PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. –
Today, Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command (NORAD and USNORTHCOM) released his strategic vision for the future and his priorities for ensuring the defense of the United States and Canada.
Intended for both NORAD and USNORTHCOM personnel and the North American public, the unclassified executive summary of the strategy describes Gen. VanHerck’s views on shaping operational conditions to meet future challenges, and on the importance of adopting a globally integrated mindset to outthink and outpace both competitors and potential adversaries.
The strategy outlines that today's challenges require a culture change that factors in continental defense into every aspect of operational planning and strategy, decision-making, and budgeting, to ensure the sustained successful defense of Canada and the United States.
“To compete globally, we must be strong at home,” said Gen. VanHerck. “As we continue to evolve, we remain steadfast in our commitment to deter in competition, de-escalate in crisis, and if required, deny and defeat attacks on our nations.”
With a focus on improving in the areas of all-domain awareness, information dominance, and decision superiority, Gen. VanHerck’s strategic principles serve as building blocks under an umbrella of global integration aimed at achieving enduring conditions that will ensure the defense of the United States and Canada.
“Over the last three decades, our nations' competitors and potential adversaries have watched Canada and the United States and our way of deterring, competing, and conducting war,” added Gen. VanHerck.
“We recognize that competitors and potential adversaries have adapted and developed advanced capabilities in all domains challenging us at home and across the competition continuum, holding at risk our people, our critical infrastructure, and our power projection capabilities.”
The NORAD and USNORTHCOM Strategy aligns with objectives in the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, National Defense Strategy, and Canada's Strong, Secure, Engaged policy.
The unclassified executive summary of the strategy can be viewed at http://www.norad.mil/strategy and http://www.northcom.mil/strategy.