Domestic and Continental Security

Arctic Sovereignty and Security

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Details

CAF Footprint in the Arctic

• The CAF exercises surveillance and control in the Arctic, maintains a visible and persistent presence, responds to aeronautical search and rescue (SAR) incidents, assists provinces and territories with ground SAR operations and natural disaster emergencies when required, supports Arctic and Northern peoples and communities, and contributes to whole of government priorities in the region.
• The CAF’s permanent presence in the North is anchored by Joint Task Force North (JTF-N) in Yellowknife, along with 440 Transport Squadron RCAF,1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group Headquarters and a Company of reserve infantry. JTF-N has approximately 300 personnel, including two JTF-N detachments in Whitehorse and Iqaluit.
• The Canadian Army’s Arctic Response Company Groups are regionally-focused elements capable of projecting to Canada’s North to conduct sovereignty operations, facilitate disaster response support, and provide general assistance to other Government departments.
• The CAF’s footprint in the North also includes:
  • Canadian Forces Station Alert, the northernmost CAF outpost; and
  • Canadian Armed Forces Arctic Training Centre (CAFATC) in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, which provides a permanent location for training and operations in the High Arctic. The Canadian Army runs an annual Northern Exercise (NOREX) at CAFATC.
• National Defence also has a number of assets used by NORAD, including the North Warning System, and three Forward Operating Locations in Yellowknife, Inuvik, and Iqaluit, which can accommodate fighter aircraft and other assets supporting NORAD operational requirements and exercises on a temporary basis.
• Through NORAD modernization, National Defence is investing in upgrading the Forward Operating Locations, as well as 5 Wing Goose Bay. This will support a more robust NORAD and CAF Northern presence when needed, with potential opportunities for multipurpose infrastructure at these sites that could benefit local communities, including Indigenous partners.

Operation NANOOK

• Op NANOOK is the Canadian Armed Forces’ signature northern operation designed to enhance and expand the Canadian Armed Forces’ capabilities, footprint, and readiness, safeguard Canada’s Arctic sovereignty, and develop interagency, intergovernmental, Indigenous, and multinational partnerships.
• Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT 2023. March 1 to 20, 2023. More than 200 CAF personnel worked together with armed forces members from Norway, Belgium, France, and the UK to conduct activities including joint long-range patrols, complex logistical support, and under-ice diving activities.
• Operation NANOOK-TATIGIIT 2023. October 24 to 28, 2023. Whole-of-Government emergency and disaster response exercise, planned and executed with territorial, Indigenous, and community partners. This exercise will take place in Whitehorse and this year’s iteration will be focused on an ice storm scenario.
• Operation NANOOK-TUUGAALIK 2023. August 8 to September 29, 2023. A maritime exercise intended to build capability in Canada’s northern regions, ensuring CAF readiness to operate in the North, and improving interoperability with mission partners. In 2023, the U.S., Denmark, and French are participating in the operation.
• Operation NANOOK-NUNAKPUT 2023. August 25 to September 9, 2023. A series of presence and surveillance activities along the Northwest Passage focused on defence and security in the Arctic.
• Additional northern operations include Operation LIMPID, the Canadian Armed Forces’ ongoing surveillance and presence mission, and Operation BOXTOP, the mission to supply Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert.

International Cooperation

• As outlined in Strong, Secure, Engaged, and the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, the Defence Team will work to enhance cooperation with Arctic Allies and partners to strengthen domain awareness and information sharing and will also look to increase participation in multinational exercises in the region.
• National Defence is also deepening strategic-level collaboration with like-minded Arctic Allies and partners. In January 2023, the Director of Staff, Strategic Joint Staff attended the Deputy Arctic Chiefs of Defence meeting in Copenhagen.
• Additionally, the Prime Minister attended an annual meeting with Nordic Prime Ministers in Iceland on June 25-26, 2023, to strengthen ties with Nordic nations and address key mutual priorities.
• Defence Research and Development Canada is an active participant in the International Cooperative Program for Polar Research (ICE-PPR) with several Arctic nations, excluding the Russian Federation, to advance National Defence’s scientific knowledge of the evolving Arctic environment (e.g., sea ice, temperature, salinity, ambient noise levels); and to ensure continued effectiveness in defence capabilities, systems and platforms, and their adaptation for future Canadian Armed Forces operations.
• Arctic Security Forces Roundtable (ASFR) is an annual event co-chaired by Norway and the United States through USEUCOM, to promote regional understanding, dialogue, and cooperation among Arctic Security Forces, and enhance multilateral Arctic security and safety operations.
  • ASFR includes representatives from France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, and the eight Arctic Council states. Russia has not been invited since 2014. The last meeting took place in Turku, Finland on 25-27 April 2023, with Commander Joint Task Force North attending as Canada’s senior representative.

