US pauses participation in long-standing defense board with Canada

Published May 18, 2026 12:56pm ET | Updated May 18, 2026 12:56pm ET



The Department of War announced on Monday that it would be pausing its participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, which had been the primary forum for U.S.-Canada bilateral defense cooperation for decades.

Undersecretary for policy Elbridge Colby, while announcing a halt and review of the advisory body that was created in 1940, cited Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the Davos Economic Forum in January as a contributing factor.

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