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Here is the backgrounder referred to above:

Backgrounder

Canada–United States defence transportation agreement:integrated lines of communications (ILOC)

BG–08.002 - April 23, 2008

In the changing security environment of the twenty-first century, Canada is committed to providing relevant and timely responses in the event of domestic and international security threats. In view of this commitment, Canada and the United States (US) have renewed the Integrated Lines of Communications (ILOC) defence transportation agreement to facilitate the deployment of troops, equipment and supplies to a theatre of operations when the requirements of both nations converge.

Benefits of the ILOC Agreement

Lines of communications are routes over land, water and air that connect a military force to a base of operations. The ILOC agreement builds on the long and successful history of defence cooperation between Canada and the United States and is one option, among many, that can be used by both countries to facilitate access to strategic lift through the sharing of military transportation resources. Access to US transportation resources complements other strategic lift capabilities of the Canadian Forces (CF), including a fleet of four C-17 Globemaster III strategic lift aircraft recently purchased as part of the “Canada First” defence strategy.

In the past, of particular benefit to Canada has been the use of American resources to deploy and sustain CF troops in Afghanistan. It has also provided Canadian exchange officers, overseeing ILOC logistics in the US, with invaluable expertise and training opportunities in the US Defense Transportation System (DTS). These ILOC officers have returned to Canada with detailed knowledge and experience that has been successfully applied to subsequent CF operations.

The ILOC agreement has further enhanced Canada’s close defence relationship with the US by increasing the ability of both nations to operate side by side during operations, helping to maximize Canada’s contribution to the defence of North America and to international peace and security efforts.

Key Improvements

Under the revised agreement, the scope of the program has been expanded to include all phases of operations and the requirement to officially “activate” the program before use has been removed. This important change facilitates the use of the ILOC agreement by Canada when its operational requirements converge with those of the US.

Further, the new agreement clarifies the status of ILOC personnel as exchange officers rather than liaison officers, providing them with greater flexibility and access to information when performing their day-to-day jobs.

This exchange program provides Canada unique insight into American transportation capabilities and processes, and has been invaluable for improving military interoperability between our armed forces with regard to transportation and logistics.

Historical Background

Established during the Cold War in 1979, ILOC was designed to create a shared strategic transportation pipeline—ships and planes, both military and commercial—for the defence of Western Europe. The program focused on moving equipment and supplies and conducting medical evacuations during the sustainment phase of possible military operations. However, the transport of military forces during the deployment and redeployment phases of operations remained a national responsibility. In the post-Cold War environment of 1994, the ILOC program was modified to take on a more global and less Eurocentric focus. A number of positions in Europe were reduced and strategically reassigned to new positions in the re-designed US Defence Transportation System.

Building on Past Success

ILOC was formally activated for the fist time in 2001 to transport the 3rd Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group—over 900 personnel with basic combat and support equipment and supplies—from Canada to Afghanistan in support of Canada’s contribution to the international campaign against terrorism.

A number of American Air Mobility Command aircraft were dedicated to this operation, flying from the United States to Edmonton and Winnipeg to pick up the troops and equipment, carry them to American bases in Germany, and then transfer them to aircraft capable of landing in Afghanistan. In this instance, Canadian and American officials agreed to activate ILOC because airlift assets were available and cooperating to transport CF resources was of mutual benefit.

The success of the ILOC program in support of operations in Afghanistan renewed Canadian and American interest in updating and formally approving a new ILOC agreement. The result is a new arrangement that is more relevant to modern and complex operational realities, and is indicative of the close, mutually beneficial defence relationship that Canada and the United States have long shared.