Billions Towards Militarization
In June of 2022 the federal government announced an allocation of $38 billion to “upgrade NORAD’s capabilities.” The new funds will be used to purchase: new radar stations, command and control upgrades, additional air-to-air refueling aircraft, advanced air-to-air missiles for fighter jets, upgrades to Canadian Armed Forces’ infrastructure in the North, and additional funding to complete and augment key space projects.
Specific allocations include:
– $6.38 billion for air-to-air missiles.
– $6.96 billion for:
– an Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar system for “tracking from the Canada-United States border to the Arctic circle;”
– a Polar Over-the-Horizon Radar system for radar coverage “over and beyond the northernmost approaches to North America;”
– a network of sensors with classified capabilities, distributed across Northern Canada which the U.S. will be able to use; and
– completing and augmenting the new state-of-the-art space-based surveillance project announced in Canada’s 2017 defence policy.
– $4.13 billion to:
– modernize Canadian Armed Forces’ command, control and communications capabilities and systems;
– modernize the Canadian Combined Air Operations Centre;
– renew the Canadian Armed Forces’ high- and low-frequency radio capability;
– enhance satellite communications in the Arctic through additional funding to complete and augment the polar communications project announced in Canada’s defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged;
– procure and install new digital radios and network equipment;
– work with the United States to expand support for the NORAD Pathfinder initiative, to take advantage of cloud-based computing and machine learning.
$15.68 billion to:
– acquire additional air-to-air refueling aircraft;
– upgrade Canadian Armed Forces’ infrastructure at four locations in Canada’s North;
– upgrade fighter infrastructure and NORAD Quick Reaction Alert capabilities at bases across Canada;
– modernize the Canadian Armed Forces’ air operational training infrastructure.
(Fact sheet: Funding for Continental Defence and NORAD Modernization.)