It’s interesting that this wasn’t bigger news back in late February: Canada, U.S. agree to use each other’s troops in civil emergencies

Apparently, in a deal inked Feb 14th (love was apparently in the air) the US and Canada are allowed to send troops over the border. This does make me uncomfortable. In any real emergency the countries would communicate and presumably send whatever they could to help, such as Canada offering to send help for Katrina. The need for an agreement like this seems more to avoid approval by the civilian leadership, which of course makes me wonder why.