U.S. Security Dialogues with Canada

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