On September 22, 2025, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted his Canadian counterpart, Minister of National Defence David McGuinty, for a bilateral meeting at the Pentagon. Secretary Hegseth and Minister McGuinty discussed the longstanding military relationship between the United States and Canada and vital importance of Canada stepping up to meet its historic Hague Summit commitment.
The two leaders discussed Canada's commitment at the NATO Hague Summit to increase defense spending to five percent of gross domestic product and planned investments to deliver on this promise by 2035. Secretary Hegseth underscored the importance of U.S.-Canada cooperation as Canada restores its military capacity, and urged Canada to do so in line with shared defense interests, especially regarding the defense of North America.
