The Canadian Ministry of Defense announced plans to increase its military presence in the Arctic

Canada is going to increase its military presence in the Arctic region. This was announced on March 6 by the country's Minister of National Defense, Bill Blair.

"The Minister of National Defense has announced Iqaluit, Inuvik and Yellowknife as the locations of the Northern Operational Support Center. They will increase the presence and efficiency of the Canadian armed forces in the Arctic and in the North," the government's website says.

It is specified that Canada will invest $2.67 billion over 20 years to create a network of Northern Operational Support Hubs. It consists of runways, logistics facilities and equipment and will allow the armed forces to better defend the country's sovereignty, as well as maintain a greater year-round presence.

It is specified that the centers will function as a distributed network of logistics stations.

"This initiative represents a new approach to defense and security in the Arctic and the North and will help keep Canadians safe in the face of dramatic changes in our physical environment and security environment," the government said.

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Blair announced on January 24 that Canada would reach NATO's defense spending targets of 2% of GDP in two years. It was previously assumed that this would be done by 20323.