DND investigates leak used to discredit Saab’s Gripen fighter jet

The defence department has launched an investigation into the leak of a document now being used to undercut the government’s consideration of an alternative to the American-made F-35.

The leak of the four-year old document came in the midst of the ongoing process in which Prime Minister Mark Carney will have to decide whether to go with the F-35 or the Saab Gripen from Sweden.

Radio Canada reported Nov. 26 that it obtained a confidential chart from 2021 which showed the F-35 dominated the Gripen in terms of military capabilities.

Defence insiders say the document was held by both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the department’s procurement branch. The RCAF has long advocated for the F-35 purchase and further integration with U.S. forces.

“We are currently in the early stages of an investigation,” Department of National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen. “For this reason, we will not comment further.”

“Commercial information related to any solicitation process is considered protected information,” she added.

Canada was set to purchase 88 F-35s before Carney ordered a review of the purchase in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to cripple the Canadian economy and annex the country.

The review has angered the U.S. government. Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, has suggested that, if Canada decides not to purchase the F-35, then a trade deal with the Trump administration could be off the table. He has also warned that a decision not to buy the F-35 could threaten the joint U.S.-Canada NORAD alliance.

F-35 supporters say the leaked document is undeniable proof the aircraft is far superior to the Gripen.

But the Gripen camp points out that the chart is from four years ago and the new version of the Gripen is significantly advanced. The chart was also produced before the latest significant problems dogging the F-35 emerged. Those issues are around the Block 4 version, the specific type that Canada plans to buy. Block 4 is at least $6 billion over budget and five years behind schedule, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog organization, revealed on Sept. 3.

Alice Hansen, a spokesperson for Defence Minister David McGuinty who has repeatedly sung the praises of the F-35, stated the minister was not involved in the release of the internal records.

Alan Williams, a former assistant deputy minister for procurement at DND, pointed out that the timing of the leak was strategic. “Someone inside is very upset that the Saab Gripen is being considered,” said Williams.

He said the chart revealed just how skewed the selection process was, with the RCAF scoring the Gripen as significantly failing in areas of mission performance and its ability to be upgraded.

Williams noted the RCAF needed such scoring because the Gripen far outweighed the F-35 in terms of industrial benefits for Canada and is much cheaper and easier to maintain than the American aircraft.

“This analysis clearly shows the military went out of their way to get what they wanted by wiring the results,” he added.

In April, 2024, the National Post reported that the competition for the new fighter jet was rigged right from the beginning to select the Lockheed Martin F-35.

Other drawbacks of the F-35 have also emerged since the scoring in that it has since been revealed the U.S. controls all software upgrades for the aircraft and owns the parts for the planes. That did not matter previously since the U.S. was considered a reliable ally of Canada. But now some former military officers have said the recent actions of the Americans show that country can no longer be trusted.

DND has recently been cracking down on the unauthorized release of sensitive and confidential information.

More defence department public servants and Canadian military personnel have been added to a list in which they will now be bound to secrecy for life because of changes to government security regulations.

On Dec. 11, the DND announced that military police arrested and charged Master Warrant Officer Matthew Robar, a member of the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, with multiple offences. He was charged with one count of “Communicating Special Operational Information” and one count of “Breach of Trust in Respect of Safeguarded Information.”

The charges have not been proven in court.

DND stated in a news release that the investigation began in 2024 and “focused on the unauthorized disclosure of safeguarded information to a Foreign Entity.”

The department did not name the foreign entity, nor did it provide further information.

DND noted that no decision has been made whether the charges will proceed to a prosecution stage but if that happens that would involve a court martial.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

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