Canada has formally applied to join the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a U.K.-led military partnership involving 10 European NATO countries.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the application during his September 16 meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Liverpool. The Canadian government said the United Kingdom supports Canada's participation in the initiative.

The JEF currently brings together the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The force is designed to provide a rapid-response capability and strengthen cooperation among participating countries.

Canada is already a member of NATO, but the JEF application would create another framework for cooperation with European partners.

During the meeting, Carney and Burnham also discussed defence-industrial cooperation, including the Global Combat Air Programme, in which Canada joined as an observer in July.

The two governments are also working on the modernization of British Army Training Unit Suffield in Alberta and discussed cooperation on frontier technologies and the safe development of artificial intelligence.

The move comes as Ottawa expands its defence relationships with European countries and reassesses its international security partnerships.

Canada's JEF application now adds a new European defence dimension to Ottawa's growing security cooperation with the U.K. and other allies.