Exclusive: Ottawa admits restricting intelligence over Op. Southern Spear concerns
The Department of National Defence says Canadian intelligence won't be forwarded to Op. Southern Spear. Can they be sure of that?
Sixteen days after my initial email to the media relations team at the Department of National Defence, Ottawa has replied to one of my questions regarding the likely involvement of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel in the U.S. military’s Op. Southern Spear.
In fact, what they chose to answer says much about the tension those who govern our country must be feeling.
For full context, read my previous piece ‘Blood in the water.’
I have sent back more questions and will update as things come in.
The full text of their reply is at the bottom of this piece, but I will focus on the last paragraph specifically.
“The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is not sharing intelligence with the United States for the purposes of supporting of their [sic] actions in the Southern Caribbean Sea or on Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR.
The CAF shares information as allowed by Canadian law and authorities. The information-sharing relationship with our allies, including the United States, is governed by policies and procedures aimed at ensuring the respect of our legal and international obligations.
Information and defence intelligence sharing during Op CARIBBE is restricted to JIATF-South and Operation CARIBBE/Operation MARTILLO partners only and will be caveated to not share with any elements of Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR.”
First, let’s unpack what they did tell us:
Ottawa knew they were open to being implicated in Op. Southern Spear due to the close relationship between our militaries and chose to restrict and caveat intelligence sharing to protect our interests.
They’re well aware of the optics of having a Canadian warship deployed on Op. Caribbe while Op. Southern Spear takes place in the same stretch of territory and how that raises uncomfortable questions regarding the level of our involvement - apparently erecting safeguards meant to make us all feel better.
A source of mine explained caveats are “meant to be treated with high seriousness,” and also typically work in reverse, so if the CAF is not permitting any information and defence intelligence sharing with Op. Southern Spear, then Op. Southern Spear would not be allowed to share U.S. intel with Canadians.
The problem is they did not tell the public any of this - in fact it took no small amount of haranguing them on my part for them to even admit there was an issue.
What their answer doesn’t tell us is far more worrying.
None of my questions regarding CAF personnel working under SOUTHCOM and JIATF South were addressed.
How can they seal themselves off from crossover between Op. Southern Spear, our personnel working with the U.S. military and Op. Caribbe?
Is it possible to compartmentalize at that scale?
What did they do to prevent this? Did they re-assign personnel? Did Ottawa know ahead of time that the U.S. was planning to blast people out of the water? If they ‘war gamed’ all potential problems - why not get ahead of speculation?
Fear.
Ottawa fears the breakdown of the relationship between Canada and the U.S. (more than it already has).
Saying they will caveat intelligence is easier said than done when SOUTHCOM is in command of Op. Southern Spear and Op. Martillo. JIATF South is included under this umbrella as well.
Speaking of Op. Martillo (which Canada takes part in through Op. Caribbe and other contributions) it’s clear that the Trump administration intends to push further into Latin America.
(Video released by the SOUTHCOM March 3, 2026)
On Tuesday, the U.S. began conducting operations with Ecuador targeting “designated terrorist organizations.”
Los Lobos and Los Choneros, two of Ecuador’s main criminal organizations, were designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. State Department last September, according to CNN’s Rocio Munoz-Ledo.
Nick Turse from The Intercept managed to get more details: “U.S. Special Operations forces are now assisting in raids by elite Ecuadorian forces on suspected drug cartel “processing and shipping” facilities, according to a second U.S. government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on sharing the information.”
Turse notes that it’s unclear if the assistance provided by U.S. special forces is combat specific- or if they’re providing intelligence, logistics and mission planning support.
Sound familiar?
How far will Ottawa be willing to let us be dragged into U.S. military operations that expand by the day?
—That’s the State of Things–
Full text of the DND media relations response below:
“Canada and the United States are key allies and defence partners in the hemisphere. Our two countries face common threats to our national security and are uniquely positioned to continue to address these threats together.
Our two nations, for example, have a shared responsibility in the defence of North America, including through NORAD, and this commitment remains strong. We will continue to work with the United States to address shared defence and security challenges, where doing so serves Canada’s interests.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have conducted Operation CARIBBE since 2006, a contribution to U.S. Enhanced Counter-Narcotics Operations under Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South).
The Canadian Armed Forces remains committed to working with our multinational partners to disrupt illicit drug trafficking, in support of law enforcement efforts in line with applicable Canadian and international law.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is not sharing intelligence with the United States for the purposes of supporting of their [sic] actions in the Southern Caribbean Sea or on Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR.
The CAF shares information as allowed by Canadian law and authorities. The information-sharing relationship with our allies, including the United States, is governed by policies and procedures aimed at ensuring the respect of our legal and international obligations.
Information and defence intelligence sharing during Op CARIBBE is restricted to JIATF-South and Operation CARIBBE/Operation MARTILLO partners only and will be caveated to not share with any elements of Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR.”