Canada makes its entry as the first observer country in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the program for the new stealth fighter jointly developed by the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan. The announcement by Andy Burnham’s new British government came at the London summit, which brought together the defense ministers of the four countries (Guido Crosetto for Italy). “We will honor our commitments in the defense sector,” said the new Labour Prime Minister Burnham, emphasizing the program’s importance for the United Kingdom.
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Long-term delivery plans shared with Canada
“GCAP is already one of the world’s most ambitious industrial and defense partnerships, capable of supporting 4,500 jobs across the United Kingdom,” Burnham added, stating that the entry of a historic ally like Canada makes the project “even stronger.” The observer country will have direct insight into the development of GCAP’s capabilities, at the level of industrial collaboration and long-term fighter delivery plans, “through a structured engagement with partner nations,” as stated in a note from the British Ministry of Defense. Although Canada will not have a decision-making role, its entry paves the way for discussions on future Canadian participation and contribution to the program.
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Crosetto: “full support for Canada’s interest”
The announcement came as the new Defense Minister Wes Streeting was hosting his Japanese, Italian, and Canadian counterparts – Shinjirō Koizumi, Crosetto, and David McGuinty – at the summit at Wellington Barracks in London. The news was welcomed by the Italian Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto. “I expressed full support for Canada’s interest in the GCAP program, the sixth-generation combat aircraft,” the minister stated after meeting his Canadian counterpart David McGuinty. “Italy and Canada share a strong will to strengthen collaboration in the field of Defense and security, based on common values and shared membership in the Atlantic Alliance,” Crosetto wrote on X. “We intend to expand cooperation between our armed forces and promote new opportunities in the sectors of innovation, future capabilities, and the defense industry.”
NATO interests expand to Indo-Pacific and Antarctica
Regarding the main international scenarios and the situation in the Middle East, Crosetto highlighted that he shared the view that “the center of global balances and the strategic interests of the members of the Atlantic Alliance are increasingly extending towards new quadrants once far from our attention, including the Indo-Pacific and Antarctica.” It is therefore “necessary to broaden our perspective and develop collaboration projects capable of taking these new balances into account, aware that security challenges require coordinated responses and increasingly close cooperation among us,” Crosetto added, “we have finally confirmed the will to develop new common projects, valuing the partnership between our countries as a concrete contribution to Euro-Atlantic security and international stability.”
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