National Defence Committee on Feb. 18th, 2015

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

Other services or the joint rescue coordination centre would call upon us when they know there's a ship or an airplane out there that somebody has lost contact with and has reported as potentially being lost. Our role then is to locate their radio signal and attempt to triangulate it so that we have an idea of where they are. Sometimes, because of the fact that we have very good radio receivers, it's possible for us to hear signals that other people cannot hear. For example, a normal base station or airport has lost contact with some airplane or some ship. They're still talking, but nobody is hearing them. They ask us to listen, and when we turn and look in that direction it is often possible to pick up signals and determine that they're actually not lost, that they're just out of communications.

In 2014, for example, there were only five instances where we were asked to do so. In three of them there was no actual emergency, but we were able to determine that this person was talking, but they weren't answering because they couldn't hear them. We could hear them, and it wasn't an emergency. On two of them, we did help to locate that the person was declaring an emergency, and we were able to say “they're about here”, which makes it easier for search and rescue to go find them.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Since you have several stations, can you take part in operations all over Canada?

On the ground, do you interact with local stakeholders who manage the search and rescue operations or with other Canadian Forces services?

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

Right. Our requests for that, and our answers to that, go back to the central Canadian Forces joint rescue coordination centres, so that we don't work directly with the people on the ground.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

Thank you.

Mr. Norlock, please.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Do you care about your men, sir?

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

Absolutely, sir.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Do you make sure they have the things they need to keep their morale up, to make sure that they contact their families, and to relieve as much stress as humanly possible, especially when they're stationed in Alert and other places like that?

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

Absolutely, sir.

Station Alert, because it used to be so large and the complement is so much smaller, and because it's been going for more than 50 years now, actually is fairly well equipped for amenities. There are actually still records there, too, from the old days, but there's the ability to have a broadcast station and there are TVs. There's actually Internet access and stuff like that. There's the ability to communicate with your families. Everybody now, because there are few people, has a single room, which is a big deal if you're deployed.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Because of that they're able to function properly, and therefore you can reassure Canadians that they're healthy and their emotional state is being cared for, and therefore, they're in their top operational mode.

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

Actually, sir, I have two reasons for caring for my people: one, because I'm a human being and care for them, and two, because, as you said, I need them to be operationally fit.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

I just wanted to connect the dots, because we were going off on tangents there. But there are reasons that we need to know those things.

Somebody like myself who doesn't know anything about electronics but who watches a lot of sci-fi, I'm just wondering.... Again, all these things are very expensive. For the average Canadian, who we hope will not be too bored by reading this study, but it shows that all around this table we care about the defence not only of their country but of their continent.... Do we enter into partnerships with, let's say, NORAD? We're so intrinsically aligned with NORAD. Are you aware of any communications—since you're in communications and I'm talking about talks—that would pool resources and look at perhaps some satellites, that, instead of going around the earth this way, go around the earth that way, or are stationary over the top of the earth? Or is that totally not an option?

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

Stationary over the top of the earth physically isn't possible. There are circumpolar satellites that exist now. For your GPS satellite, for example, the constellation is circumpolar. I believe, but I am not the expert, that the Canadian Forces and the Government of Canada would wish in the future to have those kinds of things for ourselves as well.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

I've heard contemplation of an additional satellite to assist in those types of communications.

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

That's pretty far out of my current knowledge there, sir.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Okay.

One of the things that was also asked that does connect.... Am I correct in saying you would be the first eyes and ears, as it were, with regard to the defence of North America vis-à-vis someone's going to do something over the polar ice cap that might endanger Canada? Would you be the first to pick that up?

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

I think if they talked about it on the radio, we would hope to be the first to pick it up. There are other intelligence means that, again, I'm not expert on.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

In other words, they're launching a missile and they have to send signals, and you'd be picking up something that says there's something going on here that's not normal or that we don't usually see.

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

Our objective would be to never be surprised. That's correct, sir.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Okay.

When it comes to aircraft, I know we're talking about replacing our fleet. In terms of communication availability in the aircraft, are you familiar with the aircraft's ability to connect with you?

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

No, sir, other than for the aircraft that are in distress, we're not. It's not really my field.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

In other words, we've heard from different companies that want to produce fighter jets, and their ability to communicate with each other, and at that time instantaneously communicate with other facilities that receive signals. That's why I asked that question.

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

Roger, sir. Right now, it's not part of my mandate, so, no, I don't know anything about that.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

From the standpoint of NORAD—understanding some of the things, because in this job we have here we understand a little bit about a lot of things, but not a lot about anything—what's the connectivity with the northern United States, let's say Alaska? I understand they have facilities similar to Alert. Is there an interoperability between the two, between you and them?

[Col S.M. Moritsugu]

There absolutely is interoperability because we're cooperatively defending the continent. However, it wouldn't be from Alaska to Alert. It would be back from both to our central organizations and then we're interconnected.

[The Chair, Conservative, Peter Kent]

Thank you. Your time is up, Mr. Norlock.

Mr. Harris.