Research publications

In September 1957, at the height of the Cold War, Canada and the United States (U.S.) decided to establish a binational air defence organization known as the North American Air Defense Command, or NORAD; it was renamed the North American Aerospace Defense Command in 1981. Originally designed to monitor and defend North America and its airspace against the threat of nuclear-armed Soviet long-range bombers, NORAD’s purpose was to centralize the “operational control of continental air defenses.” The Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America on the North American Aerospace Defense Command (the NORAD Agreement) was signed by the two countries on 12 May 1958; it has since been “reviewed, revised, renewed or extended” several times, most recently in 2006.1This paper provides information about NORAD’S mission, structure and locations, its air assets, Canada’s role in NORAD and NORAD’s modernization.

Domestically, discussions about Canada’s defence spending are generally focused on the Department of National Defence (DND), including the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). However, in reporting their defence spending to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Canada and other NATO member states can also include expenditures relating to other departments and agencies. This HillNote provides information to help understand the amount of DND spending that is included in the parliamentary estimates and the amount of defence expenditures reported to NATO.