own defense capabilities will Americans and Canadians be safe, secure, and prosperous," he said.

Former Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole criticized the move as “profoundly misguided and quite strange" as it came after US President Donald Trump's recent visit to China.

"Canada has been and will be an ally that shares values of liberty. As a Canadian whose grandfather deployed to Alaska for joint defense in WWII, I hope we don’t lose sight of that," O’Toole said.