WASHINGTON—The U.S. military is preparing to request that new sensors be installed in the Canadian Arctic that would be able to track different types of incoming missiles.
A senior defence official says the request is being made to U.S. policy leaders—as well as the Canadian government.
Admiral William Gortney has told a news conference at the Pentagon that the current Arctic sensors are nearly obsolete and will have to be replaced in a few years.
He said he’d prefer replacing them with a newer version that could not only see farther, over the horizon, but also be able to track shorter-range cruise missiles.
Gortney is the head of the Canada-U.S. Norad program and of Northern Command—the Colorado-based body responsible for the U.S. missile-defence program.
Canada refused a decade ago to join the American missile shield, although it does play a role in monitoring the airspace through Norad.
