App Single Notice | Town of Happy Valley Goose Bay

Public Service Announcement

NORAD TO CONDUCT ARCTIC AIR DEFENSE EXERCISE

Sept 17, 2020 – Goose Bay, NL – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

In the coming week North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will be conducting an arctic air defence exercise. The exercise will see a variety of military aircraft from the Royal Canadian Air Force and United States Air Force based out of 5 Wing Goose Bay.

While exercise flights will be conducted over sparsely populated Arctic areas and at high altitudes where the public is not likely to hear or see them, there will be increased flight activity at 5 Wing, Goose Bay. This exercise is in no way related to the Government of Canada or United States’ response to COVID-19.

NORAD routinely conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responses to unknown aircraft. NORAD carefully plans and closely controls all exercises. This air defence exercise provides us the opportunity to hone our skills as Canadian and U.S. forces operate together with our allies and partners in the Arctic.

Preventative measures have been implemented to mitigate potential risk of exposure to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by military members and the local population including:

reducing group sizes to the minimum required
limiting duration of operations where practical
mandating all exercise personnel remain group-quarantined on base
participating U.S. military personnel require two negative COVID-19 tests, separated by five days, with the last test prior to arriving in Canada
regular hand sanitation
physical distancing
wearing of face masks

5 Wing Goose Bay has worked closely with Newfoundland and Labrador Public Health officials to ensure all recommended COVID mitigation protocols are in place.

For more than 60 years, NORAD has identified and intercepted potential air threats to North America through the execution of the command’s aerospace warning and aerospace control missions. NORAD also keeps watch over Canadian and U.S. internal waterways and maritime approaches under its maritime warning mission.

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Links

North American Aerospace Defense Command

Royal Canadian Air Force

Contacts

Captain Trevor Ackland

Public Affairs Officer

5 Wing Goose Bay

Phone: (709) 896-6900 ext. 6928

E-Mail: trevor.ackland@forces.gc.ca

Captain Ken Jacobson

Public Affairs Officer