WEBVTT 00:08.619 --> 00:10.730 Good morning , ladies and gentlemen , 00:10.730 --> 00:12.897 today , the men and women of the North 00:12.897 --> 00:15.063 American Aerospace Defense Command and 00:15.063 --> 00:16.897 United States Northern Command . 00:16.897 --> 00:19.008 Welcome you to the celebration of the 00:19.008 --> 00:21.175 65th anniversary of the North American 00:21.175 --> 00:22.730 Aerospace Defense Command , 00:22.730 --> 00:25.319 affectionately known as Nor AD . We are 00:25.329 --> 00:27.496 celebrating a significant milestone in 00:27.496 --> 00:29.770 no A D's history . The 65th anniversary 00:29.780 --> 00:32.060 of the original Nr AD agreement and 00:32.069 --> 00:35.049 when it was signed , Norad's existence 00:35.060 --> 00:37.004 and evolution are testament to the 00:37.004 --> 00:38.893 enduring relationship between the 00:38.893 --> 00:41.116 United States and Canada and our deeply 00:41.116 --> 00:42.838 shared values of defending our 00:42.838 --> 00:45.229 homelands . Our host for today's 00:45.240 --> 00:47.369 ceremony is General Glen D Van Herk , 00:47.400 --> 00:49.509 Commander , North American Aerospace 00:49.520 --> 00:51.409 Defense Command and United States 00:51.409 --> 00:53.779 Northern Command . He will be joined by 00:53.790 --> 00:56.180 our keynote speakers , General Thomas J 00:56.189 --> 00:58.245 Lawson , former Chief of the Defense 00:58.245 --> 01:00.889 Staff , Canadian Armed Forces , retired 01:01.369 --> 01:03.313 and Lieutenant General Francis J . 01:03.313 --> 01:05.647 Allen , vice Chief of the Defense Staff , 01:05.647 --> 01:08.180 Canadian Armed Forces , an honor to 01:08.190 --> 01:12.160 have two outstanding members with 01:12.169 --> 01:14.279 no R AD background and intimate 01:14.290 --> 01:16.660 knowledge and experience of defending 01:16.669 --> 01:18.790 our homelands . And my privilege to 01:18.800 --> 01:20.967 introduce the first , who's a former , 01:20.967 --> 01:23.680 no , a deputy commander and also the 01:23.690 --> 01:26.849 18th commander , our Chief of the 01:26.860 --> 01:29.699 Defense Staff of Canada . And it's my 01:29.709 --> 01:33.309 privilege to welcome General Tom Lawson 01:33.319 --> 01:34.720 here , retired 01:43.980 --> 01:47.160 my time here as deputy commander before 01:47.169 --> 01:50.699 I was snatched back to take the role as 01:50.709 --> 01:53.010 chief defense was simply one of the 01:53.019 --> 01:56.480 most enjoyable and enlightening periods 01:56.489 --> 01:59.930 of my 40 year career . Among the many 01:59.940 --> 02:02.319 things I learned while I was here is 02:02.339 --> 02:04.339 what the young men and women of our 02:04.339 --> 02:06.680 nations in . You heart can do together 02:07.099 --> 02:09.520 when they put their efforts towards the 02:09.529 --> 02:12.759 best defense outcomes for their nations . 02:14.059 --> 02:16.281 Ladies and gentlemen , anyone who takes 02:16.281 --> 02:18.880 the time to study , no ad in all its 02:18.889 --> 02:21.699 glory will marvel at what really 02:21.710 --> 02:25.649 amounts to about 65 years of vigorous 02:25.660 --> 02:28.630 adaptation to an evolving threat . 02:29.479 --> 02:31.729 It seems that just as one generation of 02:31.740 --> 02:34.179 our predecessors in uniform was 02:34.190 --> 02:36.820 becoming comfortable with their version 02:36.970 --> 02:39.110 of how they had positioned themselves 02:39.119 --> 02:42.350 for the threat . Change was required . 02:43.990 --> 02:46.212 For example , when the command stood up 02:46.212 --> 02:49.740 65 years ago , all focus was 02:49.750 --> 02:53.429 on the threat of those silver World 02:53.440 --> 02:57.289 war two era bombers from the US sr 02:57.300 --> 03:00.110 perhaps bringing nuclear weaponry to 03:00.119 --> 03:02.729 our continent over the North Pole . 