22 Wing North Bay is part of a North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, an arctic air defense operation involving a number of military aircraft and personnel from Canada and the United States.
The operation takes place March 14 to 17.
In addition to North Bay, in Canada, the operation will also be based out of Canadian Forces Station Alert, Nunavut; Whitehorse, Yukon; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; 17 Wing/CFB Winnipeg, Manitoba; and 5 Wing Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The majority of the operation’s flights will be conducted over sparsely populated arctic areas at high altitudes where the public is not likely to see or hear aircraft.
All participating military personnel are required to be fully vaccinated, having received a complete primary series of a Health of Canada approved COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, participating personnel travelling from outside Canada will receive a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before departing their home bases.
All exercise participants will adhere to local, Territorial/Provincial, Federal and Canadian Armed Forces/Department of National Defence guidelines, regulations and orders regarding public health measures for the duration of the operation.
"NORAD remains committed to working with our partners for an all-domain approach to arctic security and closely collaborating with other military commands, governments, Indigenous and Innu communities and stakeholders in the arctic to address emerging challenges and capabilities," says a news release.
