NORAD, NORTHCOM COMMANDER BRIEFS REPORTERS ON HOMELAND DEFENSE

FROM:   U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Navy Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, briefs reporters at the Pentagon, April 7, 2015. DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz.  

NORTHCOM, NORAD Strengthen Homeland Defense, Says Commander
By Amaani Lyle
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2015 – Four months into his tenure as leader of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Navy Adm. Bill Gortney conducted a Pentagon press briefing today on priority efforts in homeland defense.

Currently the Defense Department’s only bilateral command, 58-year-old NORAD brings Americans and Canadians together, Gortney said. NORAD works in tandem with Northcom, established in 2002, to protect the homeland from external threats as well as respond to natural disasters, homeland extremists and cyberattacks, he explained.

“[The mission set] encompasses the traditional NORAD role of air defense, as well as … maritime warning,” Gortney said.

Northcom, the admiral noted, rounds out the mission set with its maritime defense and control elements and includes Operation Noble Eagle, U.S.-Canadian homeland security operations that have been ongoing since just after 9/11.

The commands’ responsibilities also include homeland ballistic missile defense and countering transnational criminal networks to thwart smugglers or others who engage in nefarious activity, he said.

Federal military forces provide defense support of civil authorities, which Gortney said has expansive functions across myriad mission requirements.

“Many people think [that support] involves Hurricane Katrina or Super Storm Sandy, an earthquake or a flood, but it encompasses much more than that,” the admiral said. “It’s helping our interagency … and law enforcement partners, predominantly homeland security, in their particular missions.”

Importance of Homeland Partnerships

Gortney described homeland partnerships as NORAD’s and Northcom’s “center of gravity,” with not only a large interagency and law enforcement presence, but some 60 senior federal and senior executive service employees whose tasks cross mission sets.

NORAD and Northcom, he added, also work with governors, the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, and the functional and geographic combatant commands. “[They all work] together to close those seams that the enemy will try and exploit to get after us,” Gortney said.

International Partnerships

Gortney said that as the unified command plan directs, his people emphasize international partnerships with Canada, the Bahamas and Mexico to assess and solve shared problems.

DoD is also “the advocate of the arctic,” Gortney said, adding that he and his team are working to better define roles and doctrine by determining operational requirements, necessary investments and partnerships that will best inform DoD plans for the region.

Focus on Professionalism, Warfighters, Families

Along with professionalism and excellence, which Gortney described as full-time jobs, he told reporters NORAD and Northcom’s people focus on warfighters and their families.

“We rely on those who wear the cloth of our nation to defend our nation,” Gortney said. “It’s both an away game and a near game, and our families are the very stitches that hold [it] together.”

ARMY GEN. JACOBY'S REFELCTIONS ON 9-11

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Right:  Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, addresses nearly 700 service members and community leaders from across Colorado Springs at the 9/11 Commemoration held at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Sept. 11, 2014. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Bellamy  

ISIL Fight Fitting Backdrop to 9/11 Reflections, Jacoby Says
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2014 – International efforts of the United States to deal effectively and decisively with the scourge of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists is a fitting backdrop to reflections taken on a mountain in Colorado on the 13th anniversary of 9/11, the commander of U.S. Northern Command said today.

President Barack Obama unveiled a plan last night for the United States, along with an international coalition, to defeat the terrorist group.

Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., the commander of the 56-year-old North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, and U.S. Northern Command, established after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, spoke this afternoon during the first Colorado Springs Combined Military 9/11 Commemoration at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs.
NORAD is a binational military command formally established in 1958 by the United States and Canada to monitor and defend North American airspace. A maritime warning mission was added in 2006.

Canadian Defense Minster Rob Nicholson also spoke at the event, along with Melodie Homer, widow of United Airlines Flight 93 pilot LeRoy W. Homer Jr.
“As we work to build a coalition to confront the ISIS threat,” Jacoby said in his opening remarks, using an acronym by which the terrorists also are known, “we also reflect on how, on 9/11, America’s friends and allies stood by us shoulder to shoulder, and we can say with certainty that no one has stood by us closer than our Canadian partners.”

Jacoby introduced the Canadian defense minister by noting that Canada is leading the way in the world response to what he called “the latest manifestation of murderous extremist ideology.”

Truly, the general added, “we know no better friends than our Canadian neighbors.”

