Sovereignty and Command in Canada–US Continental Air Defence, 1940–57
The most thorough study of Canada–US command and control relations to date, Sovereignty and Command in Canada–US Continental Air Defence, 1940–57 traces Canada’s efforts to protect its sovereignty by retaining command over its armed forces.
Description
The 1940 Ogdensburg Agreement entrenched a formal defence relationship between Canada and the United States – but was Canadian sovereignty upheld? Sovereignty and Command combines historical narrative with conceptual analysis of sovereignty, command and control systems, military professionalism, and civil-military relations to document the sometimes fractious Canada–US continental air defence relationship. Richard Goette argues that a functional military transition from an air defence system based on cooperation to one based on integrated and centralized command and control under NORAD allowed Canada to retain command of its forces and thus protect Canadian sovereignty.
Reviews
Richard Goette’s book is clearly a labor of love. Goette is a historian and airpower expert, and this book represents a deep dive into the decisions and debates between 1940 and 1957 that created the command and control (C2) architecture of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) (now North American Aerospace Defense Command).
- Andrea Charron
Goette has successfully produced a deeply researched work that is the first significant study of the development of Canadian-US continental defense in the post-Second World War era and, as such, it will remain the go-to book for those looking to understand the origins of this unique relationship for the foreseeable future.
- Brian Laslie, Deputy Command Historian, NORAD and USNORTHCOM