Canada-US Army Relations in the Korean War
- The Korean War (1950-1953) was the first major sustained contact between the Canadian Army and the US Army, which ultimately laid the foundation for future defence cooperation in the Cold War and beyond.
- However, while the Korean War was generally positive, there were times of strain and conflict between Canada and the United States.
- Canadian forces fought alongside United States soldiers and other United Nations member states to help protect South Korea from North Korean and Chinese invasions.
- Canada was the third-largest contributor to the UN effort, following the United States and the United Kingdom.
- Over 26,000 Canadian soldiers served in the war with 516 perishing and over 5 million American soldiers served with 54,000 perishing.
- The United States was deeply connected to the divisions that caused the Korean War ever since the US and Soviet Union split Korea at the 38th parallel, which divided the peninsula into North Korea (under Soviet communist rule) and South Korea (which the United States helped establish a military government).
Citation
Millett, Allan R. "Allies of a Kind: Canadian Army-US Army Relations and the Korean War, 1950-1953." Combat Studies Institute Press: US Army Combined Arms Center, 2015. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA615584
Further Readings
For more information on Canada-U.S. Relations in the Korean War: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/673923/pdf
& https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/canada-and-korean-war-forgotten-ally-forgotten-war
For more information on Canada's contribution to the Korean War: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/wars-and-conflicts/korean-war
& https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/korean-war/koreawar_fact
Overlapping Topics
Military, Defence, and Peacekeeping
Policy Sub-Topic
Policy Type
Policy Report