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During the election, the Liberals said they would not choose the F-35, and re-invest any savings in the navy.

Mr. Sajjan has since said he will launch an open process to replace the CF-18s.

“The requirements we create will be those that are needed for Canada’s role,” he said.

He would not say whether Lockheed Martin would be barred from the bidding process, or whether the requirements might now be written to ensure the F-35 did not win.

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Defence analysts have pointed out that 2015 was a lost year for military procurement because of the election. The review, expected to be completed this year, will likely cause further delay. But Sajjan said the fighter jet replacement process will be done quickly “so we don’t get into a capability gap.”

The defence minister suggested that the review will also examine whether there is enough money in the capital budget to buy all the equipment promised by the former Conservative government.

“Those numbers provide some challenges,” he said. “That’s what the review is about — to provide an accurate picture of what our process can get us. But I’m confident that … 10 years from now, we will have the right capability for all our services.”

The recent speech from the throne promised a “leaner, more agile military,” while a Conservative government review of military spending recommended cutting one infantry company from each of Canada’s nine battalions.

However, the minister said he is not looking at trimming the fighting force. “Leaner and more agile is about the ability to respond and the military’s ability to prevent and react to situations at home and abroad. We are keeping the planned increases,” he said. “But could it look different? It could.”