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Canada’s active commitment to ensuring a visible presence in the North was demonstrated with a coordinated two-week training exercise conducted by the Royal Canadian Air Force in partnership with Nav Canada, the Canadian Air Defence Sector and the Alaskan NORAD Region.
Since the beginning of April, airfields in and around Inuvik and Yellowknife, N.W.T, Iqaluit, Nunavut, and Goose Bay, N.L., were the primary hubs for aircraft activity including multiple flights from the CF-18 Hornet aircraft, CC-130T Hercules, CC-150T Polaris air-to-air refueling aircraft and other support aircraft.
“Our forces within the Canadian NORAD Region maintain the highest readiness levels of any Commands within the Canadian Armed Forces,” said Major-General Pierre St-Amand, commander of 1 Canadian Air Division and the Canadian NORAD Region. “At any given moment, some 430 servicemen and women from the Canadian Armed Forces and US Air Force monitor the aerospace approaches to Canadian territory, identify all tracks within Canadian airspace, and stand ready to intercept and address potential threats to Canada’s security.”
The exercise was carried out to ensure the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and its geographical component, the Canadian NORAD Region (CANR) maintains optimal readiness levels at Forward Operating Locations across the North.
“We are grateful for the support received from multiple Northern communities in which we operated over the past two weeks,” said General Chuck Jacoby, commander of NORAD. “Their efforts, along with the support received from our partner organization are essential to helping ensure peace and sovereignty in Canada’s North.”