Cooperation with the United States in the Arctic

• JOINT PACIFIC MULTINATIONAL READINESS CENTER (JPMRC) is a U.S. Army exercise in Alaska that focuses on training in extreme cold weather environment and Northern conditions. JPMRC 24-2 will occur in Alaska from in mid-late February 2024 and include Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force participation, enhancing cooperation between Alaskan units and our forces. 
• Exercise ARCTIC EAGLE-PATRIOT is a regularly scheduled exercise that involves the response to a natural disaster with small task Arctic warfare events and last ran from February 23 to March 2, 2022, in Alaska. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) exercised Light Urban Search and Rescue capabilities and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear defence capabilities during this exercise.
• ICE EXERCISE (ICEX) was a submarine under/through the ice operation, which took place in the winter of 2022 in Alaska. ICEX 2022 was the 98th iteration of the exercise. The Royal Canadian Air Force worked with the U.S. Navy with the construction of a temporary ice camp by providing two CC-138 Twin Otter to transport supplies and personnel into and out of austere locations on sea ice.
• Operation NOBLE DEFENDER is a recurring NORAD defensive operation that takes place throughout the year and has been ongoing since 2019. The latest iteration of Operation NOBLE DEFENDER took place from August 15 to September 10, 2023, in Alaska. In addition to NORAD’s fighter aircraft and other air assets, this year’s operation included wider participation of Canadian and American military personnel.
• Exercise ARCTIC EDGE (EX AE) is a biennial exercise to demonstrate and refine joint Can-U.S. interoperability during Arctic Warfare Operations in a severely degraded Arctic environment. The CAF and Defence Research and Development Canada last participated in this exercise between February 28 and March 17, 2022. Planning is on going for Canada’s participation in the next serial from February 26 to March 8, 2024.

Continental Defence and NORAD Modernization

Includes language on Over-the-Horizon Radar

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Funding for NORAD Modernization

• “Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s Defence Policy” outlined the vision for Canada’s continued cooperation with the U.S. to meet emerging threats and perils to North America through the modernization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and continental defence efforts.
• NORAD modernization is a long-term project and the investments announced by the Minister of National Defence in June 2022 will support NORAD and the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) ability to protect Canadians against new and emerging aerospace threats to Canada and North America more broadly.
• Specific investments will include, among other initiatives, new Over the Horizon radar systems; command, control, and communications upgrades; additional air-to-air refueling aircraft; advanced air-to-air missiles for fighter jets; upgrades to CAF infrastructure in the North; and additional funding to complete and augment key space projects. Investments are broken down into 5 inter-related areas:
  1. Bolstering our ability to detect threats earlier and more precisely by modernizing our surveillance systems ($6.96B from fiscal year 22/23 - 41/42)
  2. Improving our ability to understand and communicate threats to decision-makers in a timely manner through upgrades to our command, control, and communications systems ($4.13B from fiscal year 22/23 - 41/42)
  3. Strengthening our ability to deter and defeat aerospace threats by modernizing our air weapons systems ($6.38B from fiscal year 22/23 - 41/42)
  4. Ensuring our 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 ($15.68B from fiscal year 22/23 - 41/42)
  5. Future-proofing our capabilities to defend North America through investments in science and technology ($4.23B from fiscal year 22/23 - 41/42)

Over the Horizon Radar (OTHR)

• National Defence is currently assessing possible locations for Arctic OTHR sites in southern Ontario, including on and off DND lands. As part of this work, we are reaching out to private landowners, Indigenous communities, other federal government departments, the Province of Ontario and local municipalities to determine their interest in selling land to DND for this project.
• On July 20, 2023, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) posted a notice on CanadaBuys and in community newspapers to inform property owners of our interest in purchasing land in southern Ontario for this project. The results of this process are expected by September 2023. We expect to have a decision on the final location of the Arctic-OTHR sites by spring 2024.
• National Defence is also conducting research and development into the new Polar-OTHR, which will further extend surveillance coverage for early threat identification and warning.
• Canadian OTHR initiatives will be fully integrated with U.S. OTHR initiatives to provide surveillance of North America and its approaches to execute NORAD mission sets. 

