Are there U.S. military bases and American troops in Canada?
CTV
The U.S. military has more than 165,000 troops deployed in over 170 countries and territories, including Canada.
The U.S. military has more than 165,000 troops deployed in over 170 countries and territories worldwide – including Canada. The American military also operates hundreds of overseas facilities and bases in places like South Korea, Germany and Greenland.
President-elect Donald Trump says he hasn't ruled out using military force to seize Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. The remote and resource-rich island hosts a U.S. Space Force base and 139 American troops.
Trump has also mused about turning Canada into the 51st U.S. state.
While there are no American bases in Canada today, 156 active-duty members of the U.S. military are deployed in the country, according to the latest data from the Pentagon's Defense Manpower Data Center.
Nearly 50 of them are members of the U.S. air force who serve alongside Canadians at bases in North Bay, Ont., and Winnipeg as part of Norad. Short for North American Aerospace Defense Command, Norad is a binational defence group responsible for protecting Canada and the U.S. from incoming attacks.
"The operation of Norad requires close cooperation between the U.S. and Canada," Carleton University international affairs chair Stephen Saideman told CTVNews.ca. "There are Canadians based at Norad H.Q. in Colorado, and, yes, it is quite normal for American military personnel to be serving in Canada mostly to facilitate the Norad relationship."
Other American military members in Canada occupy a wide range of roles, including serving as defence attachés at the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, studying at our military colleges, and coordinating with Canadian troops and officers across the country.