Soldiers from Ukraine take part in a training exercise organized by members of the Joint Expeditionary Force in England on Nov. 9, 2022.ANDY COMMINS/AFP/Getty Images

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is a Milan-based correspondent for Defense News.

Following the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a strike on Jan. 3, former Quebec premier Jean Charest warned that Ottawa could be the next target that Donald Trump sets his sights on in the future.

“Canadians should be concerned that, for President Trump, force is now a sufficient reason to impose his will on other countries,” Mr. Charest wrote in a post on X.

Mr. Trump has frequently and openly expressed his desire for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state. As tensions between the two neighbours continue to simmer, the Canadian government should consider joining the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, or JEF, to bolster its defensive posture.

In historic first, Canadian jets land on Estonian highway as part of military exercise

The global security landscape has undergone major changes over the last year, including the reprioritization of some U.S. resources away from European theatres. This has generated a climate of uncertainty, where security guarantees from Washington have come under question.

Canada must look to Europe to pursue other defence arrangements. Fortunately, it is in an optimal place to do so: The new strategic environment has pushed the two closer together than ever before.

The JEF is a coalition of 10 like-minded........

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