Additional Air-to-Air Refuelling

See Strategic Tanker Transport Capability Note for more information.

Canadian Armed Forces Contribution to NORAD

• Approximately 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces members support NORAD in fulfilling its missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for the defence of North America.
• Canada also contributes fighter aircraft, command, communications and control nodes, bases and Forward Operating Locations across the country.
• Canada is also responsible for maintaining and operating the Canadian portion of the North Warning System, a chain of radar stations stretching from Alaska to Labrador.
• 1 Canadian Air Division (1 CAD): Canadian NORAD Region headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba, provides operational command and control of assigned assets while the CADS located in North Bay, Ontario provides tactical command and control of assigned assets for the Canadian NORAD Region.

NORAD Missions

• Aerospace warning: detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles.
• Aerospace control: detection, interception, and if necessary, engagement of any air-breathing threat to Canada and the U.S.
• Maritime warning: processing, assessing, and disseminating intelligence and information related to the respective maritime areas, internal waterways, and approaches to the U.S. and Canada.

NORAD Modernization Implementation

• National Defence is working to establish and integrate NORAD modernization projects into the broader Defence program, move out on early priorities in the 20-year plan, and lay the ground for deeper partner and stakeholder engagement on the full suite of initiatives over the coming months and years.
• National Defence continues to conduct engagements with Northern provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments and organizations, taking a distinctions-based approach, to build relationships and hear their priorities relating to potential NORAD modernization investments.
• As implementation progresses, National Defence will strive to deliver capabilities that are relevant to, and inclusive of, all Canadians, and underpinned by meaningful dialogue with Indigenous and Northern governments and partners.
• In implementing the United National Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, and the Inuit Nunangat Policy, National Defence is committed to incorporating Indigenous perspectives into relevant defence activities.

Infrastructure and Procurement in the North

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National Defence Initiatives to Enhance the CAF’s Ability to Operate in the North

• Participating in space-based global Search and Rescue (SAR) capabilities through its contributions to the Medium Earth Orbit SAR system. National Defence is also building two SAR ground terminals in Canada and is providing SAR repeaters on a satellite system, greatly increasing the range in which emergency beacons can be detected.
• Enhancing Canada’s surveillance of northern approaches and northern presence through investments in Arctic and Polar-Over-the-Horizon Radar, space-based surveillance and communications capabilities, improvements to northern basing, and support capabilities that will extend the reach of the CAF as part of NORAD modernization.

Nanisivik Naval Facility

• In 2007, the Government announced its plan to convert the deep-water port at Nanisivik to a logistics hub, which will operate as a docking and refueling facility for the Royal Canadian Navy and other government vessels and serve to enhance the Navy’s presence in the North.
  • The construction of the Nanisivik Naval Facility in Nunavut is nearing completion. The primary role of the facility will be to refuel the Royal Canadian Navy’s Arctic and Offshore Patrol ships during the navigable season, while also continuing to provide the Canadian Coast Guard with refueling support and storage capacity for re-supply missions.
• The Auditor General’s report on Arctic Waters Surveillance noted that the Nanisivik Naval Facility (NNF) would not be equipped with heated fuel tanks, limiting its period of operation to approximately 4 weeks per year.
  • As an Arctic facility, the operational year is usually from early August to as late as October, depending on ice-coverage and temperatures. As long as the waters are navigable and the facility is accessible, the site will be open to ships. There are a number of factors which contribute to the length of the facilities’ operating season.
  • The RCN have agreed with the Government of Nunavut to not break ice near the facility in order to protect community access to frozen waters and protect wildlife, therefore access is restricted to the RCN’s operational season, which is typically between four and six weeks.
  • As well, the NNF requires fuel to be shipped in at the start of the season and removed at the end of the season. The fuel barge cannot typically access NNF until early August because of ice coverage. Depending on the temperatures in late September, fuel may start to thicken as the fuel tanks and lines are not heated, limiting the Navy’s ability to use the fuel. At that point the fuel must be removed from the tanks.

Inuvik Airport Runway Extension Project

• Owned by the Government of the Northwest Territories, Inuvik’s Mike Zubko Airport hosts civilian aircraft and acts as a Forward Operating Location for the Royal Canadian Air Force and NORAD. As part of its role as a Forward Operating Location, the airport’s 6,000-foot runway is primarily used for CF-18 sovereignty operations in the North and NORAD operations and exercises.
• Upgrades to the Inuvik runway are primarily focused on improving the airfield’s suitability to operate larger and heavier aircraft, which is an important enhancement to NORAD and the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) ability to operate in the North and Arctic. This work is vital to ensuring the Canadian  Armed Forces continue to have the capability to meet emerging security challenges across the North and Arctic, and aligns with Canada’s plan to modernize its NORAD capabilities.
• The project was initially expected to cost up to $150 million. Following third-party reviews, the revised project cost is estimated at $230 million due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, and rising material costs.

