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Topic spans: 1959 - 2002
Norad: Watching the Skies
One of the most terrifying visions of the Cold War was the spectre of Soviet bombers and nuclear missiles crossing the Arctic toward North America. To protect the continent, Canada and the United States created Norad, the North American Aerospace Defense Command: a vast array of electronic eyes forever sweeping over the continent. But the world changed since the 1950s, and Norad shifted focus to monitor drug trafficking and terrorism. Yet critics call the organization an expensive monument to the Cold War, and a first step on the slippery slope to weapons in space.
11 television clips
5 radio clips
Deter, detect, defend
Broadcast Date: March 22, 1959
The Cold War is on, and the world is divided between the United States and the U.S.S.R. — and their allies. Geographically, Canada sits precariously between the two antagonistic superpowers, both possessing terrifying nuclear arsenals. If the worst happens, Soviets bombers and missiles may one day scream over Canada. Norad, the North American Air Defence Command, is a joint Canada-U.S. radar and communications system built to counter this terrible threat. In this clip its goals are explained: deter the Soviets, detect an attack and defend a continent.Deter, detect, defend
• The motto of Norad is "Deter, detect, defend":- deter any potential aggressor by ensuring a devastating counterattack
- detect incoming airborne threats with radar and satellite surveillance
- defend North America by coordinating jets and missiles to intercept attackers.
• Canada and the United States held discussions on joint defence throughout the 1940s. In 1951 the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended extending radar facilities and combining their control and warning systems into one network that could defend both countries.
• In September 1954 Norad's precursor, the Continental Air Defence Command, was established.
• The Norad agreement was announced on Aug. 1, 1957, and the organization was established on Sept. 12, 1957. The name originally stood for North American Air Defense Command. As fears turned towards satellites and missiles, the name was changed in 1981 to North American Aerospace Defense Command. The binational organization was headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo. A formal 10-year agreement was announced on May 12, 1958, and has been renewed approximately every five years since then.
• Norad's early days were full of confusion over how to handle the perceived Soviet threat. At first Norad was to focus on the dangers posed by bombs dropped by aircraft. But just after the Norad agreement was signed the Soviets announced they had successfully tested a multi-stage ballistic missile. Then on Oct. 4, 1957, they launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. The entire concept of tracking and intercepting bombers had become outdated.
• Canada was also in the middle of developing the Avro Arrow jet interceptor, designed to take out Soviet bombers in the far north. (See the CBC Archives topic The Avro Arrow: Canada's Broken Dream.) The program was cancelled on Feb. 20, 1959, a month before this television program. Another anti-aircraft weapon, the Bomarc missile favoured by the Americans, took its place.
Deter, detect, defend
Medium: Television
Program: CBC Television News Special
Broadcast Date: March 22, 1959
Guest(s): Earl Partridge, Roy Slemon
Host: Charles Lynch
Duration: 3:47
Last updated:
July 14, 2009
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16 clips in this topic . page
Television
3:10
July 15, 1983
American cruise missile testing to take place on Canadian soil.
Television
5:33
Sept. 7, 1985
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney says no to the United States' proposed missile-defence program.
Deter, detect, defend.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: July 14, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 9, 2012.]