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WASHINGTON — <\/span>The United States is pausing its participation on a joint board with Canada for continental defense that dates back to World War II, the Pentagon announced Monday, accusing Canada of failing \u201cto make credible progress on its defense commitments.\u201d <\/p>\n President Donald Trump has long accused Canada and other NATO countries of spending too little on their own militaries, arguing that the U.S. shoulders too much of the defense burden. Tensions with Canada also are simmering over tariffs<\/a>, an expiring North American trade pact<\/a> and a feud between<\/a> Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. <\/p>\n \u201cWe can no longer avoid the gaps between rhetoric and reality,\u201d Elbridge Colby, an undersecretary of defense, said in announcing the pause in a string of posts on X. \u201cReal powers must sustain our rhetoric with shared defense and security responsibilities.\u201d <\/p>\n Colby’s posts noted the increases in defense spending that Canada and other nations agreed to at a summit in 2025<\/a>. He said the U.S. will assess how the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, comprised of military and civilian officials from both countries, \u201cbenefits shared North American defense.\u201d<\/p>\n European allies and Canada have been investing heavily in their armed forces since Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine<\/a> in 2022. And NATO countries, including Canada, pledged last year to spend 5%<\/a> of their gross domestic product on defense by 2035. <\/p>\n Carney said last year the Canadian government would meet the previous 2%<\/a> target for this year. <\/p>\n The Pentagon said it had nothing further to provide beyond Colby\u2019s posts on X. Carney’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the Pentagon’s announcement. <\/p>\n