Mr. Chair and honourable members of Parliament, thank you for the honour of appearing here today.
As the commander of the Canadian Forces Base Bagotville and 3 Wing, I would like to provide you with an overview of the work my team does every day as part of the NORAD mission.
Canadian Forces Base Bagotville is strategically located near the city of Saguenay, Quebec. From our facilities we are able to cover all of northeastern North America and rapidly respond to all threats to our security as described earlier by Major-General Wheeler. To achieve this, 3 Wing depends on a group of experienced, well-trained pilots and technicians who are on standby 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our operations centre is in consistent contact with different North American surveillance locations and Canadian NORAD region command to respond rapidly in case of an alert. We can thus deploy CF-18 fighters where they are needed and even up to the northern borders of our country thanks to the in-flight refuelling capability of the Royal Canadian Air Force and our American allies.
The NORAD mission is 3 Wing's priority. I would even go as far as to say it's our reason for being. As needed, we can dedicate all of our resources to protecting Canadian territory. For example, following the events of September 11, 2001, we placed all of our CF-18 fighters and personnel on alert and deployed them to three strategic locations to increase the country's level of protection as ordered by Canadian NORAD region command.
At all times 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron's role is to train pilots for NORAD missions and to ensure that our fleet of fighters is ready to meet Canada's needs.
And 12 Radar Squadron is also an important part of the North American line of defence. Normally the squadron's radar is one of the many components used for surveillance of the territory. When there is an alert or major event, 12 Radar Squadron can be rapidly deployed. This was the case during the Montebello summit in 2007 and in 2010 during the Vancouver Olympics and the G-8 summit in Toronto. During all of these events we provided security through surveillance of restricted airspace thanks to a high level of preparation and continual training of the members of 12 Radar Squadron. If needed as well, 12 Radar Squadron can also temporarily replace damaged or unusable NORAD radars.
In order to carry out its role safely, 3 Wing also counts on 439 Combat Support Squadron, a helicopter squadron dedicated to search and rescue missions. Its primary role is to support our fighter pilots in case of problems but the squadron members are often called in to help civilian authorities with search and rescue missions right across eastern Canada. Of course, the work of the three squadrons is supported on an ongoing basis by an extremely dedicated team of over 1800 military members and civilians at 3 Wing committed to our primary mission, which is NORAD.
For over 70 years, 3 Wing Bagotville has made it its duty to maintain a high level of operational readiness thanks to a continual preparation of its personnel and equipment. The transformation of a once symmetric threat into an increasingly asymmetric one represents a significant challenge in terms of defence. The emergence of threats inside the very territory protected by NORAD forces us to consistently change how we do things. We are therefore always vigilant, doing everything required to adapt to this new reality.
I think it is appropriate for me to conclude my statement with the Latin motto of 3 Wing, the mantra by which every member of 3 Wing lives every day, which is agmen primum libertatis, at the vanguard of liberty.
Thank you very much for your attention. I'm looking forward to answering any questions you might have.