“Today we remember more than 2,700 Americans, 24 Canadians and more than 350 other victims from around the world who tragically lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001,” Nicholson said. Canadians were shocked at the audacity and cruelty of the attacks and horrified by the invasion of North America, the defense minister added, “a continent we believed was relatively safe and distant from the threat of terrorism.”

Swift reaction

The Canadian sense of security was shattered, but NORAD’s reaction was swift, he said. Nearly 200 armed aircraft were deployed into U.S. skies, and all nonessential U.S. air traffic was grounded. Canada responded by receiving 293 flights that were to have landed in the United States until the grounding order came.

“Canadians across the country opened up their hearts and homes to more than 33,000 stranded travelers,” Nicholson said, “offering them shelter, food and comfort. The actions of Canadians that day stand as a powerful example of the Canadian-U.S. relationship.”

U.S.-Canadian defense cooperation grew stronger during years of military engagement in Afghanistan, he added, and by the time Canada withdrew from Afghanistan in March, 40,000 of its men and women had fought there – the largest deployment of Canadian military personnel since World War II.
The two nations also work together to bring peace to the region during Russia’s aggressive military actions and provocation of Ukraine, and as participants in NATO’s reassurance measures to promote security and stability in central and eastern Europe, Nicholson said.

Both nations also work together at home, the defense minister added, intensifying their joint training and exercise regime and making important investments in counterterrorism and intelligence capabilities to better detect, prevent and address potential threats.

“This is why it is especially meaningful to be here at NORAD to mark the 13th anniversary of Sept. 11,” Nicholson said. “Seeing Canadian and American military personnel working side by side at this impressive facility is a testament to the fact that our defense partnership accords us greater security than we could ever achieve alone. We pledge to continue our work to reinforce our joint defense of the continent so that we may never see such a terrible day again.”
A widow remembers

Next, Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of Air Force Space Command, introduced Melodie Homer, widow of Leroy W. Homer Jr., first officer of United Airlines Flight 93.

The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, the crew and passengers of his flight attempted to overtake four hijackers before crashing into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, rather than its intended target, the U.S. Capitol.

Homer founded the Leroy W. Homer Foundation in 2002 in memory of her husband, a 1987 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The foundation encourages young adults who wish to pursue aviation careers by awarding flight scholarships.

She’s president and founder of the foundation, works as a clinical nursing instructor and has 20 years of nursing experience in the United States and Canada, where she was born.

In her remarks, Homer described the day 13 years ago that her husband of more than three years left for work and never came home. Their daughter was 10 months old.

“To this day, I think it’s hard for us to conceptualize the loss of 2,973 lives,” she said. “Using airplanes as weapons of mass destruction to take innocent lives and destroy symbols of this country’s freedoms was unimaginable.”

Gratitude for protection

Both governments worked quickly, Homer added.

“Homeland Security was created, NORAD was working with the Canadian government to keep the airspace safe for North America, and I say on behalf of both countries, we are grateful for your protection and for keeping us safe for the past 13 years,” she said.

“On occasions such as this we are reminded that we do have to continue to be vigilant,” Homer added. “Those who wish to harm our way of life will never stop trying.”

As Homer finished her remarks, Jacoby stepped forward and presented her with a piece of granite that he described as “blasted from the heart of our beautiful Cheyenne Mountain.” He said the rock “represents the Cold War generation that had the strength and courage to prevail against the threat of that era, and it provides us strength and inspiration to prevail against the threats today.”

Honoring those lost

Sharing his own thoughts, the general said that the 700 U.S. and Canadian service members and state and local leaders were there today first to remember and honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001, “as are millions of others across the country and around the world. We have done that every year, and we’ll always do it, and we always must.”

Jacoby added, “Today as we continue to fight against another ideological extremist terrorist organization, I would argue that remembering how we felt on 9/11, remembering our commitment, has never been more relevant.”
The general said Americans may have lost feelings of invulnerability and innocence but gained things as well.

“We rolled up our sleeves as nations of strong communities and we committed to doing whatever it took to answer the challenges to our safety, to our security and to our pride, like generations before us have done,” he said.

A dangerous world

The world has changed significantly in the 13 years since 9/11 but it remains a very dangerous place, Jacoby added. “You only need to watch the morning news or attend my daily intel brief to know that’s true.”

