Running NORAD
NORAD was different from NATO, the other alliance that Canada and the United States were a part of. This meant the other members of NATO had no say over NORAD.
Although Canada was afraid at first to get into a partnership, they did take away a lot they would not have if not for NORAD. They were included in discussions other NATO allies were not.
NORAD was also responsible to both countries’ governments, meaning both were involved in decision making.
Canada only paid about 10% of NORAD expenses and ended up with a stronger defence system then they would have had on their own.
NORAD brought together four separate commands into one: ADCOM (the American Aerospace Defense Command), US Army Air Defense Command, US Naval Forces, and Canadian Air Defence Command (associated with the Royal Canadian Air Force).
Canadians were present throughout the commands except ADCOM because its focus was simply American.
Canada only had the one command because the army and navy were not involved with air defence command.
The Royal Canadian Navy did not have radar ships used for the defence of the continent and while there had been a command in the Canadian Army in 1949 as part of an Anti-Aircraft Command, it was shut down by the mid-1950s. The Canadian Army also never took on the Nike radar guided missiles from the United States.
The CINCNORAD (Commander in Chief of NORAD, known as NORAD CDR after 2002) was American, with the DCINCNORAD (Deputy Commander-in-Chief) being Canadian.
The First CINCNORAD was General Earle E. Partridge with his DCINCNORAD being Canadian Air Marshal, C. Roy Slemon. The DCINCNORAD, even though he was Canadian, was in charge when the CINCNORAD was away.
This was tested and proved true as Slemon once dealt with a supposed attack (which turned out to be radar pulses reflecting off the moon).
By 1958, 14% of NORAD personnel were Canadian. They were involved in many aspects including in NORAD Headquarters which became active in 1966 at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs.
Communication between the two countries and various stations was essential in the running of NORAD. This showed in 1969 as the telephone bill was almost $1 000, 000, 000.