Vanguard Magazine

a arctIc 30 DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com needs to reflect this desired capability. This sea power input, then, is perhaps best manifested in the form of ports. As permanent coastal infrastructure intend- ed to directly facilitate humanity's use of the seas, ports have an incredibly diverse set of functions. With the Arctic sea ice melting and opening up to seaborne traf- fic, the arguably most important function would be search and rescue (SAR). The low population density and vast distances of the far north result in prohibitively long response times for the current SAR régime relying upon southern-based he- licopters and fixed-wing aircraft, which can take hours before reaching the dis- tress area. This is only exacerbated for regions be- yond the Canadian mainland. Although many northern coastal settlements now participate in the volunteer-based Ca- nadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) program, they depend on small boats (some private) for SAR duties, which fall far short of what is needed in a ma- jor emergency such as a cruise ship holed by ice or in bad weather. It is, therefore, vital to treat SAR infrastructure much in the same way Mahan saw ports for na- val power: enabling persistent forward presence by serving both as permanent forward bases for response assets and as stations for supporting temporary assets transiting from their southern bases to the operational area. The environmental response would similarly benefit from robust port pres- ence. Although the prospect of Arctic oil and gas extraction has recently come un- der doubt with the public announcement of Arctic drilling cancellations by some companies, the risk of maritime pollution remains. In the event of a major disaster requiring extensive SAR efforts, it is likely The HMCS Toronto and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) pierre Radis- son sail past an iceberg in the Hudson Strait off the coast of Baffin Island. Both ships are part of operation nAnooK. photo: Sergeant Kevin MacAulay, DnD Product showcase senseFly has selected Gap Wireless, a leading distributor of products and services for the mo- bile broadband and wireless markets, as a Canadian distributor of its intelligent mapping and inspection drone, albris. Gap Wireless recently added UAV Solutions to its extensive product portfolio, supplying busi- nesses with drones and UAV software for commercial applications and supporting their regu- latory and insurance needs. senseFly's sensor-rich close mapping and inspection drone, the albris, will be distributed across Canada by Gap Wireless to contractors, carriers and others requiring commercial-grade UAV solutions. senseFly develops and produces aerial imaging drones for professional applications. Safe, ul- tra-light and easy to use, senseFly drones are highly automated data collection tools used by customers around the world in fields such as surveying, agriculture, GIS, industrial inspection, mining and humanitarian aid. The albris was designed to perform close inspections of wire- less towers, bridges, buildings, and other structures with the goal of collecting high-resolution imagery and video. Gap Wireless works with industry-recognized vendors to stock and distribute thousands of wireless infrastructure, Test & Measurement products, and offers a suite of hardware and value-added services for the UAV (Drone) market. Serving carriers and contractors through- out North America, Gap Wireless also provides value-added technical/engineering services. SenSeFLy SeLeCtS GAp WIReLeSS tO expAnD CAnADIAn InSpeCtIOn ReACH the incident will also cause environmen- tal damage. Fuel and refuse spills from a holed vessel will require immediate re- sponse soon after the passengers and crew are safe. Although it seems unlikely a di- saster on the scale of Deepwater Horizon will occur, the harsh environmental con- ditions of the Arctic will complicate any response. A cleanup that would other- wise be fairly straightforward in the south would be greatly slowed, making it even more crucial to have forward-stationed environmental response options available to minimize the time needed for mitiga- tion efforts. In my next post, I will explore what ports Canada could establish to strength- en its sea power in the Arctic in order to take advantage of this opportunity. timothy choi is a doctoral student at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. He special- izes in historical and contemporary naval affairs, with a dissertation focus on the recent naval procurement programs of the Scandinavian countries within the context of climate change.

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