Canadian Armed Forces

Arctic Communications Presentation to AFCEA (Alaska Chapter)

04 Mar 2015

- Capt KP Hjalmarson -

1) Conduct daily domestic and continental operations, including in

the Arctic and through NORAD

2) Support a major international event in Canada, such as the 2010

Olympics

3) Respond to a major terrorist attack

4) Support civilian authorities during a crisis in Canada such as a

natural disaster

5) Lead and/or conduct a major international operation for an extended

period

6) Deploy forces in response to crises elsewhere in the world for

shorter periods

Canadian Forces Core Missions

Outline

• Part 1 – Joint Task Force North (JTF(N))

• Part 2 – Permanent Comms Organizations

• Part 3 – Comms Systems and Facilities

• Part 4 – Comms Capabilities

• Part 5 – Arctic Exercises

• Part 6 – Navy (time permitting)

3

Part 1

• Intro to JTFN

– Mission, Role and Tasks

– Org

– AOR and AOI

– Infrastructure

– Operational Factors

– Commander’s Considerations

4

Joint Task Force North

JTFN HQ Yellowknife

Det Iqaluit

Det Whitehorse

5

1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (1 CRPG) • 50 HQ personnel • 1850 Rangers • 60 communities

440 (Transport) Sqn • 51 personnel • 4 x Twin Otters

Headquarters (Yellowknife) • 69 personnel

• Det Yukon (3) • Det Nunavut (4)

Junior Canadian Rangers (JCR) • 1650 JCR • 41 communities

Area Support Unit North (ASU(N)) • 51 personnel

JTF(N) Organizational Structure

6

• 4 million sq km

• 40% of Canada’s

landmass

• 36,563 islands with 15

being over 100,000 sq

km in size

• 75% of Canada’s

coastline

- larger than Pacific

and Atlantic coasts

put together

- include internal

strait (Northwest

Passage (NWP))

• Consists of the Yukon

Territory, Northwest

Territories and

Nunavut Territory

• Population – 107,265

Large land mass – Arctic archipelago – Canada’s third coast

JTFN AOR

7

JTFN Area Of Interest

The JTFN AOI encompasses the bulk of the area north of 60 N

• Five circumpolar

nations share rights

to the Arctic natural

resources

- Canada, Denmark,

Norway, Russia, and

the USA

• Other countries such

as China, North

Korea, Sweden,

Germany, UK and the

European Union have

voiced great interest

in the Arctic natural

resources and the

possibility of trans-

polar Sea Lines of

Communication

(SLOC)

8

• Infrastructure in the

north is difficult to

maintain

• The structures that

exist are often

remnants of old

military facilities or

scientific research

stations

• New stations such

DRDC’s Northern

Watch are under

construction

• NORAD’s Forward

Operating Locations

(FOLs) are located in

Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet,

Yellowknife and

Inuvik

- The Rankin Inlet

FOL is currently

inactive

• JTFN HQ is located in

Yellowknife

Limited infrastructure and road systems – Lack of redundancy

Infrastructure

9

Factors Operating in the North

• Time and space

• Air / Avn dependancy

• High operating costs

• Lack of infrastructure

• Weather, climate, light

• Sea states and sea ice

• Geography/Topography

• Protected areas

10

Doctrinal Considerations

• Command – size of AOR = continental or strategic distances

– physical and comms infrastructure limitations

– collaboration with partners = nodal connectivity = interoperability

• Sense – ISR infrastructure requirements

• Sustain – distances, austerity, climate

– Northern Operational Hubs

– resupply

– consequences of error

• Act – own forces (comms) capabilities (JTFN = limited, Cdn Rangers, forces from the South)

– partners’ (comms) capabilities

– almost always a Roto 0

– freedom of manoeuvre

• Shield – Mother nature: climate, magnetic and space effects

– comms infrastructure and mission continuity

11

Part 2

Arctic Communications Organizational Structures

12

Current JTFN Comm & Info System (CIS)

Organizations

J 6 Maj Buehl

CCO MWO Pau

JTFN HQ JTFN / Area Support Unit ( North ) / Telecom & Info Svcs ( TIS )

13

Part 3

Arctic Comms Systems and Facilities

14

Service Providers in the North

1. Northwest Tel

2. SSi Micro

3. Ice Wireless

4. Telesat

15

Red – NWS

Yellow – Fibre

Green – Microwave Tower

75º N

84º N

60º N

49º N

16

17

FIBRE

18 of 75

communities

serviced by

Fibre

18

MICROWAVE

22 of 75

communities

serviced by

Microwave

19

CELLULAR SERVICES

37 of 75

communities

serviced by

Cell Services

20

CABLE INTERNET

3 of 75

communities

serviced by

Cable Internet

Satellite Communications

• C Band

• Ku Band

• Ka Band

• X Band

21

WIDEBAND GLOBAL SATCOM

SYS (WGS)

