PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. –
NORAD and USNORTHCOM Commander, Gen. Lori Robinson and the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, pause in front of the 9/11 Memorial in front of the headquarters, prior to the Minister receiving briefings on the commands’ missions during his visit here in Colorado Springs, Colorado, August 8, 2016.
“Defence and security relations between Canada and the United States are long-standing, well-entrenched and highly successful. Our NORAD partnership is a powerful symbol of the trust and confidence between Canada and the United States in the common defence of our nations and borders,” said Stéphane Dion, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Collaboration between Canada and the United States through NORAD remains a powerful example of the trust between the nations. NORAD is a binational military command formally established in 1958. Initially tasked to monitor and defend North American airspace by tracking man-made objects, such as satellites and missiles, and warning of external attacks against the continent by aircraft or missiles, it has evolved in response to new threats, both internal and external, and now conducts aerospace warning and aerospace control as well as maritime warning in the defence of North America.
Quick facts
• Canada considers the United States their most important ally and defence partner.
• The long history of the Canada-United States partnership on defence is based on shared interests and values and a joint commitment to the defence of North America.
• For more than 50 years, Canada and the United States have cooperated closely through NORAD, making it a critical element of North American defence and an effective and unique binational command.
• Canada and the United States share a land border close to 9,000 kilometres (over 5,500 miles) in length.
• Canadians and Americans under NORAD command were the first military responders to the attacks on September 11, 2001.