A model F-35 sits in a place of prominence on the corner of Lt.-Gen. Eric Kenny's desk. The miniature grey aircraft is propped in the air by a plastic stand as if it is flying, and Royal Canadian Air Force markings are visible on its wings.
Displaying such a model inside National Defence Headquarters, let alone on the desk of Canada's Air Force commander, was strictly verboten before the Trudeau government officially committed to buying the plane last month.
Between plans to buy armed drones, launch satellites and upgrade North America's early warning system, the F-35 is just one of several high-tech additions that Kenny suggests will firmly entrench the Air Force in the 21st century over the next decade. "And we expect the gap to become bigger up until 2025, assuming we achieve our recruitment numbers," he said.
The successful arrival of the first F-35 on Canadian soil by 2029 will also require significant upgrades to the Air Force's aging hangars and maintenance facilities at its main fighter bases in Bagotville, Que., and Cold Lake, Alta., as well as the military's computer networks. Yet Ottawa's record on military infrastructure is extremely mixed, particularly in the Far North. The Defence Department recently confirmed delays in upgrading and rebuilding two jetties in Esquimalt, B.C., and a new armoury in New Brunswick.
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