The faces and locations of extremism have changed but the senseless violence and hatred in its heart has not, he said, “and the families of James Foley and Steven Sotloff are in our thoughts today.”

The free nations of the world are more vulnerable than ever, the general said, “even while our hearts and our spirit remain as they were on Sept. 10, inclined toward peace and cooperation.”

The fights of the last 13 years have been difficult and the challenge remains, but there are more fights ahead, Jacoby added.

“We must look to the inspiration as well as the tragedy of 9/ll to keep us faithful to our values, firm in our commitments and steadfast in our hopes,” he said.

STANDING READY TO DEFEND U.S TERRITORY

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Northcom, NORAD Stand Ready to Defend Nation, Commander Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2014 – The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 provided an important reprieve by enabling short-term readiness fixes and selected program buybacks of significant importance, the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command said today.

But the challenges posed by sequestration and the Budget Control Act remain, Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr. told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Defense Department’s ability to plan and decide strategically and find innovative solutions to complex national security challenges is hampered by the budget uncertainty, he said.
“The recent Bipartisan Budget Act only postpones, but does not eliminate, the risks to our future readiness and ability to meet the missions specified in the defense strategic guidance of 2012,” Jacoby said before calling on Congress to find a permanent fix.

The department made a “hard choice” when it implemented the furlough of civilian employees as a cost-cutting measure, the general said. “This decision compromised morale, unsettled families and caused us to break a bond of trust -- one that is absolutely critical to the accomplishment of our mission,” he added.
Equally unsettling, Jacoby said, is that NORAD's ability to execute its primary mission has been subjected to increased risk due to the degradation of Air Force combat readiness.

“With the vigilance and the support of Air Combat Command and the [U.S. Air Forces in Europe], we've been able to sustain our effective day-to-day posture, but that comes at the cost of overall U.S. Air Force readiness, which continues to hover at 50 percent,” the general said.

Threats to national security are becoming more diffuse and less attributable, the general noted. Ultimately, he said, crises elsewhere in the world can rapidly manifest themselves in the United States and make the nation more vulnerable.
“While we stand constant vigil against asymmetric network threat activities, Russian actions in the Ukraine demonstrate that symmetric threats remain,” Jacoby said. “Al-Qaida and transnational criminal networks continue to adapt, and they do so much more quickly than we do.”

To deter and defeat these globally networked threats, the United States must prioritize its support to its partners in the law enforcement community and the international community, the general said.

And, “tangible evidence of North Korean and Iranian ambitions confirms that a limited ballistic missile threat to the homeland has matured from a theoretical to a practical consideration,” he added.

Northcom and NORAD are working with the Missile Defense Agency to address concerns about the potential for proliferation of these lethal technologies, Jacoby said. Together, the three agencies are investing in a “tailored solution to address the challenges that advancing missile technologies impose on our ballistic missile defense system architecture,” he noted.

Northcom and NORAD are working together to address a variety of other challenges, the general said. As seasonal ice decreases, for example, the Arctic is evolving into an increasingly important strategic issue, he told the Senate panel.
“Therefore, we continue to work with our premier Arctic partner, Canada, and other stakeholders to develop our communications domain awareness infrastructure and presence in order to enable safety, security, and defense in the far north,” Jacoby said.

Maintaining an in-depth defense of the nation requires partnerships with neighboring countries, the general said.

“Our futures are inextricably bound together. And this needs to be a good thing in the security context,” he said. “The stronger and safer they are, the stronger our partnerships, the safer we all are collectively. And this creates our common, competitive security advantage for North America.”

Northcom also stands ready to respond to national security events and to support the federal response to man-made or natural disasters, he said.

“Our challenge remains to not be late to need,” the general said. “The men and women of Northcom and NORAD proudly remain vigilant and ready, as we stand watch over North America and adapt to the uncertainty of the global security environment and fiscal realities.”

READOUT: DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL'S MEETING WITH CANADIAN MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE ROB NICHOLSON

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Canadian Minister of National Defense Rob Nicholson

This afternoon in Brussels, Secretary Hagel met with Canadian Minister of National Defense Rob Nicholson.  This was their first in-person meeting since Minister Nicholson assumed his new role.

Secretary Hagel emphasized the importance he places on U.S.-Canadian defense cooperation, and thanked Canada for being a strong ally, friend and neighbor.  They discussed the important work of NORAD, our close security cooperation in the Western Hemisphere and beyond, as well as the importance of investing in NATO and continuing with NATO reform efforts.

