Winnipeg, Man. - North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will conduct Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, an arctic air defense operation involving a number of military aircraft and personnel from Canada and the United States, March 14 to 17, 2022. In Canada, the operation will be based out of Canadian Forces Station Alert, Nunavut; Whitehorse, Yukon; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; 17 Wing/CFB Winnipeg, Manitoba; 22 Wing North Bay, Ontario and 5 Wing Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.
While the majority of the operation’s flights will be conducted over sparsely populated arctic areas at high altitudes where the public is not likely to see or hear aircraft in Canada, there will be an increase in military presence and flying activity at Whitehorse, Yellowknife and 5 Wing Goose Bay for the duration of the operation.
All participating military personnel are required to be fully vaccinated, having received a complete primary series of a Health of Canada approved COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, participating personnel travelling from outside Canada will receive a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before departing their home bases. All exercise participants will adhere to local, Territorial/Provincial, Federal and Canadian Armed Forces/Department of National Defence guidelines, regulations and orders regarding public health measures for the duration of the operation. In accordance with Newfoundland and Labrador policy, members arriving at 5 Wing Goose Bay will receive daily rapid antigen tests to reduce risk of COVID-19 exposure to exercise participants and members of the local community.
NORAD remains committed to working with our partners for an all-domain approach to arctic security and closely collaborating with other military commands, governments, Indigenous and Innu communities and stakeholders in the arctic to address emerging challenges and capabilities.