NORAD Modernization and Northern Basing Infrastructure

• The department is currently working on upgrading CAF infrastructure at three Forward Operating Locations (FOL) in Canada’s North - Inuvik, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit – and at 5 Wing and Goose Bay - as part of the NORAD modernization/Northern Basing initiative.
• Upgrades will include runway modifications, airfield improvement, hangars, ammunition compounds, warehousing, operations, and life support facilities. Where and if possible, multi-purpose facilities will be considered to maximize flexibility during operations in the North.

Canadian Rangers

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Details

• The Canadian Rangers are a subcomponent of the Reserve Force, and provide surveillance and sovereignty patrols, conduct training and support CAF operations to include federal responses to flooding, fires, and community evacuation events, and may be called upon to support provincial, territorial, and local authorities conduct ground search and rescue.
• Canadian Rangers are trained and supported by the CA and work in approximately 200 communities to provide a CAF local presence, operational capability, and support to community resiliency in sparsely settled, remote, northern, coastal, and isolated areas of Canada.
• Canadian Rangers are considered trained upon enrolment, receive no mandatory individual training.
• The Canadian Rangers also play a critical role in support of their local and neighbouring communities, including during the pandemic through the transportation and distribution of information and supplies, provision of wellness checks, and staffing of emergency centres. In addition, they provide evacuation support in the event of flooding and fires.
• Canadian Rangers provide a range of support and services, including: support to sovereignty operations; assistance to domestic operations (including through Op LENTUS); maintain a CAF presence in their local communities; instruct, mentor and supervise the Junior Canadian Rangers, and; participate in and support events in their local communities.

Canadian Ranger Training

There are two optional Individual Training courses offered to the Canadian Rangers:

• Canadian Ranger Basic Military Indoctrination training that lasts 7 days and includes:
  • General Canadian Ranger service knowledge, CAF benefits, and administrative requirements;
  • Function as a patrol member and how to fire the Canadian Ranger service rifle, and;
  • Employ field craft and first aid.
• Canadian Ranger Patrol Leaders Course that lasts 8 days:
  • Leading a patrol and conducting patrol administration and small arms ranges.
• Common training for all Canadian Rangers include:
  • Flood or fire evacuation planning, self-sufficiency and leadership, Ground Search and Rescue
  • Sovereignty patrols of Canada’s remote coastal areas and air disaster assistance
  • Traditional skills – defined according to the cultural and historical practices in the local community

Employment

• The Canadian Rangers employed for force generation are funded by the Canadian Army for part-time, basic, individual, and collective training activities, such as:
  • Basic and routine local training
  • Individual Training and unmentored patrol activity
  • Collective patrol training
  • Compensated (Paid) on average 12 days per year
• The Canadian Rangers employed for force employment are funded by CJOC for full-time participation on operations and exercises, such as:
  • CAF training/exercises and any non-military/non-operational event.
  • Conduct and provide assistance to Domestic Operations (DOMOPS)
  • Conduct and provide support to Sovereignty Operations (SOVOP)
• Junior Canadian Rangers (JCR) Program
  • The JCR program is a youth program. Under the Mentorship of the Canadian Rangers, the program provides young Canadians (ages 12 to 18) with Life Skills, Ranger Skills and Traditional Skills based on the culture and history of their local communities.

Reimbursement

• Acquiring equipment for Canadian Rangers through the local economy or the Canadian Forces Supply System presents significant sustainment challenges.
• As such, a Canadian Ranger that is authorized to use personal equipment for an approved CAF activity that incurs damage or results in the the loss of equipment, is entitled to reasonable cost of repairs or the fair market value of a replacement item, so long as these items are not already insured under a private premium.
• The primary source of delay in payment for a loss or damage claim is the Canadian Armed Forces obligation to meet the conditions set out in DAOD 7004-2, Compensation for Loss or Damage to Personal Property and CBI 210.01(4) (Canadian Rangers – Equipment eligible for compensation) prior to authorizing said payment.
• If a loss or damage claim can be completed prior to the Canadian Ranger Instructor leaving the community, reimbursement can normally be completed through direct deposit within a few weeks. Additionally, a commanding officer is authorized to grant a cash advance, equal to the amount of the claim, but not exceeding $1,000 which enables prompt payment in many cases.
• In most cases however, repairs cannot be completed prior to the departure of the Canadian Ranger Instructor due to the lack of spare parts or insufficient local technical expertise to repair the vehicle.
• In recognition of the importance of this personal equipment to the livelihood of the Canadian Rangers, the CAF has recently streamlined the compensation claims process to allow more immediate levels of authority in their chain of command to approve their compensation claims. This will significantly expedite the process for Canadian Rangers to receive their reimbursement for repair or replacement of personal equipment in a timely manner.