Secretary Hagel thanked the minister for Canada's support for the international effort in Afghanistan, and they discussed the progress being made in the mission there, as well as the challenges that remain.

Secretary Hagel said he looks forward to making his first visit to Canada in his capacity as secretary of defense next month, when he will participate in the Halifax Security Forum.

U.S, RUSSIA TO BUILD ON SUCCESS OF VIGILANT EAGLE 13

A Russian air force Su-27 Sukhois intercepts a simulated hijacked aircraft entering Russian airspace Aug. 27, 2013, at Exercise Vigilant Eagle 13. This exercise is the fifth in a series of cooperative exercises that provide an opportunity for Russia, Canada, and United States military personnel to enhance their international partnership and to cooperatively detect, track, identify, and follow a hijacked aircraft as it proceeds across international boundaries. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason Robertson 

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
NORAD, Russia Hope to Build on Vigilant Eagle 13 Successes
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2013 - Just concluding the most ambitious Vigilant Eagle exercise yet, senior military officials from the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Russian Federation told reporters today they're ready to take the lessons learned to make next year's exercise even more challenging.
Canadian Maj. Gen. Andre Viens, NORAD's operations director, and Russian Gen. Maj. Dmitry Gomenkov, commander of the Eastern Military District of Russia's Air and Space Defense Brigade, declared the Vigilant Eagle 13 exercise a major success.
The exercise kicked off Aug. 26, with scenarios that required the United States, Canada and Russia to respond to simulated terrorist hijackings of commercial aircraft. Both NORAD, a binational command that includes the United States and Canada, and Russia had to scramble fighter jets and track and intercept the "hijacked aircraft."

Throughout the exercise series, the participants have developed tactics, techniques and procedures to effectively notify, coordinate, and conduct positive handoff of a hijacked aircraft flying through Russian, Canadian and American airspace, Viens told reporters during a teleconference today.

Vigilant Eagle 13 offered the opportunity to take principles proven in a simulated environment during last year's command post exercise, and to validate them during the third "live-fly" exercise since the exercise series began in 2008, Viens and Gomenkov reported.

This year's Vigilant Eagle was the first time Canadian fighter jets participated, with Canadian CF-18 Hornets and Russian Federation Su-27 Sukhois aircraft following and intercepting the "hijacked" aircraft, Gomenkov noted.

But the exercise delivered another first, with a visual fighter-to-fighter handoff of escort responsibilities in a live-fly situation as the "track of interest" moved from one country's airspace to another's.

"During previous Vigilant Eagle events, Russian or NORAD fighters would escort the simulated aircraft to a point in the sky where airborne or ground sensors would take over the monitoring of the hijacked aircraft," Viens explained. "Later on the route, the fighters of the other nation would intercept the hijacked aircraft and assume escort responsibilities for that track of interest.

"So at no time in the past did we exercise having the Russian, Canadian or American fighters all joining up together to have a positive handoff of escort responsibility on a track of interest," he said. "This is what we did for the first time this year."

That crucial step forward in the Vigilant Eagle series required extensive planning and coordination to ensure a safe, successful transfer, he said.

"We have never done this together in the past, and it went off without a hitch," Viens said. "What this has enabled us to do is have 100 percent control over an aircraft in trouble that is flying between Russian, American and Canadian airspace. Working together as partners in the air and on the ground, we were able to ensure the safety of the civilians in the aircraft, our collective citizens and the safe landing of the aircraft at its destination."

Gomenkov praised the professionalism of all three countries' militaries throughout the exercise planning and said he looks forward to seeing the Vigilant Eagle series continue to build in complexity.

Viens said he, too, sees opportunities to refine the tactics, techniques and procedures being advanced through the exercise, hinting that some new "curve balls" could be introduced in the future.

Planning for Vigilant Eagle 14 is scheduled to begin in November, Gomenkov said, noting that both Russia and NORAD will offer suggestions on how to build on this year's exercise.

Exercising together builds confidence and understanding that enables the United States, Canada and Russia to operate together more effectively, Viens said. "So clearly from a NORAD perspective, there is a great deal of interest to continue this tradition of Vigilant Eagle exercises to further promote cooperation – especially when it comes to air-space activities that require the attention of both Russia and NORAD," he said.

