Amalgam Dart, an Arctic air defense exercise, begins over Canada next week, the North American Aerospace Defense Command announced on Wednesday.

The regular exercise, involving U.S. and Canadian forces, will be conducted from March 20-26, and offers "a peacetime-to-wartime simulation intended to exercise aerospace warning and control capabilities," a statement by the Royal Canadian Air Force said.

Six air forces bases, five across Canada and one in Greenland, will be involved.

A NORAD statement on Wednesday noted that the exercise will be at high altitude and over sparsely populated areas, and emphasized that risk mitigation procedures will be followed to reduce spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Bases at Whitehorse, Yukon Territory; Yellowknife, Northwest Territory; Edmonton, Alberta; and Goose Bay, Newfoundland, Iqaluit, Nunavut, and Thule in Greenland will participate.

"NORAD routinely conducts exercises using a variety of scenarios including airspace restriction violations, hijackings, and responses to unknown aircraft," the statement added. "NORAD carefully plans and closely controls all exercises.

"This air defense exercise provides us the opportunity to hone our skills as Canadian and U.S. forces operate together with our allies and partners in the Arctic," NORAD officials said.

In 2020, NORAD intercepted Russian military aircraft several times before the planes entered U.S. and Canadian airspace.

"Our northern approaches have had an increase in foreign military activity as our competitors continue to expand their military presence and probe our defenses," Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, NORAD commander, said in a statement in August 2020, emphasizing why the exercises are necessary.

"This year, we've conducted more than a dozen intercepts, the most in recent years. The importance of our continued efforts to project air defense operations in and through the north has never been more apparent," VanHerck said at the time.

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Iran, Russia denounce UK plan to boost nuclear arsenal
Tehran (AFP) March 17, 2021
Iran and Russia on Wednesday denounced the UK's decision to bolster its nuclear arsenal, with the Islamic republic accusing it of "hypocrisy" and the Kremlin warning the move threatens international stability. Britain announced Tuesday that it plans to increase its nuclear arsenal from 180 warheads to 260 by the end of the decade, as it published a document outlining a recalibration of its foreign policy. The move reverses a previous commitment by London to reduce its stockpile. Britain had ... read more