NORAD and Continental Security: Defending the Continent Together

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) represents the deepest military integration between any two sovereign nations. Since 1958, Canadian and American forces have jointly defended North American airspace under a binational command structure unique in the world. This arrangement reflects geographic reality—the continent's airspace cannot be sensibly defended by either nation alone—while creating an intimate defence relationship that shapes both countries' security postures.