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Backgrounder

NORAD

BG–06.011 - May 12, 2006

Background

The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) is a bi-national military organization formally established in 1958 by Canada and the United States to monitor and defend North American airspace. NORAD monitors and tracks man-made objects in space and detects, validates and warns of attack against North America by aircraft, missiles or ‘space vehicles’ (e.g. satellites and space debris). NORAD also provides surveillance and control of Canadian and U.S. airspace.

The NORAD Agreement was first signed by the governments of Canada and the United States on May 12, 1958, and has been renewed for varying periods since that time. Although there have been nine NORAD renewals since 1958, the basic text of the Agreement has been revised substantially only four times – in 1975, 1981, 1996 and now, in 2006.

The Commander of NORAD is appointed by, and is responsible to, both the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States. Traditionally, the Commander of NORAD is American, and the Deputy Commander, Canadian. NORAD Headquarters is located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado. NORAD’s warning and control missions are exercised through the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, located a short distance away.

Canada-U.S. Defence Relationship

Canada and the U.S. enjoy one of the most extensive and long-standing defence relationships in the world. The tradition of bilateral cooperation in the defence of North America dates back to the 1940 Ogdensburg Agreement and is a natural complement to the extensive political, economic, cultural and social ties that link our two countries.

Canada derives significant benefits from this relationship. Canada-U.S. defence cooperation has provided us with:

enhanced protection from direct military attack;
insight into U.S. thinking on security matters, and influence over U.S. decisions where Canadian interests are involved;
valuable training and operational experience that helps not only in the defence of North America, but also in UN, NATO, and other multinational operations abroad;
preferential access to U.S. test facilities, which, along with research and development opportunities, have helped develop many technologies used by the Canadian Forces; and
defence development, production, and sharing agreements that stimulate Canada's research and development community and help support some 50,000 Canadian aerospace and defence jobs nation-wide.

Canada-U.S. Cooperation: Responding to the New Threat Environment

The Government of Canada has the fundamental responsibility to protect Canada and Canadians in an increasingly complex and uncertain environment. The past decade has seen significant and cumulative changes to the international security landscape, such as the emergence of global terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Given the increasingly complex nature of the new threat environment, exploring ways to strengthen defence and security arrangements with the U.S., including an enhanced role for NORAD, is in Canada's security interest.

In response to the events of September 11, 2001, and recognizing the potential cross-border impact of emerging security threats, Canada and the U.S. pursued a range of measures to enhance continental security cooperation, both at home and abroad. As part of its response, the U.S. established U.S. Northern Command, mandated to protect U.S. sovereignty, territory, the domestic population and critical defence infrastructure against external threats and aggression. In Canada, initiatives such as the creation of Canada Command, responsible for Canada and its air and marine approaches as a single operational theatre, have been designed to place a greater emphasis on the defence of Canada and North America. In addition, recent budgets have also announced measures to enhance the security of Canadians.

NORAD Post-September 11, 2001

The events of September 11, 2001, underscored NORAD's relevance in today's security environment. NORAD has since made important changes to adapt to the new threat environment by increasing its operational readiness and its ability to respond to threats from both outside and inside North America's airspace. In August 2004, Canada and the U.S. also reinforced their commitment to the bi-national command’s existing functions by amending the NORAD Agreement to allow its missile warning function, which it has carried out for nearly 30 years, to be made available to U.S. commands responsible for missile defence. NORAD is not, however, involved in the U.S. missile defence system. U.S. Northern Command is charged with the ballistic missile defence mission for the continental U.S. and Alaska. While NORAD shares its missile warning function with the U.S. commands, it has neither the authority nor the capability to act on the information.

Canadian Participation in NORAD

Canada contributes financial resources, physical assets and personnel to NORAD. Specifically, Canada's NORAD contribution includes Canadian Forces personnel serving in NORAD-related activities in both the U.S. and Canada; fighter aircraft on alert status during normal operations; the operation and maintenance of the Canadian portion of the North Warning System – a chain of radar stations along the northern edge of North America; and, forward operating locations to support fighter operations in the North.

NORAD provides the Government of Canada with the capability to exercise effective surveillance and control over Canadian airspace, a basic requirement for asserting national sovereignty. Given the size of Canada's airspace and our armed forces, bi-national aerospace warning and airspace defence cooperation through NORAD remains a cost-effective means of meeting this critical objective. The Canadian and U.S. governments retain the final say on issues related to their own defence and can respond in a fashion that best serves their national interests.

NORAD Renewal: Negotiations and the New NORAD Agreement

Negotiations between Canada and the U.S. to renew the NORAD Agreement highlighted the genuine interest of both sides in making meaningful enhancements to NORAD and the Canada-U.S. defence relationship. The resulting Agreement enhances the bi-national command in a number of respects. Notably, the Agreement:

creates a permanent NORAD Agreement, subject to review at least every four years or at the request of either of the parties, with provisions for withdrawal by either party with one year’s notice. This arrangement underscores the commitment by both nations to an organization that has been a key element of Canada-U.S. defence cooperation for decades. While there is no longer a requirement for formal renewal, Canada and the U.S. agreed to continue reviewing the roles and responsibilities of the bi-national command, including the relationship between NORAD and the two national commands (Canada Command and U.S. Northern Command). These ongoing talks will help ensure that our two countries undertake continental defence responsibilities that complement and reinforce one another; and
expands NORAD's mission to include maritime warning. The Agreement makes clear that NORAD will have a comprehensive maritime warning role, but will not exercise operational control over maritime assets. While NORAD will warn of potential maritime threats, respective national authorities, principally U.S. Northern Command and Canada Command, will be responsible for assigning forces to respond.

NORAD has served the citizens of Canada and the United States as the first line of defence against an air attack on their homelands since 1958. It has also acted as a clear deterrent to any aggressor through its space warning capabilities. Through outstanding cooperation and cohesiveness between the two countries, NORAD has proven itself effective in its roles of “deterring, detecting and defending”. By continually adapting to the changing security environment, NORAD will continue to play an important role in the defence of North America.

The text of the NORAD Agreement can be found at:
http://www.treaty-accord.gc.ca/

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