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sions, with Canadian participation in one shape or another. In a revitalized renewal of this partner- ship, Canadian submarines monitoring the gateways to the Arctic Archipelago and along the ice-edge would be invaluable ad- ditions to NORAD's operating picture for the Arctic as a whole. In conjunction with a renewal of the Defence Research Board's under-ice detection work, this contribu- tion would ensure that the defence of the region was a joint responsibility rather than a purely American task. Beyond greater integration into mari- time continental defence, operating sub- marines provides Canada with a clearer picture of allied operations in the Arctic through participation in NATO's Water Space Management regime. Water space management is best described by Phil Webster as somewhat analogous to a lim- ited air traffic control system that moni- tors and 'de-conflicts' the movements of allied submarines throughout the world. Through this system, submarines are rout- ed to their operating areas using a SUB- NOTE, which provides a "moving haven" – essentially a box in which the submarine operates. By operating submarines in the Atlantic or Pacific along the ice-edge – or in the Arctic during the open seasons – Canada gains access to this system, se- curing access to information about which allied submarines are moving into and out of the Arctic – at least through the com- monly used routes. Understanding what is happening in the Arctic (and under the ice) is vital to Canada. From a political perspective, knowledge and participation safeguards Canadian sovereignty over the waters, the status of which remains contested. Cana- da's active participation in Arctic maritime defence ensures that American activity in the region takes place within the overall framework of a joint defence effort. With- in that framework, agreements dating back to 1952 ensure that US operations in Ca- nadian internal waters can be authorized through service-to-service channels, re- moving the kinds potential legal and polit- ical thorns that led to sovereignty crises in 1969 and 1985. Possessing the ability to interdict hostile actors in the Arctic is also an essential element in national defence. NDP defence critic Derek Blackburn put it well in 1987 when he said that surveil- lance without response is akin to buying an ARCTIC www.vanguardcanada.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 27 NOVEMBER 16 & 17, 2022 bestdefenceconference.com A IN-PERSON EVENT! of the continent is an increasingly inte- grated product of all domain-awareness. This comprehensive picture integrates radars, civilian systems, and maritime de- tection into a system of systems to ensure detection, tracking, target discrimination, the cueing of interception capabilities. While NORAD is responsible for maritime warning only, Andrea Charron and James Fergusson make the persuasive case that it is only logical that the integration which exists at the aerospace level should be pur- sued in all other domains – including the maritime – to create a single North Ameri- can defence command. The integration of Canadian Arctic ca- pabilities into a broader Arctic defence partnership has a long history. During the Cold War, Canadian defence agencies worked with their American counterparts to develop, deploy, and maintain a series of under-ice detection systems across the Arctic Archipelago. By the late 1980s, Canadian-American teams were testing lis- tening systems north of Ellesmere Island, which would monitor Soviet activity deep into the Arctic Ocean. American subma- rine operations into the Arctic Archipelago were normally undertaken as joint mis-

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