U.S.-RUSSIA MILITARY-TO-MILITARY COOPERATION IN TERRORIST HIJACKER EXERCISE

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Vigilant Eagle Continues Closer U.S.-Russian Cooperation
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2013 - Beginning tomorrow, fighter jets from the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Russian air force will scramble to track and intercept "hijacked" aircraft during an air defense exercise viewed as a steppingstone toward closer military-to-military cooperation in additional areas.

Vigilant Eagle 13 kicked off today, with scenarios that present the United States, Canada and Russia with a common enemy: terrorist hijackers, Joseph Bonnet, director of joint training and exercises for NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, said during a telephone interview with American Forces Press Service.

The exercise is the fifth in a series, based on a 2003 agreement between the sitting U.S. and Russian presidents to strengthen the two militaries' relationship and their ability to work together. The threat of international hijackers served as a foundation to help advance that effort, resulting in an exercise program that addresses a recognized threat, Bonnet explained.

Vigilant Eagle began in 2008 as a command post exercise. At Russia's request, it now alternates between CPXs that test out principles and procedures in a computer-based setting and "live-fly" exercises that apply those principles and procedures the following year.

This year's exercise is the third in the series to incorporate actual aircraft, Bonnet reported. A Russian Tupolev and a commercial aircraft contracted by the United States will simulate commercial airliners seized by terrorists. The U.S. Air Force's Airborne Warning and Control System and Russia's A-50 Beriev will serve as command-and-control platforms.

Live fighter jets -- Canadian CF-18 Hornets and Russian Sukhois -- will track, identify, intercept and follow the hijacked aircraft, and both Canada and Russia will conduct air-to-air refueling operations. The Canadian air force has been integral to past Vigilant Eagle exercises, but is contributing aircraft for the first time this year, Bonnet said.

In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration and its Russian equivalent are participating.

The scenario involves two "hijacked" commercial aircraft that challenge participants on the ground and in the sky to provide a coordinated response, Bonnet explained. The first flight, to originate tomorrow from Anchorage, Alaska, will travel into Russian airspace. The following day, a Russian aircraft will take off from Anadyr, Russia, toward U.S. airspace.

When the aircraft fail to respond to communications, NORAD, the U.S.-Canada command that safeguards U.S. skies under Operation Noble Eagle, and the Russian air force will move into action. Both will launch or divert fighter jets to investigate and follow the suspect aircraft headed toward each other's airspace. At that point, they will hand off the missions to each other to complete.

Working together in Anchorage and Anadyr and at the NORAD headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., participants will cooperate in escort and handoff procedures using two distinct communications, command-and-control and air traffic control systems, Bonnet said.

Vigilant Eagle has become more ambitious and valuable with each iteration, Bonnet said, noting that this year's exercise will be no different.

"This is the culmination of everything that has gone on in previous exercises, and we expect it to continue to mature," he said. "Like us, the Russian Federation air force is eager to expand the scope and complexity of the exercise, and to look into other areas," such as related search-and-rescue and airfield operations.

Bonnet called continuation of Vigilant Eagle, particularly at a time when budget costs have caused the cancellation of many other exercises, a success in itself. With fewer than 100 people directly involved from the United States, Vigilant Eagle offers tremendous "bang for the buck," he said.

"This is a small, relatively inexpensive exercise with a huge payoff," he said. "It doesn't cost any of the countries a lot of money, but it is building things that have immediate value for all of them. When you have procedures and a means of communicating information between both sides, that has a lot of value."

Another big success, Bonnet said, is that the exercise has transcended leadership changes both in the United States and in Russia, as well as recent political tensions between them.

Both countries recognize the importance of continued cooperation to keep their international borders safe, he said.

"It is one of the biggest single areas where the Russian Federation, U.S. and Canada can truly cooperate," he said. "All three countries share a common objective in thwarting, combating and cooperating against terrorism."

As their militaries work together to confront terrorist hijackers, Bonnet said, they are laying the foundation for future cooperation in other areas.

"What we are trying to do is continually build and expand the exercise and use this as a basis for moving the relationship forward," he said. "That, to me, is the biggest value of Vigilant Eagle."

PROTECTING THE HOMELAND THROUGH MARITIME AWARENESS

North American Aerospace Defense Command's maritime domain awareness mission helps to provide the information and intelligence required to increase the security of U.S. and Canadian waterways and ports. Photo Credit: CIA World Factbook.



