Arctic airbase expansion eyed at Resolute Bay

David Pugliese
POSTMEDIA NEWS

The Royal Canadian Air Force has looked at a major expansion at Resolute Bay as it considers transforming it into a key base for Arctic operations, according to documents obtained by Postmedia.

The construction of a 3,000-metre paved runway, hangars, fuel installations and other infrastructure has been proposed as part of an effort to support government and military operations in the North.

Resolute Bay would be able to provide a logistics site for search-and-rescue operations as well as a base for strategic refuelling aircraft, according to the briefing from the Arctic Management Office at 1 Canadian Air Division, the air force’s Winnipeg-based command and control division. The briefing was presented in June 2010 and recently released by the Defence Department under the Access to Information law.

The long paved runway would allow fighter aircraft to operate from the site, with the suggestion in the presentation that could include NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command) jets.

Resolute Bay now has a 1,981-metre gravel runway, according to information provided for pilots by the federal government.

Resolute Bay should be considered for expansion to become a main operating base because it is “the geostrategic centre to the Arctic and (Northwest) Passage” and is an “existing regional supply hub with a permanent population/sea access,” according to the briefing. It would be seen as a “key Arctic regional development and sovereignty centrepiece.”

The presentation followed a February 2010 Arctic planning directive issued by the Chief of the Air Staff Lt.-Gen. André Deschamps, who called on the air force to become “a more relevant, responsive, and effective Arctic capable aerospace power.”

The RCAF stated “it does not have infrastructure or short term infrastructure projects at Resolute Bay.”

The email did not touch on the RCAF’s long-term plans for Resolute Bay or discuss the briefing from the Arctic Management Office.

The Conservative government has received kudos from some for paying more attention to the Arctic, but critics have raised concerns that much of that is based on a military presence while the government continues to cut back on science and research in the North.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has emphasized that Canada will increase its military presence in the region, announcing a series of initiatives, ranging from the construction of Arctic and offshore patrol ships for the navy, an Arctic training centre for troops and the expansion of the Canadian Rangers.

The Conservatives have also highlighted their decision to spend more than $14 billion on the F-35 stealth fighter as an initiative to protect the country’s Arctic airspace.