The Permanent Joint Board on Defense (spelled Defence in Canadian English) is the senior advisory body on continental military defence of North America. The board was established by Canada and the United States on August 17, 1940 under the Ogdensburg Agreement, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King at Ogdensburg, New York. The board consists of both Canadian and American military and civilian representatives. The main purpose of the group is to provide policy-level consultation on bilateral defence matters. Periodically the board conducts studies and reports to the governments of the United States and Canada. The board, which is co-chaired by a Canadian and an American, meets semi-annually, alternating between either country. The joint board is similar to several entities formed earlier by the two countries. In 1909 they formed the International Joint Commission, which by 1940 had successfully resolved issues regarding waters along the Canada–United States border; another was the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission. Such bodies' success likely influenced the design of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense. See also Military history of Canada Military history of the United States Ogdensburg Agreement NORAD DEW Line Canadian-American relations United States Department of Defense Department of National Defence (Canada) Further reading Stacey, C. P. "The Canadian-American Permanent Joint Board on Defence, 1940–1945". International Journal 9, 2 (1954); 107–24. References External links Permanent Joint Board on Defence backgrounder International military organizations International organizations based in the Americas Canada–United States relations Department of National Defence (Canada) United States Department of Defense 1940 establishments in North America 1940 establishments in New York (state)