CASR

Canadian
American
Strategic
Review

Arctic Sovereignty  –  Surveillance & Security  –  Civilian Agencies  –  November 2008 Canada's Continued  Economic Growth  relies on  Natural Resources Canadian  Arctic  Claims  must  be  Patrolled, Policed, and Protected Update  (20 March 2009)  –  Under the 'Access to Information Act',  the Globe and Mail  has recently obtained official documents from DND.  They revealed that, on 09 August 2008,  two hunters reported a submarine moving through Canadian waters off the northern end of Baffin Island, near the future military base of Nanisivik. Local members of the Canadian Rangers were notified. A specialist in Arctic issues, Rob Huebert of  CMSS,  pointed out that the sub could have come from the US, the UK, Russia, or even France. In the absence of any regular military presence, CASR argues that small aircraft  (and Coast Guard vessels)  should be permanently stationed in the Arctic  –  in the near-term  –  to patrol our northern coast with greater vigour. Time for the National Aerial Surveillance Program to expand into Arctic Sovereignty Patrol Transport Canada's  NASP aircraft  are primarily known for their work in detecting polluters in Canadian waters. That is as it should be, considering NASP's oil-slick detecting mandate. But there is scope for expanding  that  mandate and  the NASP fleet.  The reasons are economical. DND has been tasked with Northern Patrols across the Canadian Arctic but NorPats are never the priority for the Canadian Forces'  CP-140 Aurora submarine-hunter fleet. These large, four- engined aircraft are aging and must be replaced. The lead replacement candidate appears to be the even larger, jet-engined P-8A Poseidon. A dozen or so of these new aircraft will be needed with a projected unit cost of  $150M+. Meanwhile, an expanding Aurora upgrade is underway. Operating costs on either DND patrol aircraft (existing or planned) are staggering. By contrast, the NASP fleet are based on modest, twin-turboprop civilian commuter airliners. Both fuel cost and crew size are a fraction of their military equivalents. This sovereignty patrol approach is in use elsewhere (Australia's Coastwatch is a turn-key example of  how to do it and  Coastwatch even uses the same aircraft).  Canada has other opportunities (bottom)  but  NASP  is simplest. The Minister of  Transport, Infrastructure and  Communities,  the Honourable  John Baird, has now had some time to get used  to his latest portfolio. Consider this a call to action,  Mr. Baird. Expand the NASP fleet following the well-established  foreign models  for contractor-operated surveillance flights, assert  Canadian sovereignty  in the Arctic (perhap combining NASP with the air elements of the Canadian Ice Service), and discover the joy of genuine accomplishment in place of  'forward-looking statements', endless bureaucratic studies, and  limp 'action plans'. Oil  &  gas,  metals,  minerals  –   All  these  resources  are  abundant  in  Canada's  Arctic  Canada's  wealth,  currently,  and  for  the  fore -   seeable  future,  is bound  up  in  the exploitation  of  its  natural  resources.   But how can  Canada  protect all  this  wealth?  If  the  channels  of  the  Arctic  Archipelago  are  internal  waters,  as  we  claim,  then  they  must be  monitored,  patrolled,  and  policed.  Thus,  it  is  a ' constabulary '  role. How  then  will  Canada  be  able  to  patrol,  police,  and  protect  these  internal  waterways? Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already identified the Canadian Coast Guard ( CCG ) as the agency primarily  responsible for  patrolling  the Arctic.  He announced that a new  icebreaker will be purchased.  However,  an  icebreaker can take a decade or more  to design,  build,  test, and  deploy.  We  must  ask  ourselves:  What  capabilities  can  Canada  send  to  the  North, in the very  near  term,  to  participate  in  sovereignty  assertion,  surveillance,  and  security? This  turns out  to be a complicated  question,  requiring  a  detailed,  multi-faceted  response. Some capabilities we already own  –  some we need to acquire as soon as possible. The assets most  necessary are small,  rugged,  and  multi-purpose.  Some will come  under the control of civilian  authorities  –  others  will  remain  under  military  command.  Any  ' platform '  that  we send  to  the  North  must  be  structured  to  perform  multiple  tasks.  Increasing  the  number of  transport  flights, or enhancing day-to-day communication across  Canada's Arctic,  is just as important to sovereignty assertion as the operations dedicated to surveillance and security. Our  first  step  must  be  to  introduce a  large  number  of  small,  well - equipped  aircraft In the  medium and long term,  Canada needs a wide array of  ice-hardened and  ice-resistant vessels:  icebreakers,  supply ships,  escort vessels,  tugboats,  and the like.  In the near term, what we can deploy rapidly are small aircraft, able to land on northern airstrips and operate in difficult  conditions,  year  round.  These  aircraft  would  be  able  to perform utility  transport services,  as well as  provide continuous surveillance of our  Arctic waters.  In addition,  with the suitable choice of air bases,  these aircraft could patrol the vast lands of  Canada's  North. Aircraft  could  be  assigned  to  various  civilian  agencies,  such  as:      • Canadian Coast Guard  –  ( CCG  fixed - wing  aircraft  are  currently  operated        by  Transport  Canada )      • Royal Canadian Mounted Police  –  ( RCMP  Air  Services  Branch )  [1]      • Transport Canada  –  ( TC oversees NASP,  the National Aerial  Surveillance Program ) Aircraft  which  are  available  –  for  immediate  use  or  for  modification :      • Dash 8s  –  ( Q200/Q300  MSA,  a  Field  Aviation  sensor  suite  modification )      • Challengers  –  ( CL-604  MMA,  another  Field  sensor  suite  modification )      • Pilatus PC-12  –  ( RCMP  utility  aircraft  with  sensor  payload  options,  see above )      • Buffalo  –  ( STOL  transports,  military  &  civilian )      • Twin Otters  –  ( STOL  utility  aircraft,  military  &  civilian ) How  do  we  maintain  Arctic  sovereignty ?  –  The  answer  is  necessarily  many - layered This  editorial  must  serve  as  an  introduction  only.  The purpose of  this article is  twofold: to  link  Arctic  sovereignty  to  the  current  concerns  about   Canada's  economic  stability and  to  suggest  that  the  time  to  act  –  to  protect  our  strategic  resources  –   is  now. [1] There are 13 PC-12/45s in RCMP service  (the first arrived in 1999 and, by law, the RCMP is obliged to replace aircraft every 7 years). PC-12s are considered "the backbone of Air Services operations" (although maintenance costs are said to be high) and it's proven in Arctic service.