Potential Contributions by the Canadian Armed Forces to the Defence of North America against Terrorism

Abstract

The contents of this paper are the product of discussions held by a study group on North American Security, organized by the National Capital Branch of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs. Most of the 15 group members are retired, after long service in the Department of International Affairs and International Trade, or in the Department of National Defence. Members include (BGen) Clay Beattie, Bob Cameron, (Col) Ron Cleminson, Bob Edmonds, Ross Francis, Dwight Fulford, George Grande, (BGen) Keith Greenaway, John Hadwen, Hugh Henry, David Kirkwood, George Lindsey, Blair Seaborn, Ken Williamson and Gerry Wright.THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PAPER is to investigate how modern technology and the geography of North America can determine the most suitable roles for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in protecting the continent against terrorism in the 21st century. A useful background, however, can be assembled by considering how the geography and technology of the 20th century influenced the roles played by the CAF in the defence of North America against the threats presented during the Cold War, and how some of the experience, organizations, and equipment provided for the Cold War can be exploited for the defence against terrorism.DEFENCE OF NORTH AMERICA DURING THE COLD WARBackgroundFor more than a century before the Cold War, neither Canada nor the United States faced a serious threat of attack on their territory from outside the North American continent. This came to an end, however, with the Soviet Union's acquisition of long-range bomber aircraft, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs). All were armed with nuclear payloads.The shortest and most direct routes for the Soviet bombers and ICBMs to reach the US's central 48 states would be to travel across the Northeast Pacific, the Arctic or the Northwest Atlantic Oceans. These routes were all either close to, or directly over, Canadian territory.(1) Most of the SLBMs likely would have been launched from Soviet submarines patrolling in zones off the East Coast of the United States.To counter these three threats, a reliable early warning system was required. Its primary purpose was to enable the bombers of the US Strategic Air Command (SAC) to become airborne before their bases were destroyed, and, later, to allow American ICBMs to be launched before they were destroyed on the ground. If the SAC bombers of the 1950s and 1960s were to be launched from bases in the central US, and ordered to deliver retaliatory strikes, they would need to refuel before beginning the long flight to the Soviet Union. There were two refueling options: one was to land at one of the six Canadian bases manned partially or wholly by USAF personnel;(2) the other was to receive fuel in the air from US tanker aircraft deployed in Canada.Countermeasures against the air threat: the creation of NORAD(3)In addition to its role in preservation of the American offensive forces needed for deterrence, early warning was providing information that was essential for active defence units--both American and Canadian. Against the bomber threat, these included air defence control centres, radar stations and bases for fighter aircraft, as well as anti-aircraft missiles, and guns, deployed for the interception and destruction of the bombers before they could reach their targets in the United States or Canada.The key system installed for early warning against bomber attacks was the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, consisting of a chain of manned radar stations following the 70[Symbol Not Transcribed] [degree] north parallel of latitude along the northern coasts of Alaska and mainland Canada (and across Baffin Island). Until 1965, another warning system, the Mid-Canada Line, was in place. Using elementary unmanned radars, it spanned the whole of Canada, along latitude 55[Symbol Not Transcribed] [degree] north, and formed a tripwire that was able to confirm if bombers were coming south. …