How Canada’s new submarines could be used at home and abroad

Canada’s planned fleet of up to 12 Germanbuilt 212CD submarines is meant to do more than patrol domestic waters. The vessels are expected to help defend Canada’s three coasts, monitor Arctic approaches, and protect undersea infrastructure such as communication cables and seabed resources. Retired Canadian naval officers say the submarines’ long range, endurance, and stealth will make them useful in both peacetime surveillance and crisis operations. They could also be deployed far from Canada, including in regions such as the South China Sea, the Baltic, and the Mediterranean, where allied navies may face heightened tensions. The article also notes that the submarine choice reflects strategic tradeoffs. Canada selected the German design over a South Korean alternative that would have offered ballisticmissile capability, a more advanced strike option that Ottawa did not require for its current NATOfocused defence posture.