12 · MT 5/2022 Defence of the US and its Allies capabilities and protect Canadians from new and emerging threats. Capt. Alexandra Hejduk, Canadian Armed Forces, PA3-NORAD Operations Officer, called attention to a document stating the nation’s “investment of $3 billion over six years from existing Budget 2022 allocations, starting in 2022-23, with $1.9 billion in remaining amortization” for a plan that “includes a series of new and enhanced capabilities to ensure our Canadian Armed Forces and NORAD can detect, deter and defend Canadians against threats well into the future.” These NORAD-enabling initiatives fall under five inter-related areas of investment that, most significantly, are expected to bolster the CAF’s ability to detect threats earlier and, more precisely, by modernizing the nation’s surveillance systems. “We will build a new Northern Approaches Surveillance system that will significantly expand the CAF and NORAD’s situational awareness of who and what is entering Canadian airspace from the North, and we will continue to strengthen the CAF’s current spacebased surveillance capabilities,” the document states. The approximate C$1 billion investment in a new northward-facing, over-the-horizon radar system in the Arctic, would provide long-range surveillance to detect threats against US or Canadian cities. The radar would start operation in 2028. Further, the plan seeks to: improve CAF’s ability to understand and communicate threats to those who need it, when they need it, through investments in modern technology; strengthen that armed force’s ability to deter and defeat aerospace threats by modernizing its air weapons systems; ensure the Canadian Armed Forces can launch and sustain a strong military presence across the country, including in Canada’s North, through investments in new infrastructure and support capabilities – to include acquiring additional air-to-air refueling aircraft; and future-proof its capabilities to defend North America through investments in science and technology. Canada’s plan to buy additional refueling aircraft took an important, incremental step forward, in May, when the Royal Canadian Air Force issued Airbus a sole source request for proposal for four new A330 MRTTs. The contract is expected to be awarded in 2023. Back in the US Gen. VanHerck placed two important markers on the table at this May’s SASC subcommittee hearing when he pointed to the need to buy an over-the-horizon radar (OTHR) and other sensors, and to modernize and expand the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS), with a focus on the Western Pacific and Eastern Atlantic. The commander initially Established in 1958 against the backdrop of the Cold War and threat of former Soviet Union air attack, Canada and the US formally established North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) – a binational military command. Don’t be deceived by the command’s age and original founding charter. At 64-years old, NORAD is gaining a spring in its bureaucratic step as it seeks relevance well beyond this decade to deter and defeat rapidly emerging threats to the Canadian and US homelands, from Russia and China, and even rogue states and other actors. Dynamic, Complex Threat Set to North American Homeland On 18 May, Gen Glen VanHerck, US Air Force, Commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, told the US Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces that the threats to the US and, by extension, North America, are increasingly complex and difficult to manage, and include the multi-domain battlespace and, more than ever before, the Arctic. The dual-hatted commander shaped the multi-domain battlefield for the senators and their staff members during this routine budget hearing, first explaining “the threat to North America is complex. Over the last year, our competitors have accelerated their fielding of kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities specifically designed to threaten our homeland.” Moving beyond generalities, the four-star officer pointed out Russia and China continue to aggressively pursue and field advanced offensive cyber and space capabilities, cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, “and delivery platforms designed to evade detection and strike targets in our homeland from multiple vectors of attack and in all domains.” One specific, representative threat on VanHerck’s short-list is Russia’s new family of advanced air-, sea-, and ground-based cruise missiles to threaten critical civilian and military infrastructure. He explained, “The AS-23a air-launched cruise missile, for instance, features an extended range that enables Russian bombers flying well outside NORAD radar coverage – and in some cases from inside Russian airspace – to threaten targets throughout North America.” The general went on to state “Quite bluntly, my ability to conduct the missions assigned to USNORTHCOM and NORAD has eroded and continues to erode [as the US] is under attack every day in the information, space and cyber domain […] USNORTHCOM and NORAD’s ability to defend against modern threats requires improved all domain awareness, updated capabilities, and policies and strategies that reflect the current strategic environment and the advanced capabilities of our competitors.” It will come as no surprise to regular readers of MilTech that the general added a geographic dimension to his overview, noting, “Meanwhile, I require access to ready and trained forces to operate throughout the USNORTHCOM area of responsibility, including the Arctic, to respond in crisis and quickly execute homeland defense campaign plans.” Political Will Plus Investments Canada and the US are demonstrating a hefty amount of political will and focusing near- and long-term budget investments, in some instances, beyond their future years defence programmes, to deter and defeat the disparate threats facing the North American homeland, as noted above. On cue, on 20 June, Canadian civilian and military defence officials announced Canada’s plan to modernize that nation’s continental defence Marty Kauchak Preparing NORAD for the 2030s and Beyond A Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet (above) makes its approach for take-off during Operation NOBLE DEFENDER. The operation demonstrated NORAD‘s various capabilities for the defence of North America. (Photo: USAF/Staff Sgt. Carlos Ferran)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM5Mjg=