What Would A Modern Day Defence Scheme No. 1 Look Like?

As we all know, nations often have emergency war plans to fight wars that will probably never happen, but are made just in case. One example in the 1920s was Defence Scheme No. 1, which detailed Canada's defense plans in case of an attack by the U.S. What would a modern day Defence Scheme No. 1 look like?
 

The Vulture

Banned
Probably try to cover major choke points coming into the country with armor and air cover to buy time to evacuate civilians and negotiate with the United States. Protecting Canadian airspace would be the hardest part.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Canadians actually have a classified plan, just in case.
 
Plan.

step 1. grab white sheets off bed
Step 2. Grab Duct Tape from Garage
Step 3. Tape sheet to Pole
Step 4. stand in yard and wave said sheet
_______________________________________________

After war.

1. Laugh as Quebec annoys the USA so bad that they leave Canada.
2. Continue to rub in "we won the gold in hockey in 2010.. Neener neener"
 

Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
Well, Defence Scheme no.1 was premised on buying time until Commonwealth troops arrived. Doesn't really fit in today's world.

I guess it depends what prompts a US invasion. An invasion would be ASB unless Canada acted in an equally ASB manner to justify such an attack. If every American just woke up one morning and felt a pressing need to invade Canada, I think pretty much every other developed country in the world would freak out because they'd realise that they're in the same position as Canada (ie. not having worried too much about having self-sufficient defence capabilities since the end of WW2 because they thought the US was guaranteeing their security).

Even if Canada was able to stall for the arrival of some sort of expeditionary force from the rest of a shit-scared world, said expeditionary force wouldn't be much of a match for the US armed forces on its home turf, assuming it could get anywhere near North America. The UK or France have the option of threatening to use their nuclear deterrent I suppose. I wonder if China or Russia would go to bat for Canada.

Difficult thing to conjecture about since it's so unlikely. I pity the poor Canadian defence analyst tasked with coming up with such a secret defence plan. The best option might be to hide military assets and start planning for a guerilla war against American occupation.
 
Actually the standing joke in the USA is that we could send the Bronx or South LA chapter of the Boy Scouts over to kick Canada into submission. No need to send the actual military.

Disclaimer ...

( No offense to Canada.. I like you the way you are for the most part.. you say eh.. too many times and yell at me when i spell colour - color but hey.. what ever.. You are our mellow neighbors to the north and we are the ADHD freak kid in the middle with mexico being the stoned hippie sibling to the south)
 
the defense scheme would probably rely heavily on use of behind the line forces to slow the invaders down, while arriving for international forces to arrive. i doubt the USA would really want to fight the rest of the world though;)
 
I envisage something along the lines of the film Red Dawn.

Main forces withdraw and regroup while guerillas ('BEAVERS!') fight the invaders in the forests. China jumps on the US' back - small nuclear exchange between the two - then the good guys come back and win as (not) explained by some post-film exposition, saving the hard work of making this look realistic.
 
I don't think a modern rerun of Defense Scheme No. 1 is really a viable warplan, in the event that it was needed. The whole concept rests on a number of strategic assumptions (as do all such plans) that are no longer really applicable in the modern world. In particular, it assumes that it will take a decent amount of time to mobilize the United States for a war against Canada, and that help from the United Kingdom et. al. would be on the way and ready to tip the balance.

Looking at things now, a very different scenario. American aircraft staging out of the CONUS could easily flatten the Canadians, and there are too many (and those are too dispersed) to be easily eliminated in a preemptive strike. This sums up a lot of the dilemma. Canada is too large to defend at all points, almost all the really vital parts are within easy reach of American forces, it doesn't have the firepower or numbers to go toe to to with the US, and nobody is willing or able to bail them out.

So, where does this leave our Canadian defense planner? Well, there is asymetric warfare. The best option is probably to recognize a stand-up fight as a foregone conclusion. Canada can make a brave showing, but it cannot win. But if we went to other methods, things change. Canada is huge, and holding it all would be no mean feat (although one wonders how much the Americans would need to actively control). A relatively undefended border and an english-speaking populace would make raids on American territory easy enough. By turning Canada into another Northern Ireland, perhaps the Americans could be expelled.
 
Well since Defense Scheme 1 was supposed to be a pre-emptive strike, I see CF-18's pulling the same manoeuvres seen in the First Gulf War and come in on their targets low and fast. Once major airfields and military installations/infrastructure are hit, we use whatever we can to hit as much infrastructure as possible and as far as possible.

Secret agents/commandos planted in America prior to the invasion begin to implement a terror-based form of warfare to occupy the National Guard.

Canada shuts off the power and water and oil and gas supply to the States further hindering their ability to respond.

The destruction and blocking of as many railroads, highways, bridges, etc. as can be accomplished and sending waht will remain of our airforce up to our FOB's which would more than likely be Alert and Iqaluit.

Our army does its best to protect as many assets as it can by hiding them in our many forests and mountains and hills.

Canadians, statistically possessing more guns per capita than the States begin a long and brutal guerilla war using sympathy generated around the world to bring attention to their cause.

Pull a Newfoundland/Russia and use scorched earth policy, further causing problems for the US Military.
 

MacCaulay

Banned
First off...half the posts in this thread are really dickish. I was already pissed about the amount of dickheadedness towards France that popped up, and then this shit...


Well since Defense Scheme 1 was supposed to be a pre-emptive strike, I see CF-18's pulling the same manoeuvres seen in Bosnia and Kosovo and come in on their targets low and fast.

I fixed that for you so folks know that CF-18s actually have dropped those bombs before, and they've done it in relatively hostile environments.


Secret agents/commandos planted in America prior to the invasion begin to implement a terror-based form of warfare to occupy the National Guard.

Wow...like that doesn't make me look like a dick.

Canada shuts off the power and water and oil and gas supply to the States further hindering their ability to respond.

I never thought about that. Pretty much the entire northwest could be blacked out relatively quickly.

I don't get the idea of Newfoundland's Scorched Earth thing? :confused:

I always thought Newfoundland WAS scorched earth. ;)
 
surrender, draft state constitutions and ask for admission to the Union, and then cackle manically as the U.S. is forced to adopt universal single-payer healthcare, public financing for all electoral campaigns, and steep cuts in military spending.
 
Deterrrence

Canada had a hand, more like 2 or 3, in developing the atomic bomb.
We have reactors and a few good research facilities. Lots of spent fuel and other items.

If any kind of warning or run up occured don't you think maybe 10-20 'atomic' weapons could be made (be they dirty, improvised or other)?

CF-188s could make a nice firebreak across the border if anyone dared to step a foot north.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
This would be very easy, actually.

1. Use an American affiliate of a Canadian corporation to make campaign contributions to key members of Congress in tough reelection fights, thus getting them to cut off all funding for the invasion.

2. Use Canada's superiority in entertainment celebrities and produce cheap and inane reality television programs in order to distract the American people until they forget that there is even a war going on.

3. Counterattack.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
But seriously...

I would deploy the regular combat units in Canada's major cities, with orders to engage in house-to-house fighting for as long as they can, inflicting as many casualties on the Americans as possible.

I would disperse the Air Force to remote and concealed airbases, with orders to attack targets of opportunity for as long as they can survive.

I would order any available submarines and other warships to attack American cargo ships for as long as possible, avoiding American warships at all costs.

I would order all reserve units, law enforcement units, and all arme citizens to carry on guerrilla warfare as long as there is a Yankee north of the border.
 
Top