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The Canadian military is in talks to establish a permanent presence in up to seven foreign countries, the Minister of Defence confirmed on Thurday, marking the first time since the end of the Cold War that Canada has aimed to expand its military reach around the globe.

“As we look out into the future what we obviously try to do is anticipate where and when we will be needed,” Peter MacKay told reporters in Ottawa.

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The plan, dubbed the Operation Support Hubs Network, involves establishing a permanent presence in up to seven countries including Senegal, South Korea, Kenya, Singapore and Kuwait.In addition, Canadian officials have already signed agreements with Germany and Jamaica.

Rather than large, sprawling U.S.-style military bases, the Canadian facilities are more likely to be “small storage facilities” comprising an airfield, a warehouse and two or three soldiers, says David Bercuson, a senior research fellow with the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. “They will be what you would call ‘forward supply depots, strategically placed near parts of the world where Canadian Forces might be deployed in future,” he said. With the depots, the Canadian military will not have to “haul around” its gear everytime they deploy overseas.