‘You Cannot Clone People’: A Former NORAD Deputy Commander Says Canada Does Not Have the Pilots or Technicians to Run F-35s and Gripens at the Same Time. Its Fighter Force Is at Two-Thirds Strength

Automatically curated summary from 19FortyFive.

Retired Lt. Gen. Alain Pelletier, former NORAD deputy commander, warned that the Royal Canadian Air Force lacks the pilots and technicians to simultaneously operate a mixed fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35s and Saab JAS 39 Gripens. While Ottawa reviews its fighter procurement plan, RCAF fighter personnel strength sits at roughly two-thirds capacity, with reported maintenance challenges. Former defense officials argue running two separate fighter conversion pipelines would strain existing manpower and infrastructure, raising concerns about operational readiness for NORAD defense obligations.

Context and limitations

Statements rely on assertions from a retired military official, commentary, and past news reports regarding Canada's military staffing levels and procurement timeline.