It’s time to move forward resolutely and quickly on key defence procurements and infrastructure investments, in particular those that serve the defence of Canada.
Russia’s invasion and assault of Ukraine is a stark reminder to the Western world that democratic allies must work as partners to confront existential threats. This war is a huge wake-up call for governments around the world, including here in Canada.
It’s time to move forward resolutely and quickly on critical defence procurements and infrastructure investments, in particular those that serve the defence of Canada. Key among these efforts is the modernization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Canada is a full partner in NORAD alongside its neighbour and ally, the United States. We should approach NORAD’s modernization as a partner, not as a subordinate supplier to the United States.
Further, Canada’s contribution to NORAD should align with our key strategic interests and take full advantage of our industrial strengths. Economically, we should focus our efforts in areas where we can press our strategic edge in sustaining key technologies that benefit Canadian industry. Strategically, it’s in our interest to contribute in areas that strengthen both our Arctic sovereignty and our ability to operate in tough Arctic conditions. The best approach is one that allows the Government of Canada to contribute tailored capabilities that are highly valued by both Canada and the United States, within this shared reinvestment.
As clearly articulated by the commander of NORAD and head of US Northern Command General Glen VanHerck, Canada’s existing NORAD defence system, developed in the 1980s and installed in the 1990s, is not equipped to defend Canada from emerging military technology.
The North Warning System of radar stations strung like beads along the northern edge of the continuous North American continent was designed to detect aircraft and ballistic missiles attacking North America over the North Pole. This “Maginot Line” is not capable of defending North America from the long-range stealthy Kh-101/Kh-102 cruise missiles developed by an increasingly belligerent Russia, or from the hypersonic missiles recently developed by China and Russia. The insidious cyber and information warfare attacks from a variety of sources also necessitate NORAD modernization.
To be clear, these are not hypothetical future threats. In 2015, Russian government hackers breached the Ukrainian power grid, leading to widespread outages. Russia used Kh-101s against targets in Syria in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In February 2022, in direct support of the Ukrainian invasion, Russia deployed hypersonic missiles in Kaliningrad within striking range of many European North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) capitals. Canada’s defences are inadequate to counter these threats. While citizens of Western democracies remain glued to their phones watching the vast array of Russian military hardware being deployed in Ukraine, too few of us have paid attention to Russia’s huge recent military buildup in the Arctic.
