Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand revealed last Sunday that her government is close to finalizing a contract to replace its old fleet of CF-18 fighter jets in the "very short term."

The government earlier this year announced that it was in final talks to purchase F-35 fighter jets, although officials at the time warned that these talks did not guarantee that a contract would be signed.

Anand also told Global News that the process is now nearing completion, explaining: "We will sign this contract in the very short term and move to ensure the assets arrive as quickly as possible. But before that, we need to make sure our pilots are trained, and we need to ensure we have the necessary infrastructure for 88 new fighters in the future. So, there is long-term planning happening to make sure we are ready to accept the new capabilities we are contracting for."

Likewise, the federal government launched the competition to replace its old fleet of Boeing F-18 fighter jets in 2017, when it also stated that it would purchase 25 used planes of the same model from Australia as a bridge towards long-term fleet replacement. But with increasing demands on the Canadian military, pressure continued on the government to accelerate the purchasing process, which has been ongoing for more than 20 years.

The Canadian military has suffered a personnel crisis that forced Chief of Defense Staff General Wayne Eyre to halt non-essential activities and raise questions about the armed forces' readiness.

In her remarks, Anand acknowledged that there are "thousands of Canadian Armed Forces members we need to recruit." She added that "recruiting, retaining, and reshaping the Canadian Armed Forces is one of our highest priorities."