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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 001231 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ASEC PTER KOLY CA
SUBJECT: VANCOUVER OLYMPIC SECURITY UPDATE - COORDINATION 
REQUIRED 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  The February 12-28 2010 Olympic Games in 
Vancouver will present Canada, and the United States, with 
complex multi-jurisdictional security challenges.  The RCMP 
has the security lead, but is planning for the Canadian 
Forces (CF) to render military support of civilian security 
agencies should the need arise.  North American Aerospace 
Defense Command (NORAD) will coordinate air defense 
operations, and U.S. civilian agency and military assistance 
might be required in the event of a natural or man-made 
disaster.  The Canadian government shares Mission Canada's 
appreciation of the important coordination role of the 
Department of State's International Athletic Event Security 
Coordination Group (IAESCG), and Mission Canada will 
additionally strive to ensure that all U.S. government 
personnel seeking to conduct Olympics-related business in 
Canada must seek and receive country clearance before 
departing the United States.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) Vancouver 2010 Olympics Security Coordinator Ward 
Elcock presented Canada's national security plan for the 
Olympics to delegates attending the Conference of Defense 
Ministers of the Americas in Banff on September 5.  Elcock, 
who heads the Privy Council Office's (PCO) Office of the 
Coordinator for the 2010 Olympics and G8 Security, emphasized 
that Canada is in the throes of planning a "cultural and 
sporting event with a significant security aspect," rather 
than a security event with an athletic competition.  He noted 
that while the Vancouver Winter Games would draw 5,000 
athletes, 10,000 members of the media, 25,000 volunteers, and 
many more fans, it would be half the size of a typical summer 
games and therefore somewhat more manageable despite numerous 
multi-jurisdictional challenges. 
 
¶3.  (U) The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is leading 
Olympics security preparation, with support from the Canadian 
Forces (CF) and a range of federal, provincial, and municipal 
agencies and police departments, Elcock explained.  The RCMP 
therefore has the responsibility for fleshing out the 
government's security vision and developing the Olympics 
security operational plan, identifying shortfalls and gaps, 
and determining which national security tools best overcome 
these shortfalls and gaps.  The RCMP, with PCO support, will 
then initiate appropriate requests for support from civilian 
agencies and the CF. 
 
¶4.  (U) Elcock said that Canada would coordinate Olympics 
security at a single command center with two divisions 
reflecting the games' "two footprints," one for Vancouver, 
Qreflecting the games' "two footprints," one for Vancouver, 
and a second for the alpine venues 125 kilometers away at 
Whistler, a mountain resort.  Canadian authorities are 
planning for a "medium threat" environment but will be able 
to adapt quickly to higher or lower level security 
requirements, Elcock observed.  Air zones extend into the 
United States, he noted, requiring close coordination by the 
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Navigation 
Canada (NavCan).  Similarly, some of the ferries plying the 
seaways from Vancouver Island to the British Columbia 
mainland traverse U.S. waters, and this will require 
multi-jurisdictional coordination. 
 
¶6.  (U)  Current Canadian RCMP planning envisions two 
concentric circles of RCMP provided security, a Controlled 
Access Zone surrounded by an Interdiction Zone, and a third 
Outside Surveillance Zone provided by the military, according 
to Elcock. Should the need for additional emergency CF 
support of civilian security agencies arise, Canada's 
Minister of Public Safety (who is responsible for the RCMP 
 
OTTAWA 00001231  002 OF 002 
 
 
and other national security agencies) would request support 
from the Minister of National Defence who, in turn, would 
delegate the authority to act on the request to the Chief of 
Defence Staff (CDS).  The CDS would further delegate 
authority to Commander, Canada Command and his subordinate 
commanders of CF Joint Task Force Pacific (JTF/P) and JTF 
Games (JTF/G).  If called upon, the two JTFs could take on 
direct oversight of maritime, land, and Canadian air 
operations, engaging at the operational level with their 
civilian counterpart, the RCMP's 2010 Olympics Integrated 
Security Unit (RCMP/ISU). 
 
¶7.  (U) The JTFs would also coordinate air defense operations 
with NORAD, Elcock explained, which will have AWACs 
capability ready to assign to the airspace over the games and 
be able to deploy additional Canadian and U.S. aviation 
assets to meet any threats that arise.  In this context, 
Elcock made specific reference to Canadian F-18 and U.S. F-16 
fighter aircraft.  Canada is also coordinating closely with 
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State 
of Washington, Elcock added, as well as with NATO in case 
chemical, biological, radioactive, or nuclear (CBRNE) 
"special capabilities" are required on a large scale. 
Elcock observed that Canadian authorities have already run 
numerous tests on elements of security plan in order to 
"break things," and are on track to run a final exercise to 
test and certify operational preparedness in late fall 2009. 
The RCMP and its partner agencies meanwhile will begin to 
deploy police officers and other agency support to the 
Olympics site in late December 2009 and early January 2010, 
at least one month in advance of the February 12-28 games. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Canadian government shares Mission Canada's 
appreciation of the important coordination function of the 
Department of State's International Athletic Event Security 
Coordination Group (IAESCG) in preparation for the 2010 
Winter Olympics.  Embassy Ottawa has additionally instructed 
all U.S. agencies at Mission Canada to remind their home 
offices that all personnel must seek and receive country 
clearance before traveling abroad to Canada on 
Olympics-related business. 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
BREESE