What’s making waves across the Atlantic - 25 Feb
Defence alliances come in all shapes, sizes and obligatory acronyms - ACDC - TKMS - DSRB - EDF.
Defence alliances come in all shapes, sizes and obligatory acronyms - ACDC - TKMS - DSRB - EDF.
Plenty to catch up on amidst Enforcetec Tac 2026 in Germany, SICUR in Madrid, and Shiptech forum yesterday in Ottawa.
Let’s get started.
Between three oceans
The Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies (ACDC) launched to rebuild Canada’s sovereign defence-industrial base. They champion Canadian-controlled defence companies that design, build, sustain, and export next-generation defence platforms - reducing reliance on foreign primes and restoring national ownership of critical systems. Membership is restricted to Canadian controlled companies.
American shipbuilder, Davie Defense, has been awarded a contract from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to build five Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs), a new class of polar icebreaker critical to increasing U.S. presence in the Arctic.
Davie Defense is the U.S. arm of INOCEA (a UK-owned maritime group with operations in Finland, Canada and the U.S). In 2025, INOCEA acquired Gulf Copper & Manufacturing‘s shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur.
Davie also shared updates on the close industrial cooperation between Helsinki Shipyard and Davie and its Polar Max project, combining Arctic shipbuilding expertise from both sides of the Atlantic. They also released more details on the first Canadian-made steel for the Polar Max rolled at Algoma Steel, marking an important milestone and Canadian supply chain.
Airbus Helicopters received approval from Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) authority for the operation of the H175 helicopter in Canada, positioning the aircraft for entry into the Canadian market.
Canada’s INCYBER Forum is moving from Montreal to Ottawa-Gatineau in 2026, selecting the National Capital Region as the host for its 2026 conference. The premier pan-Canadian and international event on cybersecurity will take place Dec 1-3, 2026.
Montréal’s other big tech event, ALL IN, announced that Germany will be the Country of Honour for its 2026 edition, taking place on Sep 16 - 17.
Speaking of Germany, here’s a quick submarine update.
TKMS and Magellan, a global, integrated aerospace company, have signed a Teaming Agreement aimed at strengthening industrial cooperation in support of Canada’s future submarine capabilities. The parties will jointly explore, develop and implement cooperation related to heavyweight torpedo production and the subsequent in-service support phase for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP).
The collaboration opens the door to additional export-focused initiatives, reinforces shared commitment to strengthening Canada’s sovereign defence capabilities and creating high-value skilled jobs.
Magellan is one of Canada’s largest publicly listed (MAL.TO) aerospace companies with significant munitions manufacturing capability, and part of Canada’s Munitions Supply Program.
Dalhousie University and TKMS also signed a memorandum of understanding to explore strategic collaboration related to the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project. Dalhousie signs MOU to join innovation ecosystem focused on Canadian and Arctic sovereignty.
Most recently, UBC partnered with TKMS on dual-use innovation ecosystem, signing an MOU focused on accelerating impactful maritime and arctic research within the Faculty of Applied Science.
The German firm is one of two qualified suppliers selected by the Government of Canada to bid on the procurement program, which will construct a new submarine fleet deployable in the Arctic. The announcements round out their bid team.
Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB)
Montreal threw its hat in the ring for the next DSRB at the Banque Nationale du Canada, hosted by Montréal International and Ville de Montréal, with 111 signatories from the business community.
Followed by Halifax this past week, highlighting the defence ecosystem strength and the strategic advantage of being home to Canadian Forces Base Halifax, Canada’s largest naval base and 12 Wing Shearwater.
This follows Vancouver earlier this month, Ottawa-Gatineau in December, and Toronto in November.
The Battle of the Laurentians over the next new North Atlantic bank you’ve never heard of turns into full-fledged Canadian regionalism.
On the continent
The invasion of Ukraine notched another tragic anniversary. Canada has committed more than $25.5 billion in overall multifaceted aid to Ukraine, including $8.5 billion in military assistance.
And in case you missed Hannu Karvonen’s post regarding a major new strategy to strengthen the EU’s Easter Border regions
The EDF Update
Earlier this month, the European Commission amended the European Defence Fund (EDF) Work Programme for 2026 to align the EDF Work Programme with the ‘Mini-Omnibus’ (Regulation (EU) 2025/2653 of 19 December 2025) by implementing simplified procedures for disruptive technologies for defence and reflecting the changes to the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP).
What the eurocrat mouthful means:
Applications for the relevant calls have been halved in length, and the number of award criteria has been reduced. In addition, the evaluation process for proposals submitted in response to these calls has been streamlined.
The Mini-Omnibus formally paves the way for Ukraine to become an EDF-associated country, pending negotiations. It moves Ukraine towards deeper European defence innovation ecosystem integration as European defence cooperation programmes are becoming increasingly important for the country.
More Canada-Germany
Minister Joly signed a joint declaration of intent with Germany’s Minister Reiche to expand cooperation in the auto and mobility sector, including in EVs, hydrogen-powered vehicles and batteries.
This agreement strengthens supply chain resilience, supports the clean energy transition and reinforces continued growth in Canada’s automotive sector.
In 2024, two-way merchandise trade reached $30.5 billion, positioning Germany as Canada’s sixth-largest merchandise trading partner and the largest among European Union (EU) member states.
Canada-Europe business deals
Calian Group‘s subsidiary, SatService GmbH had a strategic win with the Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces), delivering capability to support scientific research, modern #MilSATCOM and the training of future Bundeswehr officers, while strengthening resilience, data capacity, and secure communications in support of #C5ISRT operations.
The criticals
Alberta advanced its legal challenge to the Federal Impact Assessment Act, arguing it still overreaches on major projects like pipelines and mines despite recent amendments.
Denison Mines secured a federal licence to begin site preparation and construction at its Wheeler River uranium project, while NexGen Energy reported confidence following hearings for its Rook I uranium project, both in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin.
The Canada Growth Fund also committed up to C$116M toward the acquisition and planned restart of the Thompson nickel mine complex in Manitoba, reinforcing federal backing for critical minerals production.
Your next bound:
Canadian defence events:
CDA’s annual Ottawa conference will be 5-6 Mar, 2026, with the topic The Road to 5%. The high-level event is sold-out.
Registration ends soon for CADSI’s CAF Outlooks 7-9 April in Ottawa.
Registration opens soon for CANSEC - May 27-28, Ottawa.
European defence events:
The European Defence Fund Info Days take place 10-11 Mar in Brussels.
London’s SpaceComm conference takes place 4-5 Mar.
ITEC 2026, Europe’s largest defence training technology exhibition and technical conference Mar 25-27.
Undersea defence technology (UDT) takes place Apr 14-16 in London (United Kingdom).
Hannover Messe takes place 20-24 April. The World’s Leading Trade Fair for the Manufacturing Industry is increasingly embracing the defence sector.
Europe’s largest land domain conference, Eurosatory, is planned in Paris, 15-19 June.
The largest airshow takes place in England, Farnborough International Airshow | Farnborough International Airshow 20-24 July, 2026.
DALO Days - our favourite European tradeshow - takes place 19-20 August in Denmark. The website isn’t up yet.
Canada is the lead nation at Poland’s MSPO - 34th International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO ‹ Targi Kielce S.A. 8-11 Sept 2026. MSPO is Canada’s second largest defence presence internationally and a gateway to Ukraine.
Critical Minerals:
PDAC is next week in Toronto Mar 1-4. The event comes at all-time-record-highs for the mining sector and the TSXV.
PS. 1,099 have now joined www.canadaxeurope.com, committing to improving trans-Atlantic relations.