In one corner we have the reigning military heavyweight champion of the world - The United
States of America.
In the other corner we have a tag team.
A South American alliance made up of nations who, while they may be lacking in traditional
firepower, have a long history producing some of the finest guerilla warriors in the world
along with their friends from up north, Canada, who can make up some of the southern alliance's
shortfalls in modern military equipment.
For almost two decades the United States has shifted its focus from fighting large scale
conflicts against potential enemies such as Russia or China, to fighting a global war
on terror, but today we're pitting the US against Canada and South America in what we're
calling the Rumble in the Western Hemisphere.
Today the United States enjoys a very close partnership with its northern neighbor, and
Canadians and Americans have fought side by side ever since World War I.
One of the founding NATO members, Canada and America have been steadfast allies in preserving
the free democracies of the west, and in modern times the two nations cooperate extensively
in anti-terror campaigns around the world.
The partnership between the US and Canada has made North America a bastion of liberal
democracy, who's strength is bolstered by its close ties with their South America friends
like Brazil they frequently cooperate in military and peacekeeping operations with.
But what would happen if this strong system of alliances were torn apart, and Canada and
South America went from the US’s close allies to mortal enemies?
What would a conflict in the western hemisphere look like, and who would be the ultimate victor?
Canadians may be world renowned for their politeness, but they have also proven their
ferocity in combat time and again.
A strong military tradition and close partnership with the US sees Canada fielding a very modern
and capable military, though its small size leaves it as the 21st most powerful military
in the world as of 2019.
In terms of manpower, Canada's military numbers at only 64,000 active duty troops, with a
reserve force of 30,000.
Their defense budget comes in at $21 billion dollars, which places it well short of the
US's own budget of $716 billion.
At sea, Canada can call upon 12 frigates and 4 submarines, with a host of patrol vessels
mostly used for peacetime waterway policing.
Though small, the Canadian navy is a modern one fielding the extremely capable Halifax-class
frigates.
A domestically designed frigate, the Halifax class of ships were built for anti-submarine
warfare, but boast very capable air defense and anti-ship capabilities.
Despite being over twenty years old, each frigate recently underwent a modernization
program in cooperation with the US's Lockheed Martin, updating each ship with modern weapons
and radar.
Its submarine forces unfortunately are a bit dated, with Canada still relying on British
built Victoria class diesel-electric submarines.
While still very capable vessels, the British decommissioned their own Victorias at the
end of the Cold War, four of which were sold to Canada.
Although few in number and lacking the endurance of the US's nuclear submarines, Canada's subs
could still make for some very unpleasant surprises against the US's fleets in case
of war.
On the ground Canada fields a force of 80 German-made Leopard 2 tanks, with varying
upgrade packages though none are upgraded to the most modern A7 configuration.
This still makes the Leopard an incredibly capable vehicle, often outperforming even
the US's M1 Abrams in tank challenge competitions.
In the air though Canada faces a host of problems, most notably its aging fleet of 53 American
F-18 Hornets.
Not only is Canada in desperate need of a modern fighter, but it also lacks in qualified
pilots and mechanics to keep its fighter fleet in the air.
A recent audit by Canada's Office of the Auditor General discovered that Canada cannot currently
meet both of its obligations to the highest NORAD alert level and its NATO obligations
at the same time.
This paints a very grim picture for Canada's air force, and leaves the nation incredibly
vulnerable in a modern war.
As a vital partner with the US in maintaining North American air defense though, Canada's
problems are very much America's problems as well, though a current program to procure
new fighters should see the Canadian air force with modern jets by the mid 2020s.
South America is once more returning to the battle arena after faring very poorly against
the United States last time.
Check out our USA vs. South America video to see how that went down.
However this time it will be different as they'll have northern allies to call upon.
Once more the South American alliance features 11 nations- Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela,
Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Suriname.
And once more, it's Brazil, who has the most capable military of the alliance.
Brazil faces many of the same problems it did last time- most notably the fact that
its own military is quite limited and while its allies can provide large amounts of manpower,
they can offer little in the way of modern military equipment.
Focused on fighting internal conflicts, South American forces consist mostly of light infantry,
though at least half of this infantry is mobilized.
Tanks have never been a priority of the South American nations, and this leaves Brazil and
its nearly 500 strong armored forces as the only heavy ground combat forces the South
American alliance can bring to the war.
Unfortunately Brazil's tanks are mostly inferior Leopard 1s, remember Canada has the Leopard
2, which would not last very long against America's M1 Abrams.
They also have a token force of roughly 100 obsolete American M-60 Pattons, a tank that
was first introduced in 1960.
Vastly outgunned and outnumbered, Brazil's tank forces will be hard pressed to hold the
line against an American armor assault, especially as the entire alliance fields very little
if any heavy fire support platforms, with a token force of mobile artillery pieces and
attack helicopters which would themselves be easy prey to US air assets.
