Defense Minister Anita Anand, photographed in Singapore last week, vowed to release a “solid package to modernize NORAD” months ago.Danial Hakim / The Associated Press
Defense Minister Anita Anand will make a major announcement on continental defense on Monday, according to her office, as military watchdogs look for clues as to how Ottawa will spend the billions of dollars it set aside in the last budget.
Months ago, Ms Anand vowed to soon unveil a “robust package to modernize NORAD,” a renewal the United States has been seeking for years to address more complex missile threats in North America.
An important component of the North American Aerospace Defense Command upgrade is replacing the soon-to-be-obsolete Northern Warning System, a joint U.S.-Canadian radar system that includes dozens of locations from the Yukon. to Labrador. Their job is to detect airborne threats – originally long-range bombers. The price has been estimated at more than $ 11 billion and Canada is expected to bear at least 40%.
University of Calgary Arctic expert Rob Huebert said he expects Ms. Anand reveals money to start updating the northern alert system.
Trudeau, Anand meet with commanders of Norad, the U.S. Secretary of Defense on his way to LA
In a speech last month, Ms Anand listed four priorities for spending on mainland defense: replacing the northern alert system with more advanced solutions, such as next-generation radar systems. This technology has the ability to detect long-range targets and is being developed by the Department of National Defense of Canada.
He also spoke of investing in increased capabilities to deter and defeat aerospace threats.
In the April budget, the Liberals announced $ 6.1 billion over five years to spend on unspecified military priorities, including continental defense.
Monday’s announcement by Ms. Anand, which will take place at CFB Trenton, will take place as Canada prepares to attend NATO meetings this month. Canada has been pressured by the Allies, the US in particular, to increase its military spending to the equivalent of 2 per cent of annual economic output.
Right now, with spending 1.33 per cent of gross domestic product on defense, Canada is close to the back of NATO in its share of military spending, along with Slovenia, Belgium, Spain and Luxembourg.
In May, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan said Canada was in charge of defense during congressional hearings: “And it’s getting a little tired,” Mr. Sullivan.
Last August, the Canadian and US governments said they intended to proceed with “coordinated investments” that would strengthen its ability to protect North America from “a larger and more complex threat of conventional missiles.” they talked about building a network of Americans and Canadians. sensors installed everywhere, from the seabed to satellites in space.
The risk that Canada and the United States take into account is the advances in missile technology in Russia and China that can send non-nuclear warheads over much greater distances with much greater accuracy. These include hypersonic missiles, which travel extremely fast and can dodge and weave in flight to prevent interception, as well as next-generation cruise missiles. This evolution of the power of conventional missiles has made them an increasingly important tool for deterring threats or projecting power without resorting to nuclear weapons.
Last August’s announcement marked a deepening of collaboration between Canada and the United States to protect North America from missile threats. He set priorities for the future of NORAD, the heart of the continental defense pact between Canada and the United States, saying the two countries must be able to “detect, identify [airborne] threats earlier and respond more quickly and decisively. “
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