General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote to US Senator Elissa Slotkin stating that the US military has no plans to deploy federal military personnel or National Guard troops to polling places during the November 2026 midterm elections. ^[1] General Jennie Carignan, Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff, stated at the 28th annual Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference in Victoria, B.C., that Canada's military relationship with the United States remains unchanged despite the collapse of trade talks and escalating political tensions. ^[2] General Dan Caine stated in a letter to Senator Elissa Slotkin that election administration and security remain the responsibility of state and local officials. ^[3] General Dan Caine wrote in a letter to Senator Elissa Slotkin that he has neither received nor anticipates receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections. ^[4] General Jennie Carignan told The Globe and Mail on Monday that Canada's fighter jet contract with American company Lockheed Martin and Canada's role in the U.S.'s Golden Dome missile defence system are a different conversation than trade negotiations with the Trump administration. ^[5] U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claimed Canada has no military, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent made a joke about the country's ability to respond to threats, and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a controversial remark about the Canadian cadet program to social media. ^[6] US law generally prohibits the deployment of US troops at polling places or their use in overseeing elections, reflecting long-standing restrictions on military involvement in the electoral process. ^[7] Defence Minister David McGuinty called U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's post mocking two cadets below the dignity of the office. ^[8]