Canadian Soldiers train with the Korean Army for the First Time
This is a pretty cool training exercise, but you would think the Canadians would have been able to send more than just 44 Soldiers for this training:
Army troops of South Korea and Canada launched joint high-tech military drills in South Korea for the first time earlier this week, officials said Friday, as part of efforts to bolster bilateral military ties between the two nations.
The 11-day exercise, which runs through April 30, is under way at the Korea Combat Training Center (KCTC), a facility employing advanced technologies for realistic ground drills, in the mountainous county of Inje, some 125 kilometers northeast of Seoul, according to Army officials.
A group of 44 soldiers from the Canadian Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, an Army regiment that served in the 1950-53 Korean War, has been deployed to train alongside South Korean troops from the 7th Infantry Division.
The joint training comes as the Canadian troops visited South Korea to commemorate the 75th anniversary of a key battle that took place in the northern county of Gapyeong in April 1951 at the height of the three-year war.
You can read more at the link, but I also recommend reading my prior posting about Canadian troops that fought in the Battle of Kapyong:
“…but you would think the Canadians would have been able to send more than just 44 Soldiers for this training:”
Considering the very low state of readiness among Western European armies and considering the wannabe Western European nature of countries like Canada, only being able to send 44 soldiers should not be a surprise.
They need to train with the allies to practice defending against the USA, which has constantly threatened Canada with invasions. The US considers Canada as its 51st state, and the Canadian PM as a governor of a US state. It’s understandable this fear, bordering a wacked out unstable country led by a lunatic who thinks he’s a God (he posted pictures of himself as Jesus), threatening and destabilizing the entire world.
I’m not presenting a moral argument. I believe geopolitics is generally only moralistic when it serves the purposes of those performing a moral action or appealing to morals of others.
My argument is that if you border a superpower and you aren’t a superpower you have to sometimes play ball and cater to the whims of that superpower or hope that another superpower or grouping of lesser powers can help you preserve your sovereignty in one way or another. Whether any of us believe it is right or wrong it just tends to be true.
I would be interested in hearing a challenge to my statement with an example to the contrary. Not only for arguments sake but because I want to know if my idea is flawed.
In this case Canada is not a superpower but is a partner for as long as the relationship can be mutually beneficial.
It is the duty of every country’s leadership to make the best deals possible or walk away if it is in the interest of their citizenry. My sense of it is Canada hasn’t had competent leadership in a while.
Canada in principle is a sovereign nation. Economically they very well could be a 51st state of the US.
“They need to train with the allies to practice defending against the USA, which has constantly threatened Canada with invasions.”
The Fightin’ 44 will go down in the history books for repelling the American invasion with their unexpected use of Korean tactics.
You fool.
Canada has already been invaded.
Canadians have been disarmed. They have been divided. They have been diluted with the lowest level of foreign shìthole trash who will be far more loyal to American promises than Canadian sovereignty.
Canada is reliant on American underappreciated generosity which is only recognized when it is removed through bitter accusations that America is suddenly looking out for America.
The Canadian vassal state government talks smack for the domestic market so they can lie to themselves about how Canada resists America but Canada does as they are told as America’s 51st state with benefits but few downsides built on the backs of Canadian labor.
1. NATO spending
The U.S. has pressured Canada for years to spend 2% of GDP on defense. Canada resisted publicly but has slowly increased military spending and made new commitments.
2. Border security / migration enforcement
The U.S. pushed Canada to tighten the border, stop illegal crossings, and share more intelligence. Canada publicly framed it as sovereignty but quietly increased enforcement and cooperation.
3. NORAD modernization
The U.S. wanted Canada to upgrade Arctic radar and missile detection systems. Canada delayed for years, then committed billions to modernization.
4. USMCA / NAFTA renegotiation
Canada resisted Trump’s demands to renegotiate NAFTA. In the end, Canada signed USMCA with concessions in dairy and dispute mechanisms.
5. Dairy market access
The U.S. demanded access to Canada’s protected dairy industry. Canada publicly defended supply management but opened portions of the market in trade deals.
6. Softwood lumber export restrictions
Canada fought U.S. tariffs and claimed unfair treatment. Multiple times Canada later accepted quotas, export taxes, or negotiated restrictions.
7. Digital services tax
The U.S. strongly opposed taxes targeting American tech companies. Canada delayed and softened implementation under U.S. pressure.
8. Huawei / 5G restrictions
Canada delayed banning Huawei from 5G despite U.S. pressure. Eventually Canada aligned with the U.S. and banned it.
9. Sanctions on China / Russia / Iran
Canada sometimes hesitated or moved slower publicly, but generally aligned later with U.S.-led sanctions regimes.
10. Buy American disputes
Canada objected to U.S. domestic-content rules. Rather than fully retaliate, Canada often negotiated exemptions and adapted.
11. Keystone / energy policy coordination
The U.S. often pressured on climate and pipeline policy. Canada publicly objected but increasingly aligned with U.S. climate language and emissions targets.
12. Anti-money laundering / banking transparency
The U.S. pushed for more financial reporting and anti-laundering cooperation. Canada gradually tightened rules.
13. FATCA compliance
The U.S. demanded foreign banks report accounts of U.S. citizens. Canada objected over privacy/sovereignty concerns but signed an agreement and complied.
14. Arctic defense posture
The U.S. wanted stronger Arctic military and surveillance cooperation. Canada often talks sovereignty first, but usually cooperates when pressure rises.
15. Steel and aluminum disputes
Canada resisted tariffs and retaliated, but ultimately negotiated rather than escalate permanently.
16. Counterterrorism / intelligence sharing
Post-9/11 the U.S. demanded more surveillance and data sharing. Canada expanded intelligence cooperation and anti-terror laws.
17. Safe Third Country Agreement
The U.S. wanted Canada to accept tighter asylum coordination. Canada criticized impacts but maintained and expanded enforcement cooperation.
18. Semiconductor / export controls on China
The U.S. pushed allies to restrict high-tech exports. Canada increasingly aligned.
19. EV battery / industrial policy alignment
The U.S. pushed North American sourcing requirements. Canada adapted policy to fit U.S. subsidy structures.
20. Diplomatic alignment generally
Canada often publicly emphasizes independence from Washington. In practice, on major strategic issues it often ends up broadly aligned.
This list goes on and on.
But my favorite will always be how the American right encourages gun ownership in America and funds civilian disarmament in Canada.
That is brilliant strategy.
What a joke.. 44? Canada doesn’t take its army seriously either.
The Fightin’ Fourty-four
Whining soldiers from the cold
Not too brave and not too bold
Canadians to the core
They are the Fightin’ Forty-four
Have to live on snow and ice
Talk like lions, fight like mice
The enemy will sweep the floor
With the Fightin’ Forty-four
Throwing snowballs, speaking French
But when there’s war, they’re on the bench
Have no history, have no lore
The unknown Fightin’ Forty-four
Trained by Koreans with their skills
Building commodes on Afghan hills
Scared of blood, avoiding gore
They are the Fightin’ Forty-four
When shooting starts, they will run
A childhood without a gun
When America knocks upon their door
They’ll be the Frightened Fourty-four