Smart Bomb Bonanza Turns Canada Into Strike Power

Washington just greenlit up to $2.68 billion in smart bombs for Canada, and the real story is not the price tag but how quietly it rewires North American power, deterrence, and dependency all at once.

Story Snapshot

U.S. State Department approved a possible $2.68B Foreign Military Sale of air strike weapons to Canada, pending Congress.
The package would arm Canadian jets with thousands of precision-guided bombs built by Boeing and RTX (Raytheon).
U.S. officials frame the deal as strengthening NATO, NORAD, and continental defense.
The sale advances Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push to sharply expand Canadian military power.

Why Washington Is Arming Its Polite Northern Neighbor

U.S. officials did not wake up one December morning and impulsively decide to shower Canada with guided bombs. The State Department’s December 4 determination that it would approve a possible $2.68 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of air strike weapons to Ottawa reflects a long trend: Washington wants close allies to carry more of the military load while still running on American hardware and logistics. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) cemented that intent by sending the formal certification to Congress the same day.

Canada sits in a special category. It is a founding NATO member, co-owner of NORAD, and arguably America’s most trusted security partner. When DSCA says this sale will “strengthen the security of a NATO Ally” and support shared continental defense, that is not boilerplate fluff. It is a reminder that if something ugly ever heads toward North America—missiles, bombers, or terror networks—American and Canadian aircraft will likely fight from the same runways, with many of the same munitions hanging under their wings.

What Canada Is Actually Buying: From “Symbolic” Air Force To Serious Strike Power

This is not a token purchase. The DSCA notice and defense-trade reporting describe thousands of advanced munitions: more than 3,000 GBU‑39 Small Diameter Bombs (SDB I), roughly 2,000 GBU‑53 SDB II, over 5,300 KMU‑572 JDAM guidance kits, plus BLU‑111 and BLU‑117 general‑purpose bombs, I‑2000 penetrator warheads, and inert training rounds. Boeing and RTX, explicitly named as principal contractors, stand to gain significant production and long‑term support work.

Those acronyms add up to something simple: Canadian jets move from modest strike capacity to magazine depth that matters in a real war. SDB I gives pilots GPS‑guided, low‑collateral damage options against fixed targets. SDB II layers in a tri‑mode seeker from Raytheon, allowing engagement of moving and stationary targets in all weather. JDAM kits transform “dumb” iron bombs into precision weapons. When you buy thousands of these, you do not plan for a single symbolic sortie; you plan for sustained operations alongside U.S. forces.

Carney’s Bigger Military And The Conservative Question: Burden Sharing Or Dependency?

The Defense Post bluntly links this bomb package to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s agenda to “sharply expand” Canadian military capability. Earlier in 2025, Ottawa already pursued 26 HIMARS launchers and associated equipment for about $1.75 billion, again through FMS. Taken together, rocket artillery plus deep stocks of precision air‑to‑ground munitions signal a Canada that aims to be more than a troop-contributing extra in U.N. missions. It is gearing up to field real striking power under NATO’s umbrella.

U.S. State Dept. announces sale of $2.68B in air strike weapons to Canada https://t.co/eS1r20UggW

— One America News (@OANN) December 5, 2025

From an American conservative perspective, there is a clear upside: a wealthy ally finally spends serious money on defense and buys U.S.-standard gear. That supports U.S. industry, jobs, and alliance burden sharing—all long-standing priorities on the right. The arrangement also keeps strategic leverage in American hands, because FMS terms, spare parts, and software updates give Washington quiet but real influence over how and when these weapons are used. That mix of shared defense and retained leverage fits both common sense and U.S. national interest.

Arming Allies In A Harder World: Deterrence, Escalation, And The Fine Print

DSCA’s public rationale is familiar: the sale “advances U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives” and enhances Canada’s ability to deter regional aggression, operate with U.S. forces, and defend the continent. The wider context supports that logic. In late 2025, Washington approved a cluster of major sales to allies—AMRAAM air‑to‑air missiles for Denmark, JASSM‑ER stand‑off missiles for Italy, sustainment packages for Bahrain—alongside Canada’s HIMARS and now this air weapons package. Policymakers clearly see well-armed allies as a force multiplier amid great‑power competition and regional instability.

Yet every FMS stamp of approval carries a trade‑off. More bombs in allied hangars strengthen deterrence when governments stay stable, aligned, and responsible. They also deepen dependency on U.S. logistics chains and political goodwill. Stockpiles of advanced munitions can reassure friends and unsettle adversaries at the same time. DSCA’s language remains measured, emphasizing that this is only a “possible” sale, subject to Congressional review and a later Letter of Offer and Acceptance with Ottawa. But once those LOAs turn into contracts and deliveries, the strategic signal cannot be walked back easily.