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Canwest News Service
VANCOUVER – In the event a hijacked aircraft threatening the Vancouver 2010 Olympics needs to be shot down, it will be the Prime Minister of Canada who will give the order, a NORAD spokesman said Thursday.
The prime minister will get the advice from his own chief of defence staff, acting on recommendations from the North American Aerospace Defence Command, said Lt. Desmond James.
“It is a senior NORAD military officer who provides recommendations to both the Canadian prime minister and the U.S. president or their designates,” said James, a Canadian naval officer.
“It is the Government of Canada that makes the decision in Canada and the Government of the United States that makes that decision in the U.S.”
James gave the explanation after a University of Calgary professor issued an academic study Wednesday, saying it could well be a U.S. military commander who gives advice to the Canadian government in the event of a terrorist incident at the Olympics.
Prof. Joseph Jockel noted that NORAD, based in Colorado Springs, Colo., is responsible for defending airspace over both countries from threats. But in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, views on sovereignty have changed. In addition to NORAD, the Americans now have their own military organization for homeland defence called NORTHCOM. Canada has an equivalent called Canada Command.
Since NORAD is predominantly run by Americans, Jockel says it could be that a U.S. military officer would give the final recommendation to a Canadian prime minister on taking an action in Canadian airspace.
“It is a matter of sovereignty. We don’t know what the arrangements are, and we should know who is giving the final advice to the prime minister,” he said.
“On paper, it appears that, in planning for the Vancouver Olympics, the Canadian Air Force will be responding to two commanders – an American in Colorado Springs and a Canadian at command headquarters in Ottawa,” Jockel wrote. “While the overall responsibility for air defence rests with NORAD, who provides final advice for the responsible Canadian minister? Will the head of Canada Command have any role at all?”
But James said the rules are clear. In the event of an incident, the senior NORAD military officer gives advice to the military heads in each country (in Canada’s case, the chief of defence staff), who then give their own advice to their commanders in chief.
NORAD has a joint command structure, with Canadians working alongside Americans. So any advice from officers would be indistinguishable by uniform, he said. It could well be that a Canadian would be on duty giving advice during an incident.
James pointed out that it was a Canadian deputy commander, Eric Findley, who gave advice to then-president George W. Bush in the early hours of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Findley would later be decorated for his actions that day.
Vancouver Sun
jefflee@vancouversun.com