03:03.270 --> 03:06.820 Terrifying . In a response , our 03:06.830 --> 03:09.910 grandparents' generation completed one 03:09.919 --> 03:12.199 of the most remarkable and accelerated 03:12.210 --> 03:14.839 construction projects in this 03:14.850 --> 03:17.149 continent's history . The threat was 03:17.160 --> 03:20.089 serious existential really and they 03:20.100 --> 03:22.539 knew it . So they rolled up their 03:22.550 --> 03:25.669 collective sleeves and laid down three 03:25.679 --> 03:28.229 separate radar lines west to east 03:28.559 --> 03:32.270 across our continent and tied it all 03:32.279 --> 03:34.820 together to command centers often dug 03:34.830 --> 03:36.779 out of the granite of our nation's 03:36.789 --> 03:39.000 crusts like right here at Cheyenne 03:39.009 --> 03:42.500 Mountain . And they all did all of this 03:42.509 --> 03:44.949 within a short couple of years . What 03:44.960 --> 03:47.440 they did boggles the mind , 03:48.889 --> 03:51.000 but it was what they knew they had to 03:51.000 --> 03:53.850 do for the defense of the continent and 03:53.860 --> 03:56.839 their accomplishments back then provide 03:56.850 --> 03:59.559 us a sense of where our nations were 03:59.740 --> 04:03.179 together . In 1958 . The 04:03.190 --> 04:06.750 gravity of the threat swept away all 04:06.759 --> 04:09.369 barriers at any other time . The 04:09.380 --> 04:12.119 delicate sensitivities of territorial 04:12.130 --> 04:14.699 sovereignty would have tied up 04:14.710 --> 04:18.200 negotiations for years . But with a 04:18.209 --> 04:20.779 deep sense of urgency , the drafters 04:20.790 --> 04:22.899 laid out the paragraphs of the Nora 04:22.920 --> 04:26.250 agreement and what stands 65 years 04:26.260 --> 04:30.140 later as the only Binational Agreement 04:30.149 --> 04:33.600 in the world several years later as 04:33.609 --> 04:36.269 NORAD was approaching 40 years in 04:36.279 --> 04:39.079 operation with the US sr having 04:39.089 --> 04:41.429 disappeared and Russia seemingly 04:41.440 --> 04:43.769 becoming an international colleague , 04:44.040 --> 04:47.130 perhaps friend . Remember those days , 04:48.529 --> 04:51.750 many wondered if Norad's value may be 04:51.760 --> 04:54.350 waning and those debates were in full 04:54.359 --> 04:58.269 flight just as the horrors of 911 04:58.279 --> 05:02.079 attacks arrived . Now , the 05:02.089 --> 05:03.867 simple effectiveness of NORAD'S 05:03.867 --> 05:05.880 response was one of the only bright 05:05.890 --> 05:09.420 spots on that terrible day . And the 05:09.429 --> 05:11.596 headquarters building today honors the 05:11.596 --> 05:14.019 commander and deputy commander of the 05:14.029 --> 05:16.085 time General Eberhardt and Findley . 05:16.170 --> 05:18.519 Both gentlemen , I've long considered 05:19.010 --> 05:22.290 mentors and friends and in response to 05:22.299 --> 05:24.540 the threat of airliners being used as 05:24.549 --> 05:26.779 terrorist threats . There came a 05:26.790 --> 05:28.957 deployment of fighters and air defense 05:28.957 --> 05:31.309 systems in key locations across the 05:31.320 --> 05:33.670 continent , a deployment that stands 05:33.679 --> 05:36.350 until today . And the defense that 05:36.359 --> 05:38.989 provides the confidence that no O ad 05:39.000 --> 05:42.190 stands ready to respond to threats and 05:42.200 --> 05:44.630 the immediacy that reflects nations 05:44.640 --> 05:47.269 serious about their defense 05:49.269 --> 05:51.709 as Nora has moved with deafness and 05:51.720 --> 05:54.170 agility toward today's milestone , the 05:54.179 --> 05:56.250 65th birthday