Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/103039
Maritime awareness M In 05-06, you would have seen a dot and, if you drilled down, some information like a radar contact and maybe a VHF call associated with it. Now, if you drill down on that target, you'll see a lot more scripted information that's been put in from the various partners and our international partners. Things like Lloyds Register of Shipping. We are using smart technologies and really smart people to pull information from global databases that have always been there and push it into one picture. Q Has that capability improved the decision-making process? If you have a maritime incident, the perception is that you have a lot of time to deal with it. The reality is because of jurisdictional and legislative issues, you actually do not have that much time. You need to sort out the problem ideally before it hits the 200 mile EEZ (exclusive economic zone), certainly before the 24 contiguous zone, and absolutely before it hits 12 miles. We are now able to do that. Because we have better information, the decision cycle is much better. In the past the information was kind of grey; now it's far more solid. Also, we're pushing the MSOC picture into the Arctic through things like satellite-based AIS (automatic information system) using RADARSAT II information and smart algorithms to determine when we have a target and where it is going. Q The MSOC was once described as a possible lightning rod for changing how government agencies interact with one another. Have you seen evidence of that cultural change? The MSOC is about trust and when we first started it we had to build trust. Over the period of the last seven years we've built a great deal of credibility, which we now leverage. But it takes time to build that credibility. Interestingly, this system is viewed by not only our European allies, but also the Ameri- cans as probably the poster child for collaboration. The MSOC is about relationships; that's why it works. Q That's at the personal level. Have the institutional relationships become stronger as well? Absolutely. And that wouldn't have happened if there wasn't proof that this works. We have unequivocal proof that we now have information that we would not have had without the MSOC collaborative process. Had that not happened, I would say we would probably still be back in 2005. Q Have the legal requirements changed? That was an initial barrier to information sharing. The legal requirements have not changed. The MSOC partners recognize that not all information can be routinely shared and that not all partners require all information; however, with experience, we have a good understanding of what information can and should be shared in order to develop a fulsome understanding of the maritime domain while respecting the current legal framework. Q Has tasking changed as the MOSC has matured? The legislative and jurisdictional issues now clearly drive who is the lead department. And it can change. As an example, if we're dealing with a customs or an immigration issue, different departments will have certain responsibilities and capabilities at the 200mile zone or the 24 contiguous while others will have to wait until 12 miles. So we'll leverage whatever department we need to give us the effect as furthest away as possible. So it's a smart way of queuing response in what could be viewed as a cumbersome system. A department may not have jurisdiction until 12 miles, but now they know what is happening. If we had a vessel of interest with suspected illegal immigrants and the possibility of someone on a watch list, Customs and Immigration and the RCMP might ask the navy to help with boarding the vessel since we have the Leading Seaman, Timothy Noordam (foreground) and Petty Officer 2nd Class, Timothy Hobson onboard HMCS Regina. Photos: DND Port Metro Vancouver Port of Halifax. Photo: Michele Peveril www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2012/JANUARY 2013 25