 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
NORAD Promotes Maritime Awareness to Protect Homeland
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2013 - Drive around any American city and you're likely to see tractor-trailers hauling huge containers that arrived from overseas at any of 361 major U.S. ports dotting some 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline.

The United States is the world leader in maritime trading, Navy Capt. Martin Beck, chief of North American Air Defense Command's maritime division, told American Forces Press Service. Twenty percent of all global trade passes through its extensive maritime transportation system, and 80 percent of all foreign trade entering the United States and Canada arrives by sea.

Unfortunately, these same waterways expose an unintended Achilles' heel to bad actors intent on using them for illegal, or even diabolical, activities.

"The threats are varied to the extent of your imagination," Beck explained. "They include state and nonstate actors, narco-smuggling, human traffickers, weapons traffickers, proliferators [and] foreign intelligence collectors. That is the gross macro spectrum of what we could encounter in the maritime domain."

The consequences, if left undetected, could be severe to the United States and Canada, Beck said. "We want to prevent a potential 9/11 in the maritime domain," he said.

To shore up these vulnerabilities, the United States and Canada amended the NORAD agreement in 2006 to add maritime warning to its mission. The two countries agreed to increase information and intelligence sharing to give their national leaders a clearer picture of the maritime approaches to their shores -- and, in the event of an inbound threat, vital time to act.

"The intent of the agreement was to increase the security of North America using a proven command infrastructure to increase bi-national cooperation in the maritime domain," Beck said. "We've got 55 years of experience here at NORAD in the defense of both Canada and the United States. So we are leveraging the state-of-the-art operations center and information-sharing protocols to ensure both countries have an accurate, timely and comprehensive picture of the maritime domain."

Since adopting the expanded mission almost seven years ago, NORAD processes, assesses and disseminates intelligence and information about the movements of hundreds of thousands of ships around the globe that ultimately will arrive at U.S. or Canadian shores.

This responsibility, which covers both countries' maritime areas, internal waterways and maritime approaches, requires extensive partnerships with U.S. Northern Command and its sister combatant commands. It also includes other partners in the U.S. and Canadian militaries, law enforcement, intelligence and commercial maritime communities.

Beck called these partnerships and the processes they have developed to make collaboration faster and more effective the strength of NORAD's maritime mission. Together, NORAD and its partners provide the myriad elements that, considered together, provide the most complete situational awareness, he said.

"The biggest challenge is the sheer volume of information that we have to sort through, and then collaborate on and share with our partners," Beck said. "This sharing and collaboration is essential to our success in the maritime domain and in exercising our maritime warning mission."

When the intelligence raises a red flag, NORAD issues an advisory to alert national decision-makers, or, in the event of a confirmed threat, a maritime warning.

Both are relatively rare. During the last 18 months, NORAD has issued just seven advisories and two warnings, none of which Beck can describe because the details are classified. But he said past responses have proven the effectiveness of the processes.

"To us, this shows that the process is working exactly as it was intended," he said.

The success of the mission, Beck said, can't be measured in warnings issued or interceptions made. Rather, he said he looks at the big picture, and the fact that neither the United States nor Canada has suffered a major maritime incident.

NORAD is committed to maintaining this track record to protect the U.S. and Canadian homelands, Beck said.

"We have the watch, and what we do is a no-fail mission," he said.

THE WATCHERS: NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND

The 9/11 memorial on the grounds of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., provides a daily reminder to members of the dual commands of the importance of their mission. The memorial includes a steel beam from the World Trade Center in New York, rubble from the Pentagon and soil from the crash site in Shanksville, Pa. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
People Provide Foundation for NORAD, Northcom Homeland Defense
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Jan. 28, 2013 - Ask the commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, and he'll tell you that beyond the technology, systems and processes that drive the dual commands, it's people who form the foundation of their homeland defense mission.

Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr. calls his diverse, highly integrated command team the strength of an enterprise entrusted to maintain the watch to safeguard North America. The command team here includes more than 1,700 full-time service members and Defense Department civilians, about 300 reserve-component members, more than 100 Canadian military forces, two Mexican liaison officers and representatives of more than 60 federal mission partner organizations.

"We have the watch," Jacoby says of the two separate, but inextricably linked, commands he leads. Together, they fulfill what he calls "a sacred trust" in protecting the homeland.