of this remarkable 05:56.260 --> 05:59.010 command . The challenge for every 05:59.100 --> 06:01.950 command team since Partridge and Sleman , 06:02.399 --> 06:05.809 Jacoby and Lawson and now Van Herk and 06:05.820 --> 06:08.570 Pel . The challenge has been to ensure 06:08.579 --> 06:11.149 that our political masters remained 06:11.160 --> 06:14.130 aware of the seriousness of the threat 06:14.200 --> 06:17.959 as it has enhanced itself . Ladies and 06:17.970 --> 06:20.350 gentlemen , I'm so proud of having been 06:20.359 --> 06:22.850 a part of Norad's journey and what no 06:23.059 --> 06:25.559 ad represents for Canada and the US . 06:25.570 --> 06:28.179 And I'm also proud that the model that 06:28.190 --> 06:30.246 was instituted when I was here under 06:30.246 --> 06:32.929 Chuck Jacoby's command in 2011 06:33.320 --> 06:36.329 remains to today , Nora . 06:37.369 --> 06:40.380 We have the watch . Thank you very much , 06:50.709 --> 06:52.876 General Lawson . Thank you very much , 06:52.876 --> 06:55.098 General Van Herk will now introduce our 06:55.098 --> 06:58.670 next guest speaker . Ok . 06:58.679 --> 07:01.239 Wow . Well done . General . It's my 07:01.250 --> 07:03.583 privilege to introduce our next speaker . 07:03.583 --> 07:06.029 Speaker's vice chief of the Defense 07:06.040 --> 07:08.779 Staff in Canada . No stranger to the no 07:08.820 --> 07:10.931 ad mission , a long and distinguished 07:10.931 --> 07:13.470 career . And it's my honor to welcome 07:13.480 --> 07:15.480 Lieutenant General Francis Allen to 07:15.480 --> 07:17.091 share some words , Francis . 07:26.070 --> 07:28.190 When Canadians and Americans work 07:28.200 --> 07:30.989 together , we accomplish amazing things 07:31.000 --> 07:34.089 and by any measure no ad is exactly 07:34.100 --> 07:38.089 that E le de de de la Meri 07:38.839 --> 07:42.549 de El set Grande real NORAD 07:42.559 --> 07:45.899 is one of those amazing accomplishments , 07:46.739 --> 07:48.850 but it is more than just a successful 07:48.850 --> 07:51.072 military partnership between Canada and 07:51.072 --> 07:53.640 the United States . It is also a symbol 07:53.649 --> 07:56.100 of the deep and lasting friendship 07:56.170 --> 07:59.420 between our two nations . We're more 07:59.429 --> 08:02.279 than friends across the 49th parallel . 08:02.299 --> 08:05.549 We are family . We monitor the skies 08:05.559 --> 08:07.989 and the , and the seas together . We 08:08.000 --> 08:11.359 crew aircraft together , we train 08:11.369 --> 08:14.119 together and in fact , General Van Herk 08:14.130 --> 08:16.352 and I were on the same cap storm course 08:16.352 --> 08:18.950 back in the day together as newly 08:18.959 --> 08:22.640 minted generals . So we live and we 08:22.649 --> 08:25.399 strive and we grieve together . 08:26.380 --> 08:29.429 Some of you may have been at 22 Wing in 08:29.440 --> 08:33.099 North Bay in Ontario back in 2006 for a 08:33.109 --> 08:35.429 building naming ceremony to honor our 08:35.440 --> 08:37.880 fallen comrade in arms sergeant David 08:37.890 --> 08:40.789 Pitcher of the Royal Canadian Air Force 08:40.799 --> 08:43.349 in 1995 Sergeant pitcher and his fellow 08:43.359 --> 08:45.081 crew members made the ultimate 08:45.081 --> 08:47.150 sacrifice in Alaska , defending our 08:47.159 --> 08:49.679 continent . Reflections on how we 08:49.690 --> 08:51.412 mourned and remembered the two 08:51.412 --> 08:54.669 Canadians and 22 Americans of that E 08:54.679 --> 08:56.846 three B airborne early morning , a wax 08:56.846 --> 08:59.250 aircraft . We are reminded of the deep 08:59.260 --> 09:02.409 connection that we share as we choose a 09:02.419 --> 09:06.000 life of service before self , a 09:06.080 --> 09:09.669 life where we fight and thrive and 09:09.679 --> 09:13.179 achieve together our common purpose and 09:13.190 --> 09:16.409 experience brings us closer and gives 09:16.419 --> 09:18.640 us a unified strength to watch over 09:18.650 --> 09:20.700 this spectacular continent that we 09:20.710 --> 09:23.960 share when our work involves 09:23.969 --> 09:27.260 surveying and defending 7.5 million 09:27.270 --> 09:30.119 square miles of combined aerospace and 09:30.130 --> 09:32.559 providing warning for our vast maritime 09:32.570 --> 09:35.400 approaches . We have to be stronger 09:35.409 --> 09:38.250 together to General Van Herk and to all 09:38.260 --> 09:40.440 of my colleagues in the US and in 09:40.450 --> 09:42.940 Canada stationed here at nor AD 09:42.950 --> 09:45.780 headquarters working to support the NR 09:45.789 --> 09:47.859 A mission that is executed here and 09:47.869 --> 09:49.591 across the countries . Our two 09:49.591 --> 09:51.650 countries . Thank you for the vital 09:51.659 --> 09:53.859 work that you do in defending the 09:53.869 --> 09:56.489 continent . And happy 65th 10:06.919 --> 10:09.059 General Allen . Thank you very much , 10:10.309 --> 10:13.359 General Van Herk . The floor is yours . 10:16.609 --> 10:19.739 Thanks Carl . I would tell you that 10:19.750 --> 10:22.869 there's no doubt that the relationship 10:22.880 --> 10:25.520 as you've heard between our two nations 10:25.710 --> 10:27.932 that this form in NR A is special and I 10:27.932 --> 10:29.809 can't tell you how honored and 10:29.820 --> 10:32.169 privileged I am to serve as the 26th 10:32.179 --> 10:35.799 commander of ned something General 10:35.809 --> 10:38.780 Vance made very clear to me right back 10:38.789 --> 10:41.710 here in a room was about how important 10:41.719 --> 10:44.640 no Ed is to North America , Canada and 10:44.650 --> 10:46.706 the United States when he gave me my 10:46.706 --> 10:49.510 marching orders when I took command 10:49.640 --> 10:51.929 nearly three years ago . Now , it 10:51.940 --> 10:53.940 really is special and it's unique . 10:54.070 --> 10:56.159 It's unique . As you heard General 10:56.169 --> 10:58.058 Lawson talk about . It's the only 10:58.058 --> 11:00.820 binational command in the entire world 11:00.989 --> 11:04.179 which makes us special . While we are 11:04.190 --> 11:06.960 separate nations , we are absolutely 11:06.969 --> 11:08.858 inseparable in purpose and that's 11:08.859 --> 11:10.780 defending North America and our 11:10.789 --> 11:13.799 homelands . And so together with the , 11:13.809 --> 11:16.369 the leadership , all the people of no 11:16.450 --> 11:19.140 ad United States Northern Command who 11:19.150 --> 11:21.094 have the most noble mission on the 11:21.094 --> 11:24.000 planet of defending our way of life in 11:24.010 --> 11:26.121 our homeland . I'm incredibly proud . 11:26.599 --> 11:28.766 So it continues to be an honor Merrill 11:28.766 --> 11:30.821 and I , I can't thank you enough for 11:30.821 --> 11:33.380 the support that you give us for the 11:33.390 --> 11:36.609 opportunity to lead you as a team and 11:36.619 --> 11:38.799 to continue defending our homelands . 11:39.150 --> 11:41.317 I'm proud to have the watch as General 11:41.317 --> 11:43.594 Lawson talked about each and every day , 11:43.594 --> 11:45.817 every second of every day of every week 11:45.817 --> 11:48.539 of every year for the last 65 years . 11:48.549 --> 11:50.890 No , has had the watch and we will 11:50.900 --> 11:53.489 continue to have the watch . God bless 11:53.500 --> 11:56.530 all of you . No . And our members , 11:56.609 --> 11:59.090 Canada and the United States of America . 11:59.099 --> 11:59.609 Thank you .