US-Canadian air defense to oversee continent's maritime security

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2006

MONTREAL (AFP) — The North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) will oversee the defense of the continent against terror attacks by sea, the Canadian defense ministry said.

The decision was taken after months of negotiations between the United States and Canada to renew the bilateral military alliance's mandate.

The new mission was part of an agreement signed Friday in Ottawa by Canadian Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor and US ambassador David Wilkins, a defense ministry spokesman said.

The Canadian parliament will debate and vote on the agreement, which also puts NORAD in charge of surveillance against maritime drug trafficking.

NORAD, based in the central US state of Colorado, was created during the Cold War in 1958 to protect North America against air attacks.

© 2006 AFP