Ottawa, Sept. 17 (SANA)Canadahas formally applied to join the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a 10-nation rapid-response military partnership, asOttawaseeks closer defense cooperation with European countries, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office said.

“Prime Minister Carney announced that Canada has formally applied to join the Joint Expeditionary Force and welcomed the UK’s support for Canada’s participation in this important initiative,” his office said in a statement.

Canada, already a NATO member, has been seeking closer military cooperation with European countries as it moves to diversify its defense ties away from the United States.

Carney met British Prime MinisterAndy Burnhamin northern England, where the two discussed opportunities for defense industrial cooperation through the Global Combat Air Programme, an advanced fighter jet project that Canada joined as an observer in July 2026. TheJoint Expeditionary Forcecomprises theUnited Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, all of which areNATOmembers.