F-35 Fighter Jet Program Connects Canada to Nuclear Weapons Development

The F-35 program is driven by the United States military and its NATO allies. In 1997, Canada signed onto the Joint Strike Fighter program, which was developed as a vehicle for the United States to capture international funding for a replacement jet fighter. Canada's initial investment in 1997 was $10 million. In 2001 the JSF contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin, who developed what is now known as the F-35. By 2010, the international procurement process was underway and Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada would purchase 65 fighter jets, through an untendered purchase.  

Prior to this announcement by the Harper government, the issue of the F-35 had been discussed at  NATO's Parliamentary Assembly (PA), a body that provides an ongoing political exchange between NATO and legislators from its member states. The PA is explicitly oriented toward government policy, working to ensure that legislation and programs of member states are consistent with, and facilitate the implementation of, NATO's priorities. The reports from PA meetings in 2010 suggest some concern that international orders for the F-35 and, by extension, funding for the project, were below expectation. This is significant, as the United States has been trying, since the economic crisis of 2008, to reduce its financial support to NATO and to offset that by increasing financial support from other members. Harper's purchase announcement is yet another obedient response to NATO and US prodding, this time guaranteed through an undemocratic process.  

Opposition to the Harper government's proposal to purchase 65 F-35 fighter jets was strong and widespread. Most of it focused on the related issues of costs and corruption that were associated with the procurement. This is critically important – military spending should always be conducted in an open and transparent manner, and it must be justified in the context of broader public spending. In an era of high unemployment, deep cuts to social programs and harsh austerity programs that target working people, Harper's intention of spending billions of dollars on fighter jets was thoroughly offensive, and it isn't surprising that it was opposed by a broad mobilization of people.

However, there is another aspect to the F-35 program that has not received much public attention, and this is its link with renewed nuclear weapons development. This connection emerged around the same time as Harper's announcement of the Canadian purchase. In early 2010 the US government, as part of its Nuclear Posture Review, announced that the F-35 program would involve redesigning the B61 nuclear bomb. While the F-35 was not initially intended to be nuclear capable, the US announcement clearly indicates that F-35 jet will carry and deliver this nuclear weapon. The rollout of the F-35 is planned to coincide with the rollout of the redesigned B61 nuclear bomb.  

The Harper government's purchase announcement was an interesting and revealing situation. Through a non-tendered process, meaning in secret, the Canadian government decided to order $30 billion worth of military aircraft being developed through a procurement that the NATO-PA has been pushing on its member states. In the process Canada would also be funding the upgrade and proliferation of nuclear weaponry, which Canadian military pilots would be able to carry on the F-35. While public and political pressure forced a retreat from that specific purchase agreement, but there is no indication that NATO has lost interest in developing a multi-national delivery system for its nuclear weapons. 

There has never been a statement from the Canadian government of either Stephen Harper or Justin Trudeau opposing the use of the F-35 program to develop the B61 nuclear bomb. Nor has there been any indication that F-35's coveted by Canada's military will be exempt from carrying nuclear weaponry.

Most people in Canada understand that this country is a non-nuclear weapons state. Public opinion overwhelmingly (almost 90%) favours nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. However, Canada is a member of NATO's Nuclear Planning Group, which is responsible for the military alliance's nuclear weapons policy. NATO maintains a first strike policy for nuclear weapons, and refuses to move from that position despite heavy criticism. Essentially, despite policies that individual states may announce regarding nuclear weapons, any country that is a member of NATO has a position of nuclear first-strike. 

The F35/B61 program represents a dangerous and aggressive development in US-NATO nuclear weapons development and proliferation. Largely through its NATO membership, the Canadian government has already spent public money on the Joint Strike Fighter/F35 and remains interested in spending billions more dollars to purchase these military aircraft. In the process, Canada is also funding the upgrade of nuclear weaponry and participating in the proliferation of these weapons to a much wider range of non-nuclear weapons states.  

Discussion of nuclear arms has faded from public attention since the decline of the Cold War in the early 1990's. Clearly, it remains an ongoing danger that demands deeper scrutiny, extensive public debate, and genuine coverage in the media.

In Canada, this means pressuring the government to fully disclose its involvement with the F35/B61 and other US-NATO nuclear programs. Ultimately, we need to pressure the Canadian government to adopt foreign and military policies that are structured around concrete steps toward disarmament and the elimination of nuclear weapons.

This is an updated version of an article that was first published in the World Peace Council's periodical Peace Messenger, vol 3 issue 8 (2012).