Canada Command Backgrounder

BG #09.00301 June 2009

Canada Command

Canada Command

Formed on February 1, 2006, Canada Command is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of domestic and continental routine and contingency Canadian Forces operations. In the conduct of domestic operations, the Command also coordinates, when requested, military support to Canadian civil and law enforcement authorities. Through deliberate planning and exercising, Canada Command works with its safety, security and defence partners, domestic and continental, to anticipate and respond to potential threats to Canada and Canadians. In this regard, the Command is helping to build a national security architecture ready for the challenges of the 21st century.

Supported by regional commands, Canada Command continuously monitors developments across North America and its maritime approaches, tracking everything from threatening natural phenomena, such as hurricanes and floods, to security threats like drug smuggling and terrorism. The Command is also responsible for the effective operation of the federal maritime and aeronautical search and rescue system. Offering a single point of contact for the Canadian Forces’ many safety, security and defence partners, the Command is responsible for military support to major security events, like RCMP-led security operations for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Focus on Canada

Established in response to the global security situation in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the creation of Canada Command placed lead responsibility for Canadian Forces domestic and continental operations under one military commander for the first time in Canadian history. It placed increased emphasis on the defence and security of Canada and North America, in keeping with the Canada First Defence Strategy (CFDS). In fact, the Command has a lead role in four of the six Canadian Forces missions listed in the CFDS:

• Daily domestic and continental operations, including in the Arctic and through NORAD;
• Support for major events held in Canada, such as the 2010 Winter Games;
• Response to a terrorist attack; and
• Support for civilian authorities during a domestic crisis such as a natural disaster.

To accomplish its mission, Canada Command follows an integrated, interagency approach, working closely with a broad range of organizations, including:

• Canadian Coast Guard;
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada;
• Public Safety Canada;
• RCMP;
• Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT);
• Parks Canada;
• North American Aerospace Defence Command;
• U.S. Northern Command.

Canada Command works with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, for example, to enforce Canadian and international fisheries conservation laws. It supports the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with its annual drug eradication program, providing the equipment and resources needed to locate, identify, and eradicate marijuana-growing sites. Working with a U.S.-led multinational, interagency task force, Canada Command fights narcotics smuggling in the Caribbean Basin and East Pacific Ocean–helping to stop these narcotics from reaching Canadian streets.

Partnerships

While primarily responsible for contributing to the defence of Canada, in its day-to-day operations Canada Command plays a significant role supporting its civil and law enforcement partners with their responsibilities for public safety and security. Through integrated planning, exercising, and operations Canada Command ensures the Canadian Forces are ready to operate seamlessly with their partners. To this integrated effort, the Canadian Forces bring a wide range of unique capabilities and experience, honed by decades of operating as part of complex national and international operations, from the Red River floods to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan.

Good planning is a critical aspect of successful contingency operations. Working with federal partners like Public Safety Canada, Canada Command drafts contingency plans for a range of scenarios–from a potential influenza pandemic to a major earthquake. As natural and man-made crises do not respect borders, the Command is also engaged in bilateral planning with its American counterpart, U.S. Northern Command. In 2008, the two signed a framework planning document known as the Civil Assistance Plan that enables the two commands to respond quickly to a government-to-government request for military support. Another focus of planning is the North and the Arctic–a top priority for the Government of Canada. As global warming draws increasing attention to the vast resources and potential trade routes in Canada’s North, Canada Command is stepping up its presence and partnerships above the 60th parallel.

Continuous Monitoring

Canada Command continuously monitors developments across the country and continent and stands ready to deploy the Canadian Forces when and where they are needed. Maritime, land, and air immediate response teams situated in all regions of the country are ready to move on short notice, and thousands of full- and part-time military personnel can quickly be mobilized as needed. With its twelve subordinate organizations, Canada Command is structured for the timely and efficient coordination of domestic and continental operations:

• Six Regional Joint Task Forces (RJTFs), are assigned regional responsibility for domestic operations. During emergencies, JTF commanders can task all available Canadian Forces resources within their regions: Pacific, West, Central, East, Atlantic and North;
• Three Search and Rescue Regions maintain dedicated SAR aircraft and crews on standby around the clock. Their three respective Joint Rescue Coordination Centres–in Victoria, Trenton, and Halifax–coordinate air and maritime response;
• Two Maritime Component Commanders, in Victoria and Halifax, and a Combined Force Air Component Commander–co-located with 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg–provide maritime and air capabilities to Canada Command.

Canada Command’s national and regional staffs total more than 300 personnel, and are supported by thousands of Navy, Army, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces personnel who stand ready to deploy when and where they are needed. During serious crises, all available Canadian Forces personnel–including more than 20,000 reservists stationed across the country–can augment Canada Command’s resources. Canada Command also works closely with NORAD, which is responsible for continental aerospace warning and control, and maritime warning.

Canada First

The overarching goal of Canada Command is to be fully prepared at all times to ensure Canada’s domestic and continental defence. By providing a single point of contact for Canadian Forces’ safety, security, and defence partners, a single military commander for domestic and continental operations, and a focus on North America as a single theatre of operations, Canada Command is an effective answer to the security challenges of the 21st century.

Canada Command Delivers

An increased military focus on Canada and the continent

A proactive and vigilant approach to protection and defence

A single, joint structure with the authority and capability to act