Military exploits of an independent Newfoundland

Strategos' Risk

Suppose Newfoundland remained apart from Canada after WWII. Say a combination of British pride of the Denmark holds on to Greenland variety, less of its youth dying in the Battle of the Somme, and most of all greater American investment in airbases in the lead up to the Cold War result in a different outcome for the referendum of 1949. If Iceland can survive as its own country, so does Newfoundland in this timeline.

Newfoundland in NATO
Newfie special forces

Beyond that, what would it be like? Would Newfoundland get involved in humanitarian peacekeeping missions around the world like Canada did, or in the Americas and the Caribbean? Maybe in the cod wars against Iceland? Polar expeditions? An enlarged version of the Five Eyes?
 

rfmcdonald

It's not clear to me that in this timeline, without an influx of funds coming from the Canadian federal government, Newfoundland will be able to afford a substantial military. The restrictions on spending that would have been applied to Newfoundland by Britain in the case of a pro-Confederation failure in the referendum would have sharply limited Newfoundland's ability to spend on anything.

All considered, I suspect we would have something like Iceland's military, which includes a coast guard and a system for reservists but which has otherwise been outsourced to NATO and the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Iceland
 

Jürgen

A independent Newfoundland will likely just be a English speaking Iceland, why would it need a army?
 

Peg Leg Pom

Jürgen said:
A independent Newfoundland will likely just be a English speaking Iceland, why would it need a army?
Click to expand...
So that every few years it can send a company or two to guard Buckingham Palace. It needs a Coastguard more, to protect its fishing grounds from thieving American and Canadian fishing boats.
 

overoceans

It was under the Newfoundlander Brian Tobin(as Fisheries Minister) that Canada engaged in the Turbot War, which apparently does merit one of those "war charts" that wikipedia puts on articles about military conflicts.

I don't believe anyone actually died in that, though I've heard that Canada's actions were actually illegal, which I suppose enhances whatever degree of badassery attaches to them.

Of course, this wasn't Newfoundland acting as an independent power.
 
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