NORAD boss urges upgrades to defence
Russia, North Korea capabilities are pushing protective alliance to adapt
OTTAWA— NORAD is weighing sweeping upgrades to its sensors and tactics to better protect North America against increasingly capable missiles being fielded by Russia and North Korea, the head of the military alliance says.
Gen. Lori Robinson, the U.S. commander who oversees the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), says that “adversaries” that include Russia, China, Iran and North Korea and violent extremist groups “are seeking ways to extend their operational reach into North America.”
“They’re constantly probing and looking for chinks in our armour, and they are using both traditional and unconventional methods,” Robinson said Thursday, during an Ottawa visit.
“Today, Russian cruise missiles can reach us from ranges we’re not used to. No longer do they have to enter or come close to North American airspace . . . this is a game changer,” she said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is “unpredictable and volatile,” she said, conducting repeated missile tests to improve capabilities, most recently on Sunday with the launch of a new ballistic missile.
“North Korea uses what they learn from each and every test they do to make improvements to their missile capabilities,” she said.
Those evolving threats are forcing NORAD — the joint Canada-U.S. operation that defends the sky and sea around North America — to adapt.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met earlier this week in Washington and in a joint statement said the two nations will “work to modernize and broaden our NORAD partnership.”
Robinson offered some hints of that modernization during a Thurs- day speech at a conference organized by the Conference of Defence Associations and later during an extended discussion with journalists.
“We’re looking on how to modernize NORAD and start asking, ‘what’s the next evolution of North American defence?’ ” she said, noting that the last major upgrade to the alliance’s infrastructure happened more than two decades ago.
“Our legacy systems in NORAD are not designed to detect today’s threat capabilities at range,” Robinson said.
“We’re used to having these oceans that were a little bit of protection for us. But as they’ve expanded their capabilities, that level of protection doesn’t exist anymore,” Robinson said.
Work is underway to look at options to replace the existing northern warning system to improve longrange surveillance. “We also need to increase our ability to detect, track, ID and, if necessary, engage cruise missiles,” she said.
Canada decided more than a decade ago not to join the ballistic missile defence program being developed at the time by the U.S. But that decision is getting another look as the Liberal government reviews its defence priorities.
Robinson declined to talk about possible Canadian involvement, saying any contribution would be a decision for Ottawa.
Robinson also sidestepped a question about whether she had concerns about Canada’s contribution to the military alliance.
The Liberal government is looking at buying18 Super Hornet fighter jets to supplement its existing fleet of aging fighters, saying the air force could no longer meet the twin demands of serving NORAD while meeting overseas commitments.
Robinson said her job is to evaluate the alliance’s capability to defend North America and “if there is risk, describe the risk so that our civilian leaders can make decisions.
“It’s not a matter of coming up short or not. It’s what risk are we willing to accept,” she said.