The initiative will include major combat fleet replacements of surface combat ships, maritime patrol craft, fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft, fighter aircraft, and land combat vehicles and systems.

Canada will also increase its troop numbers to 70,000 regular soldiers and 30,000 reservists, for a total increase of 11,000 troops.

"If you want to be taken seriously in the world, you need the capacity to act -- it's that simple," said Harper.

The new spending "will strengthen our sovereignty and security at home and bolster our ability to defend our values and interests abroad," he said.

Past administrations, the prime minister lamented, responded "to the increasing problems of rust-out and obsolescence of equipment as one-off purchases as the budget allowed, or as conditions ... have commanded."

"We've built in an escalating budget framework to allow us to replace over the next 20 years the full range of national defense equipment, and to rebuild the personnel of the forces," Harper told a press conference.

The long-term procurement plan is also hoped to provide defense firms with a clear outline of Canada's military needs, in order to help them better plan to help meet those needs, Harper said.

Previously, the government has indicated it wanted to encourage local defense firms to increase their arms exports.

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