13 July. David Dunlop. Now that the 2018 NATO Summit has apparently passed a referendum to have all NATO countries contribute as a minimum at least 2% GDP to defence, does this mean Canada will be doing this no later than 2024? The Prime Minister has just met with the Spanish PM this week at the NATO Summit 2018 as well. Is this also an indication that Canada may want to acquire Spanish Juan Carlos Class LHDs for the RCN to create an Amphibious Sealift Capability for both East & West Coasts? These are excellent ships specifically targeted for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) capability. This would give Canada a significant HA/DR and expeditionary force capability that it has not had for a very long time. These ships are perfect to load Canadian Army Batallions with all their equipment including helicopter/fixed wing aircraft. These ships would give Canada the potent sealift capability we have been sorely missing. If so, it is about time we did this, and the 2% of GDP commitment would surely help greatly in this endeavour!
