By Moderator, 31 July 2026
At the beginning of July Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the winning bid for the construction of (up to) 12 submarines -- the German-Norwegian consortium TKMS. South Korea and Hanwha Ocean were the losers. Both bids involved excellent products and many promises to create value in the country. Either submarine would have been a good choice. The selection of the TKMS option illustrates Canada’s continuing commitment to NATO/the Atlantic, despite claims that it wants to enhance relations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The first submarine will be delivered by the mid-2030s. In that time period, there is much to be done. Facilities for the submarines must be created, maintenance personnel need to be hired and trained, and crews need to be generated. These tasks will all be challenging. But it would also be useful if defence policy could give a clear outline of the strategic purpose of the submarines. For more, see Wesley Wark, “Canada Is Spending Billions of Dollars on New Submarines — So What Are They Actually For? Canada has chosen its submarines. Now it must decide what they're for,” at
Image: A graphic of the Type 212CD. Credit: TKMS
