Canada Command - Role and Structure

Role and Structure

Canada Command's primary role was to "deter, prevent, preempt, and defeat threats and aggression aimed at Canada". To this end, the command was responsible for assessing and developing national contingency response plans in order to react rapidly at the request of the Government of Canada. It shared resources with the Canadian Operational Support Command (now merged), the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command and to a lesser extent with the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (also merged), offered a single point of contact for civil authorities, law enforcement agencies and security partners, and maintained a close relationship with the United States Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defence Command. The command was divided into ten subordinate organizations: six joint task forces (JTFs), three search and rescue regions (SRRs), and a single air component commander (CFACC) responsible for the allocation of air assets to the JTFs. At the national and regional level, Canada Command planned for contingencies, allocated resources for routine domestic and continental operations, and maintained the capacity to deploy military assets in assistance to civil authorities. Canada Command reported directly to the Chief of the Defence Staff and was headed by Lieutenant-General Walter Semianiw, CMM MSC CD and its senior non-commissioned member was Chief Warrant Officer Michel J.Y. Ouellet, MMM CD.