Canada and Australia Team Up on New Arctic Military Radar

Australia and Canada are teaming up to build a massive new military radar system in the Arctic, a move that comes as global interest in the region heats up.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed today that he had a late-night chat with Canada’s newly appointed leader, Mark Carney, about the project—an over-the-horizon radar system worth a whopping $6.6 billion.

"Canada, of course, has an excellent relationship with Australia," Albanese said. "One of the things the prime minister confirmed is that he is looking at what we have—our operational radar network technology. This is world-leading technology, and we want to export wherever possible. This would be a significant export if the deal is finalized."

For Canada, this system is all about early warning radar coverage, stretching from the US-Canada border deep into the Arctic. But since this is prime NORAD territory—the long-standing defense pact between the US and Canada—any new infrastructure will likely have to fit within that framework.

Why all the fuss about the Arctic? Well, only eight countries have a slice of the region—Canada, the US, Russia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—and competition for influence is getting serious. While Canada and the US are security allies, they’ve butted heads over Arctic sovereignty for years. Canada claims the Northwest Passage belongs exclusively to them, while the US insists it’s an international waterway.

And then there’s China and Russia. The two nations have been strengthening their presence in the Arctic, with the US Department of Defense warning in July that their growing cooperation “has the potential to alter the Arctic’s stability and threat picture.”

With tensions rising and strategic interests at play, this radar deal could be a game-changer—not just for Australia and Canada, but for Arctic security as a whole.