Operation LENTUS

Domestic Natural Disaster Response

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Operation LENTUS

• As per the Federal Emergency Response Plan, the Canadian Armed Forces provide assistance when a province or territory requests federal support to deal with an emergency.
• Operation LENTUS is the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) response to natural disasters in Canada. This operation follows an established plan of action to support communities in crisis. This plan can be adapted to multiple situations. These might take the form of forest fires, floods, ice storms, or hurricanes.
• Canadian Armed Forces assistance complements and enhances provincial, territorial, and local resources with unique capabilities, including military personnel and equipment.
  • Based on the request for assistance, the CAF determines how many people to send, and what kinds of assets to send with them. In recent years, this has been anywhere from 60 to 2,600 members.
• The objectives of Operation LENTUS are:
  • To help provincial and territorial authorities;
  • To respond quickly and effectively to the crisis; and,
  • To stabilize the natural disaster situation.

Process for Requests for Assistance:

• A request for federal assistance (RFA) is how a province or territory formally requests support from the federal government in their emergency response efforts.
• It outlines the need for federal assistance to respond to an emergency when the jurisdiction needs additional resources.
• Public Safety Canada, through the Government Operations Centre (GOC), coordinates the federal response to RFAs, which can include employment of the Canadian Armed Forces when appropriate and as a method of last resort.
• Based on the RFA, the Canadian Armed Forces determines how many people to send, and the type of assets it can deploy.

2022 Deployments

• In response to Hurricane Fiona, the CAF deployed approximately 750 members across the Atlantic Region at the height of this event.
• On October 19, the Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130J Hercules aircraft transported two ambulances from Dryden, Ontario, to Pikangikum First Nation to restore medical transportation capacity.
• The CAF deployed six Liaison Officers to assist Newfoundland with planning and coordinating air transportation in response to wildfires from August 06 until August 15, 2022.
• The CAF deployed two CC-130 Hercules aircraft to support evacuations due to wildfires in Manitoba on July 16, 2022.
• The CAF deployed teams of Canadian Rangers to support evacuations due to flooding in Northwestern Ontario from May 12 until May 20, 2022.

2021 Deployments

• The CAF deployed over 700 members and 10 aircraft to British Columbia in November 2021 to support relief efforts in response to record-setting floods.
• From July 5 until September 5, 2021, over 300 members also deployed to British Columbia to help fight wildfires.
• The Canadian Armed Forces deployed over 100 members to the Manitoba Wildfire Service from July 20 to August 24, 2021.
• Throughout 2021, the Canadian Armed Forces received Requests for Assistance for floods in Yukon, British-Columbia, and Newfoundland; for wildfires in Ontario, Manitoba, and British-Columbia; and for tainted water in Iqaluit.
• From January 19 to 28, 2020, approximately 380 members of the Canadian Armed Forces supported the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador after a major snowstorm led to states of emergency in several communities.

NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence

• At the June 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, Canada announced that Montréal would host the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence.
• The Centre’s Operational Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Sponsoring Nations on July 12, 2023.
• This Centre will help NATO, Allies, and other global partners better understand, adapt to, and mitigate the impacts of climate change on our security.
  • Budget 2023 proposes to provide $40.4 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, with $0.3 million in remaining amortization and $7 million ongoing, to Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence to establish the NATO Centre of Excellence.

Greening Defence and Moving Toward Net Zero

• National Defence and the CAF play a leadership role in efforts to meet the Government-wide target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as well as its near-term goal of 40 percent by 2025.
• Through the Greening Government Strategy, the Government of Canada is committed to reaching its greenhouse gas emissions of net-zero by 2050, including emissions from the Government’s National Safety and Security Fleet.
• National Defence is committed to working towards net-zero emissions from our National Safety and Security fleets, and we are working to develop our fleet decarbonization plans by 2024.