Flying objects a ‘wake-up call’ about Arctic security
Some politicians and researchers say four flying objects that were discovered, tracked and shot down over U.S. and Canadian airspace in recent weeks highlight the need to improve security in Canada’s Arctic.
“It should be a wake-up call for Canadians in general of the woefully inadequate capacity we have in the North in terms of our military capacity,” said Opposition Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon.
“The fact that we rely on the American military to a huge degree is simply a fact of life in the North, and that’s something I don’t think a lot of other Canadians would find acceptable.”
A high-altitude surveillance balloon of Chinese origin was taken down by an American fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4 after it flew over Alaska and Canada. China has claimed it was a “civilian airship” conducting meteorological research.
The following week, three unidentified high-altitude airborne objects were subsequently shot down over Alaska, Yukon and Lake Huron in Michigan. Little information has been released about their capabilities, purpose or origins. Recovery efforts are ongoing.
U.S. and Canadian officials have said they don’t believe the objects posed a direct threat to people on the ground, but could have interfered with commercial air traffic.
Dixon said major players other than Canada have increased their military presence in the Arctic, while China has economic interests in the region.
He said Canada also needs to improve its terrestrial, maritime and aerospace security capacity in the North, which should include establishing a permanent military base, a deep water port in the western Arctic and improving icebreaking capacity.
Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai said that last week he discussed Arctic security issues, including modernizing early warning detection, with other premiers, Defence Department officials and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Investing in communities is also important for Arctic security, he said, pointing to ongoing work in Yukon to construct a fibre-optic line and improvements to roadways and the airport in Whitehorse.
“I think it’s time for us to, again as a country, think past election cycles and think about bigger plans so that our country has the appropriate infrastructure in place,” he said.
Pierre Leblanc, a retired colonel and a former commander of Canadian Forces Northern Area, now Joint Task Force North, said successive federal governments have not sufficiently invested in Canada’s defence.
He said has not met the NATO defence spending target of a minimum two per cent of its gross domestic product.
“Canada is recognized as a freeloader on the defence side,” he said. “There’s an emergency to reverse the trend. We need to invest in the security of Canada.”
Leblanc said there has been increased interest in the Arctic as shipping routes have opened due to melting sea ice and the region has valuable resources.