COMMMAND CONTROL AND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AND SUBSYSTEMS-FUTURE NORTH AMERICAN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYNERGY

THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM (NAS) PLAN AND THE CANADIAN AIRSPACE SYSTEM (CAS) PLAN CONTAIN MODERNIZATION PROJECTS AFFECTING MOST ELEMENTS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN AIRSPACE SYSTEM AND HAVE POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON SYSTEM USERS. FURTHER, THE AIRSPACE SYSTEMS OF THE U.S. AND CANADA HAVE CONSIDERABLE POINTS OF INTERDEPENDENCY AND INTERRELATIONSHIP. AS BEFITED THEIR INDEPENDENT NATIONAL INTERESTS, EACH COUNTRY DEVELOPED THEIR MODERNIZATION REQUIREMENTS IN RELATIVE ISOLATION FROM ONE ANOTHER. FURTHER, THE RESPECTIVE DEFENSE AGENCIES OF THESE COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN ONLY MINIMALLY INVOLVED WITH MODERNIZATION PLANS AND NOT IN A STRUCTURED ORGANIZATIONAL MANNER. THE MILITARY IS VITALLY INTERESTED IN THE OPERATION, PLANNING, AND POTENTIAL LONG-RANGE INTERFACE WITH NAS AND CAS PLAN PROJECTS. INDIVIDUAL DEFENSE AGENCIES HAVE A CRITICAL INTEREST IN ENSURING ADEQUATE COMMAND, CONTROL, AND COMMUNICATIONS INFRATRUCTURE AND INTERFACE FOR THE DEFENSE MISSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSAL ARE TO: (1) ESTABLISH THE POINTS OF INTEROPERABILITY TO FACILITATE EXCHANGE OF LESSONS LEARNED, POSSIBLE OUTYEAR TECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, AND RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GAINS; AND (2) DETERMINE THE MAJOR INTERFACE ISSUES BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES FROM A TECHNOLOGICAL AND AN ORGANIZATIONAL PRESPECTIVE.