Vanguard Magazine

AND NORAD MODERNIZATION CONTINENTAL AIR DEFENCE C ontinental air defence and the modernization of the North Warning System (NWS) has long been on the docket of Canada's Liberal government. Last updated in 1985 under the North American Air Defence Modernization (NAADM) agreement, the NWS is be- ing overtaken by technological advances and has limited capability against the lat- est airborne threats. Minister of National Defence (MND) Anita Anand linked re- cent government commitments to funding North American Aerospace Defence Com- mand (NORAD) upgrades, and improve- ments to Canada's overall contribution to continental air defence, to Russian aggres- sion in the Ukraine and its use in that con- flict of hypersonic missiles. Hypersonic missiles are harder to detect and counter, but it is the speed of these weapon systems that is a key factor driv- ing NORAD modernization. With veloci- ties several times the speed of sound, it is necessary to extend radar coverage far beyond what is currently available through the NWS to allow governments and mili- tary organizations the time to react. Yet, detection is only one element of the equa- 12 JUNE/JULY 2022 www.vanguardcanada.com BY BILL MARCH tion and investments are being made to improve the overall communication back- bone available to Canada and NORAD, es- pecially in the Arctic, as well as the means, aircraft, weapons, and facilities, to respond appropriately. These initiatives are not new. The need for NORAD modernization, improved Arctic surveillance and communication capabilities, as well as, updating Canada's air defence forces were outlined in the gov- ernment's 2017 Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada's Defence Policy (SSE). Promising comprehensive and stable, multi-year de- fence funding, reaching the goals outlined in SSE were slowed due to the pandemic. With the nation gradually emerging from the shadow of COVID-19, the Liberal government has been grappling with re- starting a number of previously announced domestic and international programs, of which defence, while large in terms of promised funding, was not at the top of the list. The war in the Ukraine and the increased belligerence of Russia, coupled with subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, prodding by the United States (US), has reinvigorated the government on defence matters. Still, the funding announced is not entirely new; in most cases it is a re- iteration of commitments and programs highlighted in the SSE. In broad terms, improvements to con- tinental air defence, of which NORAD modernization is the core, is being pur- sued along five areas of investment total- ling $38.6 billion spread over two decades. Although often related and co-dependent, each of these areas represents a separate economic and defence thrust. The first seeks to improve the ability to detect threats faster and more precisely by com- mitting $6.96 billion updating surveillance systems. These systems will be supported by $4.31 billion in comprehensive enhance- ments to command, control, and commu- nication (C3) connectivity and technology that will increase both analytical and speed- of-transmission capabilities. The third line of activity seeks to increase the CAF's abil- ity to deter and defeat aerospace threats through the modernization of the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) weapon sys- tems, specifically through the acquisition of advanced air-to-air short, medium, and long-range missiles at a calculated cost of $6.38 billion. By far the largest piece of the pie, $15.68 billion, is being directed CONTINENTAL AIR DEFENCE

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