Vanguard Magazine

14 JUNE/JULY 2023 www.vanguardcanada.com N O R A D M O D E R N I Z AT I O N to enhance surveillance beyond Canada's Arctic Archipelago, has yet to be deter- mined. Scheduled to be in place for 2032, work is underway examining ways to make the facilities minimize their environmental impact. Terrestrial systems will be aug- mented by space-based platforms under the Defence Enhanced Surveillance from Space (DESSP) project. The requirement for DESSP is driving in part by the aging of Canada's RADARSAT constellation which is due to reach the end of its planned life in 2026. Command and Control. ($4.13 billion) The heart of the Canadian NORAD Re- gion (CANR) is the Combined Air Op- erations Centre (CAOC) co-located with 1 Canadian Air Division at 17 Wing, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Upgrading COAC software and hardware to make it fully interoperable with other air defence sec- tions throughout North America has been ongoing with the project set to be com- pleted by 2025. As well, progress has been steady on enhancing the RCAF's ability to operate in remote locations through ac- quisition of state-of-the art secure global position system (GPS) devices, incorpo- rating Precision Navigation and Timing (PNT) technology across multiple aircraft fleets. Initial delivery is nearing comple- tion, and the project is expected to be concluded by 2028/9. Finally, the ac- quisition of new digital radios, replacing legacy systems, is in the implementation phase, but the Enhanced Satellite Com- munication Project – Polar (ESCP-P), the backbone for northern communications, is still many years away. Modernizing Air Weapons Systems. ($6.38 billion) Multiple projects address the acquisition of modern short, medium, and long-range air-to-air missiles (AAM), however, only the medium AAM project has moved past the definition phase. Now that the F-35 has been chosen as Canada's replacement for the aging CF-188's, helping to limit potential missile systems, it is anticipated that the projects will advance more quickly. Facilities and Support Capabilities. ($15.68 billion) Perhaps not unexpectedly, progress has been greatest in those projects dealing with ensuring and sustaining the RCAF's presence in the North. The January 2023 announcement that Canada would be acquiring 88 Lockheed Martine F-35 fighter aircraft brought more focus to the work being undertaken to update facili- ties supporting NORAD within Canada. Both 4 Wing, Cold Lake, Alberta, and 3 Wing, Bagotville, Quebec. The two fighter Main Operating Bases (MOB) will see extensive additions to their physical plant encompassing administrative space, hangars, and quick reaction area (QRA) facilities with direct investment totalling $272 million and $253 million respec- tively. The QRA at Cold Lake will house up to six aircraft with a 6500 square me- tre facility encompassing administrative, logistic, maintenance, and living spaces as well. A similar QRA will be built at Bagotville. Investment in the four Forward Oper- ating Locations (FOL) at 5 Wing Goose Bay, Labrador, Yellowknife and Inuvik, Northwest Territories, and Iqaluit, Nun- avut, is planned, but to date only work on the Mike Zubko Airport, Inuvik has commenced. The runway is being ex- tended by approximately 1000 metres and upgrades to lighting, navigation and approach aids are progressing. These im- provements are a first step in permitting the FOLs to better accommodate mod- ern military aircraft. Politically, the Canadian government is also addressing two long-standing and pressing issues. The first deals with the requirement, as recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to ensure that Indigenous communities "gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects." The government has pledged to fulfill this rec- ommendation, setting a modest goal of a minimum of five percent of the value of a contract be undertaken by Indigenous entities. A potential blueprint for how this might transpire can be found with the Nasittuq Corporation. Established over two decades ago, Nasittuq grew out of a partnership between Pan-Arctic Inuit

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