Download - Canadian Forces in the Arctic-Communications
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 ?