National Defence committee  This is a huge issue. I don't think we can rest on our laurels at all, citing what success we may have enjoyed so far to defend against a cyber-attack. When I was in Colorado Springs, the U.S. Space Command at the time was given the responsibility for computer network operations

National Defence committee  I can't speak from recent experience, but the simple answer would be no. They cooperate and recognize each other's mandates. If anything, they're a synergistic relationship.

National Defence committee  Certainly the United States is losing some capability. I think you have to look at it in the longer term, because the capability they've developed or deployed for Iraq and Afghanistan has been pretty active over the last decade. Sequestration in the United States has taken its to

National Defence committee  I'm not sure that I could competently say that. Certainly there has been a lot of strategic aviation investment and investment in cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, but I think we should be concerned overall.

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  I don't disagree with you. In fact, I think my answer to Mr. Bezan suggested that we should be concerned about Russia.

National Defence committee  We can also take some solace, perhaps, in the fact that I'm not sure the Russian economy can sustain Mr. Putin's grandiose ideas about his future, but that shouldn't dissuade us from paying very close attention to it and not trusting him.

National Defence committee  Absolutely. They would be of fundamental importance.

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  Yes. One of the most important aspects, as you mentioned, is space-base surveillance, the monitoring of ships on a very large area approaching North America.

National Defence committee  Something like that, but the reality is that often it's a presence to monitor the navigation through those waterways to monitor pollution, as you have suggested, to avoid environmental issues, or to participate in search and rescue.

National Defence committee  Having an armed vessel provides a deterrent, but I think it's also appropriate for us to be able to have that capability, even if we're just protecting our sovereignty, just as we would have an armed F-18 patrolling the north.

National Defence committee  Exactly.

National Defence committee  I'll speak first quickly, and I would say that the answer is no. I think that practically, on a day-to-day basis, we are able to set aside our diplomatic differences for the sake of cooperating and coordinating, not just with the Americans, but with our other Arctic national pa

National Defence committee  I know that Dr. Bow has particular expertise in Mexico, so I won't steal any limelight other than to say that the Canadian and the American navies are so closely integrated that they can essentially operate together seamlessly, as we do in NORAD, and that they share information a