“S. Korea to Provide Full Lifecycle Support for Canadian Submarines”

Minister Ahn Gyu-back meets with Stephen Fuhr, Canada's Secretary of State for Defense Procurement.

Accumulates the independent development and operation experience.

Emphasizes Korea's capability to ensure timely and reliable delivery.

Consensus on strengthening strategic communication in defense and defense industry cooperation.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, center, reviews an honor guard prior to his meeting with Stephen Fuhr, right, Secretary of State for Defense Procurement of Canada, at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Feb. 5.

Defense Minister Ahn highlighted the technological edge of Korea's submarine fleet and the strength of its defense industry as he promoted Korean-built next-generation submarines to Canada. Minister Ahn also expressed hope to further strengthen strategic communication so as to achieve tangible results in bilateral defense and defense industry cooperation.

On February 5, Minister Ahn met with Stephen Fuhr, Special Envoy for Defense Procurement of Canada, at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and held in-depth discussions on ways to strengthen bilateral defense and defense industry cooperation, including the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP). The CPSP is a program to procure patrol submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy. It is an extra-large program, with the total contract value reaching up to KRW 60 trillion, covering not only submarine construction but also maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO).

The two ministers reaffirmed their bilateral trust as long-standing allies, and agreed on the importance of mutually beneficial defense and defense industry cooperation amid the rapidly changing international security environment.

Regarding Canada's ongoing pursuit of next-generation submarine capabilities, the two defense officials also exchanged views on the direction of strategic cooperation that could simultaneously bolster its defense capabilities and foster its industrial development.

In particular, Minister Ahn stressed that South Korea has accumulated independent experience in developing and operating submarines. He explained that Korea possesses stable and prompt delivery capabilities along with comprehensive lifecycle support for submarines, ranging from system development and operation to follow-on logistics support. He added that this would enable Canada to rapidly bolster its naval power.

The two ministers also assessed that the security and defense cooperation partnership, established by the two countries during last year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, holds great significance as Canada's first such framework with an Indo-Pacific country. They agreed to maintain close communication to ensure this year yields tangible results in bilateral defense cooperation.

Minister Fuhr showed keen interest in Korea's excellent industrial capabilities, its systematic follow-on logistical support capacity, and its approach emphasizing industrial cooperation. He also expressed hope that this meeting would serve as an opportunity to align Canada's defense procurement policies with Korea's industrial capabilities and elevate bilateral ties into a strategic defense industry partnership.

Going forward, the Ministry of National Defense will continue high-level exchanges with Canada while actively promoting the superiority of our weapon systems and strengthening sustainable cooperation across all aspects of defense policy and defense cooperation.

By Byeong-No, Yun <[email protected] >

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