Cablegate: U.S. Security Dialogues with Canada

VZCZCXRO1519
RR RUEHGA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0823 3101601
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061600Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0056
INFO ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000823

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR PM/RSAT (CPETRONE) AND WHA/CA (AWILSON)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL CA
SUBJECT: U.S. Security Dialogues with Canada

REF: STATE 112900

1. (U) The following responses are keyed to questions posed in
reftel concerning U.S. security dialogues.

2. (SBU) Canada and the United States have conducted a security
dialogue for 70 years through the Permanent Joint Board on Defense
(PJBD), created in 1940. The PJBD brings together senior military
and security policy officials from each country to examine joint
security strategy for North America. As security concerns shift to
trans-national threats such as international terrorism, weapons of
mass destruction, narcotics trafficking and others, the PJBD agenda
has expanded to consider hemispheric security strategy and other
"hotspots". The PJBD meets every six months.

3. (SBU) The Military Cooperation Committee (MCC) consists of
security experts, diplomats, and staff officers from each country
who meet prior to the PJBD to set the agenda and formulate policy
questions for discussion by senior leadership at the Permanent
Board. The MCC meets every six months, two months prior to the
PJBD.

4. (SBU) The PJBD is co-chaired by Canadian and U.S. heads of
delegation. The U.S. will be represented at the Assistant Secretary
of Defense level at the PJBD scheduled for November 8-10, 2009.
There are efforts to "rejuvenate" the PJBD, which remains an
important forum in which the U.S. and Canada formulate strategic
goals with respect to North America and other areas of concern
around the world.

5. (SBU) Canadian-U.S. security cooperation is unique in that
the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) is a bi-national
command, with U.S. officers serving under Canadian command and
vice-versa. While it does not represent a formal
government-to-government security dialogue, this bi-national
command requires extensive and on-going military-to-military
consultations. There is currently a tri-command study being
conducted to examine the possibilities for closer command linkages
among U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), NORAD, and the Canadian
Canada Command. NORTHCOM and Canada Command already cooperate
closely on cross-border security issues, such as security support
for the 2010 Olympics.
JACOBSON

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