In the air the South American alliance offers only a tiny force of obsolete American Northrop
F-5s, along with Dassault Mirage 2000s.
Though a very capable fighter, Brazil's mirages number only a dozen, and could do little to
keep the skies over South American troops open.
At sea the alliance can field thirty frigates of varying capability and modernity, as well
as a submarine force of 32 diesel-electric subs which also vary in capabilities and modernity.
Where the alliance excels however is in the large number of jungle-trained special forces,
some of the best in the world at jungle warfare.
Total south American military strength numbers at 1,026,927 active duty personnel, with almost
2 million reservists, though its reservists receive very little training and are poorly
equipped.
In case of war they would need weeks or even months to be trained and equipped enough to
carry out basic offensive operations.
Located smack dab in between the Canadian South American alliance, The United States
features an active-duty military force of 1.2 million personnel, with a reservist force
of 860,000.
Unlike the South American alliance though, the US's reserve forces receive regular training
and equipment upgrades, and many even see combat deployments.
America's reservists could be ready for battle within a week or two at most, supplementing
the US's active-duty combat force.
Rated as the world's number one air and naval power, these two branches of the American
military are individually more powerful than many of the world's militaries combined, and
the US Navy features an air force that is itself stronger than many modern nations.
With over 13 thousand aircraft, America's air supreemacy is overwhelming in both capability
and scope, though the much-vaunted F-35 is still not fully combat capable and the F-22
features low numbers and spare parts problems which would limit their sortie rates.
That still leaves thousands of extremely capable fourth generation fighters and attack aircraft
though, along with 971 attack helicopters.
One of the best attack helicopters in the world, American Apaches have proven themselves
time and again in various theaters of combat- most famously in 2003 in Iraq when a squadron
of Apaches flew into a planned ambush over the city of Karbala.
31 Apaches flew directly into an ambush planned by the Iraqi Republican Guard Medina Division.
Facing cannon, missile, and RPG fire, incredibly the Apaches lost only a single helicopter.
So how would this two on one death match go down?
Who would come out on top?
If you've seen our last episode featuring the US vs South America, then you're already
aware of the many vulnerabilities of South American forces.
Lacking in modern transport or a navy or air force to defend those transports, the best
that South America would be able to do in this war is dig in and wait for the American
assault.
Canada, with its limited military and vast territory to cover- yet few vital cities-
would not requrie a large number of American forces to neutralize, and with its aging air
force and very limited fighter availability, along with a very small navy, Canada could
do little to resist blockades by the US Navy's Pacific and Atlantic fleets.
Vastly outnumbered in personnel and heavy equipment, Canada would very quickly fall
to a northern thrust by American ground forces supported by an overwhelmingly superior air
force.
Simultaneously the US would dispatch some of its overseas battlegroups to South America
to begin the amphibious invasions of key South American cities.
Once more the alliance would be able to do little to resist the invasions, given the
extremely limited availability of military equipment and the difficulty in transporting
large numbers of troops across the rough terrain of central South America.
The few existing modern roadways and rail lines would be destroyed by America's naval
air forces, and any forces attempting to reach the American beachheads would have to do so
largely on foot and through thick jungle or risk eradication at the hands of American
air forces.
Brazil would be the US's first target, as the nation presents the greatest threat, and
its far inferior naval forces would do little to stem the forthcoming amphibious assaults.
In the end the United States would only send major ground offensives against Canada, who's
terrain and modern infrastructure would offer much faster transport for American forces.
Being mostly wilderness, the US would only have to capture key Canadian cities to declare
victory over its northern neighbor.
In the south, the US would once more enjoy the ability to amphibiously land large amounts
of troops anywhere it pleased, easily pushing aside any naval forces the southern alliance
could muster.
With most of South America's strategically or economically important cities being along
the coast, there would be little need to push into the jungles, where South American forces
and their jungle-fighting experience would fare far better than US forces.
Despite the addition of Canada to the mix, a US victory would still be overwhelmingly
one-sided.
Though fielding larger numbers of troops, the Canadian South American alliance simply
lacks the modern combat equipment and force multipliers that modern nations enjoy, and
has no hope of matching American military and technological strength.
Thankfully in the real world the US and its western hemisphere neighbors enjoy a strong
tradition of cooperation, and America and Canada's bond as liberal democracies is all
but unbreakable.
While its northern neighbor may be a fraction of its own military strength, the US nonetheless
relies heavily on Canadian military power to protect North America from overseas enemies,
and together they make the continent one of the most militarily secure in the world.
Who do you think would win this match in the real world?
Let us know in the comments, and as always if you enjoyed this video don't forget to
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