OTTAWA – The Department of National Defence confirms nearly three dozen Canadian military members on exchange with a division of the U.S. air force have not deployed to the Persian Gulf region.
A National Defence spokesperson says 35 Canadian Armed Forces members are currently serving in some capacity with the 552nd Air Control Wing’s Canadian Detachment, but have not left the U.S. for operations in the Gulf.
The American wing, based out of the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, has deployed six Boeing E-3G Sentry AWACS surveillance aircraft to an airbase in Saudi Arabia as the Iran war grinds on.
National Defence says the Canadian Armed Forces has no involvement at all in Operation Epic Fury and that no Canadian military members were involved in planning the war.
The department says the Canadian Armed Forces has roughly 200 personnel deployed across the Middle East in six separate operations, based on numbers from March 5.
Some military members have been relocated within the region or redeployed back to Canada — but the department says it will not disclose more detailed personnel numbers at specific locations for security reasons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2026.
