Canada and the United States have agreed to modernize the abilities of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to better meet evolving threats, the nations said in a joint statement.
“As an integral part of ongoing work to strengthen the security and defense of Canada and the United States, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting NORAD’s ability to detect, deter, and defend against aerospace threats and to detect maritime threats to North America, today and in the future,” the statement said. “In particular, NORAD must be able to detect and identify those threats earlier and respond to them faster and more decisively, including aerospace threats transiting our northern approaches.”
According to the joint statement, the two countries have reaffirmed their commitment to modernize NORAD through priority areas for new investments, including:
- Situational awareness, “especially in the northern and maritime approaches to the continent”;
- Modernized command and control systems;
- Capabilities to deter and, if necessary, defeat evolving aerospace threats to North America; and
- Research, development, and innovation.
The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) and the U.S.’ Department of Defense (DoD) will collaborate on exploring solutions for robust and resilient communication, as well as “move forward deliberately with coordinated investments that reflect the continuing importance of the role that NORAD plays in North American and allied deterrence, and in maintaining North America as a secure base for active engagement around the world