Nowhere is the magnitude of that mission -- and the close personal and organizational cooperation required to fulfill it -- more evident than in the NORAD and Northcom Current Operations Center.

When terrorists struck the United States on 9/11, which led to the standup of Northcom the following year, the NORAD command center was located deep within nearby Cheyenne Mountain. Its focus was aimed outward, on missile launches and enemy aircraft approaching the United States and Canada.

"We were standing with our backs to the fire, looking out against the threat," explained Army Col. Joseph Southcott, a command center director. "But now we are in the fire, looking 360 degrees, because it is all around us. In fact, we are looking in more ways than anybody could ever have thought of."

Located in the lower level of the Eberhart-Findley Building that houses the NORAD and Northcom headquarters, the "N2C2" is a bustling operation that maintains an around-the-clock watch, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

It's the hub where every spoke in the two commands' missions converge: NORAD's mission of maintaining aerospace warning and control and maritime warning for North America and Northcom's mission of conducting homeland defense, civil support and security cooperation in defense of the United States and its interests.

Twenty-seven to 30 people man the center during every eight-hour shift, each studying as many as three computer monitors at a time while listening to the chatter of air traffic control feeds.

Each staff member is selected for expertise in specific domains -- air, missile and space, land, maritime and cyber -- or in integrating these perspectives into a "big picture" for command decision-makers, Southcott explained.

Serving as NORAD's and Northcom's eyes and ears, they ensure the command leadership is prepared for what Southcott calls a "quick-twitch mission" that demands an immediate, decisive response, such as a missile attack or menacing or suspicious aircraft than need to be intercepted.

"These are the 'no-kidding' events, the things that you have to be ready for the second they happen," Southcott said.

To keep on top of events that could affect North America, the N2C2 staff monitors satellite and sensor feeds to detect missile launches, such as the one North Korea conducted last month. They track space junk to identify items that could threaten the United States or are in jeopardy of falling out of orbit and crashing back to Earth. They follow Federal Aviation Administration reports to identify an errant aircraft among an estimated 60,000 daily civilian flights.

In support of the maritime mission NORAD adopted in 2006, they keep tabs on suspicious ships approaching the U.S. and Canadian coasts or operating in their sovereign waters.

Since the standup of Northcom, they also keep watch over Washington, D.C., and anywhere the president travels. They keep tabs on U.S. military operations along the Mexican border or in support of Mexican troops as part of U.S.-Mexican theater security cooperation agreements.

They also now watch for hurricanes, earthquakes and severe storms that could affect U.S. security or could cause civil authorities to call for military assistance.

Southcott calls these "slow-twitch missions" -- ones Northcom tracks closely to be ready to respond to, but typically gets called on only when and if local and state first responders need military help or capabilities. "You can prepare for those, but you have to wait for them to happen, then wait to be asked to help," Southcott said. "So that means we have to always be watching."

A domestic events network, created after 9/11, enhances these efforts by tying together the myriad agency partners that would play a role in an air-related problem or incident. The network, operated by the Federal Aviation Administration, provides a 24/7 open phone line that links all of the air traffic control centers in the United States and other governmental agencies.

Southcott said he's been amazed at the close collaboration across the staff and mission partners, all recognizing their role in painting the most complete situational awareness picture possible.

"The integration of the domains is really what drives what we do. It's the linkage, the interaction," Southcott said. "When events happen, it amazes even me how much cross-talk is happening between action officers on the floor, each making sure the other knows what is going on."

Southcott called the collective capability they bring a combat multiplier that far exceeds the sum of their individual contributions.

"That's what makes this place so strong," he said. "It's all of us coming together, bringing their varied backgrounds and expertise to the effort. And when the stuff hits the fan, it's everyone pulling hard, rowing hard together and sharing the common goal of defending the homeland."

'NORAD NEXT'

U.S. Army Gen. Charles Jacoby, Jr., commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, is greeted by an honor guard while visiting the Canadian NORAD Region headquarters at Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, Canada, Jan. 24, 2012. U.S. and Canadian leaders plan to study the way ahead for North American Aerospace Defense Command under a concept called "NORAD Next." Canadian Forces photo by Cpl. Piotr Figiel

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S., Canada Think Ahead to 'NORAD Next'
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Jan. 7, 2013 - More than a half century since it was established to confront the Cold War threat, North American Aerospace Defense Command is at a new crossroads as officials in the United States and Canada determine the capabilities it will need to confront emerging challenges and threats in the decades ahead.