22

Satellite coverage

Ku Band/C Band

Inmarsat BGAN

Ka Band

Iridium

23

Satellite Coverage - Anik F2 Ku

Band

Coverage up to 80°

N

24

Challenges in the North

• Cost

• Latency

• Bandwidth

25

26

SATCOM SERVICES ONLY

37 of 75

communities

serviced by

Satellite only

Current CF HF Resources

BLOS

Shearwater

MACS Edmonton

MACS

Debert

MACS Trenton

Ops CtrNRS Halifax

Ops Ctr

NRS Esquimalt

Ops Ctr

FOL Inuvik

FOL Yellowknife

FOL Rankin Inlet

FOL Iqaluit

BLOS

Tofino

BLOS CADS

North Bay

BLOS Inuvik

BLOS Debert

BLOS Iqaluit

BLOS Resolute Bay

CFS Gander

CFS Alert

CFS Masset

CFS Lietrim

Ops Ctr

BLOS

Edmonton

Military Aeronautical

Communications

System (MACS) - 25

yrs old, almost

unsupportable

Naval Radio Stations

(NRS) – antiquated

NORAD Forward

Operating Locations

(FOL) – Yellowknife

U/S

CADS Beyond Line Of

Sight (BLOS) Sites

Canadian Forces

Information

Operations Group

(CFIOG) Sites

27

SKP = Skull Point

BKT = Black Top

YKE = Yankee

VTR = Victor

IDA

GRT = Grant

ALT = Alert 40 Km

122 Km

89 Km

55 Km

83 Km

109 Km

19 Km

WKY = Whiskey

SKP

BKT

ALT

YKE

WKY VTR

IDA GRT

SKP

UPP

Satellite ANIK F2

OBB Ottawa

High Arctic Data Communications System

-6 Mountain top MW repeaters

-14 Mbps full duplex data

-Entirely solar powered 28

North Warning Radar Sites

29

• 15 airfields capable of

accommodating the

CC-177 in JTFN AO

• CC130J can reach all

locations from Hubs

• CC-138 Twin Otter

useful in reaching

more remote

locations (potential

incident site)

• Alternate Hubs

identified to support

incidents not in the

vicinity of C130

capable airfields

• Every effort made to

eliminate 2 tactical

lifts for responding

forces (C17 – C130 –

CC-138 / rotary wing)

Inuvik

Hub

Yellowknife

Hub

Iqaluit

Hub

Resolute Bay

Hub

Whitehorse

Rankin

Inlet

Cambridge

Bay

Hall Beach

Northern Operational Hubs

30

Arctic Training Centres

31

Part 4

JTF(N) Comms Capabilities

32

Strat HF

JTFN 1 Kw HF

system

• Transmitter –

Located at Kam

Lake approx 5 km

away

• Console in

COMCEN remoted

into JOC

33

QRT (JTFN HQ)

• 1* HF radio transceiver

• 1* 400 w HF power amplifier

• 1* generator

• 1* Cryptographic equipment

• 1* high speed radio modem

• 1* laptop computer

• 1* automatic link establishment module

• 1* antenna system

• RF 6760

34

PCX -250 (1 CRPG)

• 10 W PEP

• -30 - +50

• 10 X D Cell btys

• SSB – USB

• 3 – 8 MHZ (Std)

• 2 – 10 MHZ (Optional)

35

CODAN MRX

• Email, Chat, Fax, GPS Tracking and

Telephone Support

• 500W (HQ config) / 125W RF Power Output

• MIL-STD-141B-ALE

• MIL-STD-810F

• HQ and Depl configurations

• Commercially transportable

• Highly deployable & Lightweight Pelican Case System

• Universal & Automated AC/DC/Battery

Operation Power Input - UPS Protected (Lithium-Ion)

• Legacy System interoperability

• Multiple COMSEC Solutions

36

AN/PRC 138

The AN/PRC-138 weighs

less than 10 pounds

(without batteries) and can

include VHF operation, data

modem, ECCM controller,

ALE, and encryption for

both voice and data.

37

Iridium Satellite Phones

• Most common means of deployed

communications

• 4.8Kbs BW

• Voice only

• Battery operated

• Secure comms with sleeve

• Line of sight to constellation

38

Iridium OpenPort

• Global coverage: sat comm capability at high latitudes

• Voice via up to 3 x phone

• Data via 1 x Internet: DWAN and CSNI

• 128 kbs bandwidth

• Exterior antenna rated to -30C

• Expensive to use (especially data)

39

Galaxy Scout Terminals

• Galaxy Broadband Communications Inc

• 1 meter dish

• Ka band w/ up to 1.5Mb BW

• Uses:

– Video teleconference

– Internet access

– VoIP

– large data transfer

• Very successful operation Op Nanook 12

• Proprietary operation on beams 1, 2 & 3 of Anik F2 for Ka-band

40

GATR

• Juch-tech 2.4 meter dish

• Weather protected

• SATMEX

• Ku band

• Trialed on Op NANOOK

13 in Resolute Bay and

Iqaluit

41

BGAN - LCS

• Used with the Light Comm Suites

(LCS) but not in the north.

Providing:

– CSNI

– DWAN via

DVPNI

– Voice

42

Personnel Trackers

Solara Data Tracker

Track24

43

Part 5

JTF(N) Operations and Exercises

44

Op NANOOK

Op NANOOK

Op NUNALIVUT

JTF(N) Core Operations Op NEVUS

Op NUNAKPUT 45

Ex TRILLIUM RESPONSE - 4 Cdn Div

- 15-23 Feb

- 320 Pers

Ex ARCTIC RAM - 3 Cdn Div

- 15-23 Feb

- 325-350 Pers

Ex GUERRIER NORDIQUE - 2 Div C

- 1-9 Mar

- 150 Pers

Ex SABRE GLACÉ - 2 Div C

- 20 Mar - 1Apr

- 150 Pers

CAF Training North of 60

46

Roles of the Canadian Forces

1) Defending Canada - The Canadian Forces must ensure the

security of our citizens and help exercise Canada's

sovereignty

2) Defending North America - Delivering excellence at home

also helps us contribute to the defence of North America in

cooperation with the United States, Canada's closest ally.

3) Contributing to International Peace and Security - As a trading

nation in a highly globalized world, Canada's prosperity and

security rely on stability abroad.

Questions ?