Mr. Chairman, thank you for the invitation to appear and for the work that you're undertaking with your study on the defence and security of North America.
I was pleased to have been able to appear last year to speak to the committee about NORAD and I am pleased to be here again. I have a few brief and general comments to situate our discussion today.
My remarks today will situate your work on the defence and security of North America in the context of the Canada First Defence Strategy, defence and security cooperation with the U.S., NORAD, and emerging challenges in continental defence.
It all begins for us with the Canada First defence strategy, which is our capstone defence policy document set out in 2008. As you may know, we will be refreshing it, as was announced in the Speech from the Throne in 2013.
The Canada First defence strategy is the government's foundational defence policy statement. It lays out the roles and missions for the Canadian armed forces. Being a strong and reliable partner to the United States in the shared defence of the continent is among the key mission sets for the Canadian armed forces and an enduring role for the defence team.
Our partnership with the United States is unique. It shapes all aspects of our work. We cooperate at every level, from the operational to the strategic. We're interoperable with the U.S. military and exercise and share personnel on a systematic and regular basis. At the strategic level, we have a number of foundational arrangements with the United States for consultation and cooperation, from bilateral strategic policy dialogues to the Permanent Joint Board on Defence. Our ministers meet regularly in Canada, in Washington, at NATO and elsewhere in the world.
We have a very well-developed structure for our work. Since 1940, the Permanent Joint Board on Defence , the PJBD, has met twice a year to discuss and advise on defence matters. The board now also includes the input of important security partners and stakeholders, including Public Safety Canada and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in addition to the State Department, Foreign Affairs, and the Coast Guard, and other players as required. It continues to be the most senior defence advisory body and plays a crucial role in fostering critical senior military and diplomatic contacts, as well as frank discussion on the range of dynamic issues affecting continental defence and security.
On the domestic front, our close cooperation is reflected in a wide array of bilateral institutions and agreements between Canada and the United States on the defence and military side. In fact, there are more than 800 arrangements that govern the day-to-day military relationship, including increasingly among the three key commands of our Canadian Joint Operations Command, NORAD, and the U.S. Northern Command, which together provide for the security and defence of North America in cooperation with each other.
NORAD, North American Aerospace Defense Command is core to the defence of the continent. For more than 55 years, binational cooperation through NORAD has encouraged unprecedented interoperability between the Canadian armed forces and the U.S. armed forces. There are currently nearly 300 Canadian Forces members posted to NORAD headquarters. We also have a number of Americans on exchange in Canada.
I spoke about treaty obligation and an operational military-to-military relationship. NORAD holds a distinctive place in the overall management of the strategic and operational Canada-U.S. defence relationship. It fulfills the aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning missions. It undertakes it 24 hours a day every day. It also plays an important role in ensuring Canadian sovereignty and security, serving as a deterrent against potential attacks and providing a crucial surveillance capability.
But, defence at home begins abroad. The threat environment is dynamic and evolving and there are a range of challenges that we must be prepared to meet.
Beyond partnership with the U.S., success will lie in working collaboratively with both other government departments and international partners as the traditional divisions between security and defence continue to blur.
I will leave you with two examples to consider.
The first is cyber. Threats in cyberspace, as we know, know no boundaries, and while cooperation with the U.S. is crucial, we also work globally, including with the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, as well as with our NATO partners.
As with all other sectors of security, the Canadian armed forces depends more heavily than ever on cyberspace for command, control, communications, and other mission critical functions and must be able to protect its ability to operate in the face of rapidly evolving threats and vulnerabilities. Similarly, National Defence plays an important role in supporting whole-of-government efforts to strengthen national cyber security.
In Canada, cybersecurity is led by Public Safety Canada, but we work increasingly closely and coordinate with other partners as we seek to ensure seamless cooperation in assessing and responding to cyber threats to Canada.
The second thing I'd like to mention briefly is the Arctic. While threats to the Arctic aren't currently military in nature, National Defence works in close support with our whole-of-government partners that have the lead in the Arctic. We already work together with the U.S. through NORAD and through tri-command cooperation and other multilateral fora in support of these civilian departments and agencies that have the lead in the Arctic. We work more broadly with international partners, for example, through the northern chiefs of defence venue, which is where chiefs of defence work to discuss their cooperation and support of civilian lead agencies.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that the defence of North America is the sum of many parts, working together with Foreign Affairs—I'm delighted that Artur is here from DFATD—Public Safety, and other government departments, and in partnership with the U.S. and with other friends and allies to ensure we deal with threats to North America, whether traditional or emerging, like cyber, as far away from our shores as possible.
I would be happy to answer your questions.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.