Canada Jumps US in Line for Australian Radar System

Over the past decade Australia has demonstrated a desire to build a significant defense industry capability. This is being driven by the need to be less reliant on other countries for its defense technology, but also to give the country greater technical capabilities. It’s a way to enhance Australia’s overall economic complexity, rather than just boost its military capabilities.

Australia’s initial 2016 deal with France to acquire a fleet of diesel-powered Attack-class submarines came with significant technology transfers, as well as a large amount of domestic production. When this deal was replaced by the AUKUS agreement in 2021, it was justified through not just the greater capability of nuclear-powered submarines, but also AUKUS’ more substantive transfer of technology and future defense industry innovation via its second pillar of future collaboration on defense technology between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

While access to this enhanced defense industry is deemed an imperative for the more complex geopolitical environment Australia finds itself in, the country isn’t without a defense industry of its own. Australia’s Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle is deemed to be one of the top of its class for its purpose, with it being used by defense forces in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Japan, and Indonesia among others. Australia also donated 120 Bushmasters to the Ukrainian armed forces.

Yet in March 2025, Australia may have made its most significant technology transfer to date – one that not only represents a strong endorsement of Australia’s technical capacities, but is also a signal toward Australia’s primary security partner, the United States, that its current behavior is unwelcome.

After a phone call between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, it was announced that Canada would purchase Australia’s Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN), an over-the-horizon radar technology.

Unlike traditional forms of radar that have been limited by their line of sight, JORN beams a high-frequency radio signal skyward to the Earth’s upper atmosphere, which then refracts a signal down to illuminate a target. The echo from the target then travels back to a receiver site enabling real-time tracking. The radar has the ability to monitor air and sea movements across 37,000 square kilometers (14,000 square miles), or up to 3,000 km (1864 mi) from Australia’s shores.

For over a year Australia had been in discussions with the United States for Washington to purchase JORN – with the intention for it to be used to monitor activity off the U.S. Pacific Coast. But the uncertainty created by the Trump administration, and in particular the threat to Pentagon funding from Elon Musk’s deceitfully named Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), made the discussions falter. Canada – which was expected to follow in Washington’s slipstream in purchasing the technology – proved the more reliable customer.

For Canada the JORN system is deemed to be essential for the monitoring of its Arctic region. While Australia and Canada may have highly distinct geographies, what they share is vast underpopulated and underdeveloped regions that require constant monitoring. This is particularly important for Canada as it has a hostile power (Russia) highly active in the Arctic, as well as an adversarial one (China) also highly interested in the region. Not to mention the United States as well, which could also be now deemed a hostile power to Canada.

That is why the sale of JORN to Canada sends a significant message. Ottawa leapfrogging Washington in purchasing the technology is not solely about the chaos of the Trump administration, but also about Canberra wanting to send a signal to Washington in support of Canada.

Australia’s approach to Trump 2.0 has been to mostly keep its mouth shut. Canberra understands how sensitive and vengeful the administration is and so has decided the best way to navigate these new waters is to not make any statements that will lead Trump to fire off a Truth Social missive – and in turn threaten the AUKUS agreement.

But Australia does also want to send a signal of solidarity to its Canadian cousins as Trump launches an economic war against them, as well as threatens them with annexation. A good way to signal this solidarity is through the selling of JORN to Ottawa ahead of Washington. This makes it clear that Australia is invested in its allies and that allyship means something incredibly important. The JORN system is also an investment in Canadian sovereignty, at a time when it is unexpectedly under threat.

Maybe the signal will embarrass the Trump administration slightly. And if they’re capable of self-reflection, it may make them think a little harder about their behavior. The way things are going, even if it had this advanced radar technology Washington may still struggle to locate any friends.