The Canadian government has announced a significant investment in its military, committing $2 billion to purchase 190 new armoured vehicles for the Canadian army.
The new Armoured Combat Support Vehicles (ACSV) will replace Canada's aging fleet of General Dynamics-made LAV II Bison and 1960s-era tracked M113 TLAV personnel carriers, which are currently being phased out.
According to Defence Minister David McGuinty, the new vehicles will provide ambulances, mobile repair and recovery vehicles, as well as engineer support vehicles and command posts, for both domestic and international operations.
The ACSVs will be built and provided by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) and will be based on the Canadian Armed Forces' current eight-wheeled workhorse, the LAV 6.0.
The investment is part of Canada's ongoing efforts to rebuild its decaying military, neglected over the decades by previous governments, and meet NATO's 2% of GDP defence spending benchmarks.
Canada has now achieved the 2% benchmark, a goal it has not met since 1990, and plans to meet the alliance's recently-revised 5% benchmark.
The move follows numerous initiatives by Prime Minister Mark Carney to bolster Canada's military, including an $82 billion, five-year plan to rearm and re-equip the military in the 2025 Budget.
Canada has faced criticism for its lack of defence spending, particularly from the United States, and the investment is seen as a significant step towards rebuilding the country's military capabilities.
The new ACSVs will be part of a larger effort to modernize Canada's military, including modernization projects at facilities across Atlantic Canada and new base housing for Canadian Armed Forces members in Nova Scotia.
The Canadian government has also chosen Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) as its preferred supplier to provide up to 12 submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy, replacing Canada's derelict fleet of Victoria-class subs.
