U.S and Canada Partner to Upgrade NORAD systems

U.S. and Canadian military officials have decided to join forces to modernize the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to protect the continent of North America from complex conventional missile threats.

The Minister of National Defence of Canada, the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, and the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd James Austin III approved a joint statement to guide the cooperation between Canada and the United States to enhance the ability of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to execute the missions outlined in the NORAD Agreement while facing evolving threats.

The modernization will prioritize new investments to better Situational awareness in the northern and maritime approaches to the continent. The two neighbors share a desire to coordinate in fielding new capabilities to complement and eventually replace the North Warning System with more advanced technological solutions as soon as possible, including next-generation over-the-horizon radar systems that can improve early warning and persistent surveillance of North American airspace and approaches. Ensuring effective awareness ultimately requires a system-of-systems approach including a network of Canadian and U.S. sensors from the sea floor to outer space.

There are also plans to modernize command and control systems as Enhanced capabilities in this area can better fuse and integrate data from all-domain sensors into a common, comprehensive operating picture, enabling faster and better informed decision-making. Investments will also be directed to upgrade and modernize the infrastructure required to support robust NORAD operations, including in the Arctic and northern regions.

The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) aim to counter the rapid development of threats through collaborative research and development into innovations that will help achieve the objectives in the course of the Modernization.