Members of the Permanent Joint Board of Defense, the highest-level defense and security forum between the two countries, discussed the so-called "NORAD Next" concept during their meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo., last month, Royal Canadian Air Force Lt. Gen. J.A.J. "Alain" Parent, NORAD's deputy commander, told American Forces Press Service.

The discussion was a first step toward a broad analysis to identify what threats and challenges the United States and Canada will face in the 2025-to-2030 timeframe -- and what steps need to be taken now to prepare for them, Parent said.

NORAD Next is largely a vision at this point, Parent emphasized, and any changes to the binational NORAD agreement would require both countries' approval. But vast changes in the security landscape have produced broad agreement that NORAD must continually evolve to meet challenges to North America, he said.

Throughout its history, adaptation has been one of NORAD's hallmarks, enabling it to remain relevant even as the geostrategic environment has changed, Parent noted.

The United States and Canada formed North American Air Defense Command in 1958, merging their air defense capabilities to provide a continental-scale ability to detect and intercept Soviet bombers, presumably carrying nuclear weapons, explained Lance Blyth, the NORAD command historian.

That same framework -- warning systems that ran across Canada and Alaska, fighter bases with interceptor aircraft and a command-and-control system that tied them together and with national command authorities -- adapted as intercontinental ballistic missiles became the more pressing threat, Blyth said.

This expanded mission led to NORAD's name change in 1981 to North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The command continued to provide aerospace warning and control for North America after the fall of the Berlin Wall, but also began to contribute its capabilities to counterdrug missions, predominantly focusing on airborne trafficking into the United States and Canada.

NORAD's sensors and interceptors supported this new law enforcement mission, providing intelligence to law enforcement agencies and serving as a catalyst for the close interagency collaboration that underpins NORAD's operations today, Blyth explained.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks shook NORAD to its very core, challenging the bedrock assumption on which it had been founded: that an attack on either of the two countries would emanate from outside their borders, he said.

Within hours of the attack, NORAD already had the go-ahead to stand up Operation Noble Eagle. Under this ongoing homeland defense mission, NORAD monitors and intercepts aircraft of interest within both U.S. and Canadian territory, and provides security support for major events ranging from G8 summits, political conventions to even the Super Bowl.

Operation Noble Eagle represented a sea change at NORAD, broadening its focus for the first time to address both internal as well as external threats against North America.

"We weren't postured to be looking inside the continent as we are today," Royal Canadian Air Force Brig. Gen. A.D. "Al" Meinzinger, deputy director of strategy in the NORAD and U.S. Northern Command policy and plans directorate, told American Forces Press Service. "But as a consequence of 9/11, we stood up a whole enterprise to be poised and positioned to deal with the internal threats," he added. "And we all understand that we need to be ready to respond on a moment's notice."

Another major step in that evolution took place in 2006, when U.S. and Canadian authorities expanded NORAD's mandate to address seaborne threats. This maritime-warning mission applies the command's capabilities to identify and track vessels of interest approaching either country's coast, and passing that intelligence to authorities that would intercept them.

More than a decade after 9/11, NORAD officials are widening their field of vision yet again as they discuss roles the command could play in addressing threats from a broad array of domains: air, space, sea, land and even cyberspace.

They also are working to identify what warning systems and processes will be required to address these threats, particularly as the life cycles of many of the current radars expire in the 2020-2025 timeframe.

"We need to think about what is beyond 2015, what the strategic environment will be, and what we need to be doing to move the command into that future," Meinzinger said.

NORAD Next, he said, will be the bumper sticker for that next big step in NORAD's evolution.

"NORAD Next will ensure that NORAD remains forever relevant and ever evolving," Parent said. "If we want to outpace the threats, we have to think in advance of them.

"The important thing," he continued, "is that we maintain relevancy and don't get surprises. The stakes are too big for our two counties to get surprised."

NORAD PROVIDES SANTA TRACKING APPS

Credit:  Wikimedia.

FROM: NORAD

NORAD Provides Website, Apps to Track Santa
From a North American Aerospace Defense Command News Release

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Dec. 3, 2012 - Children of all ages will be able to track Santa Claus on his annual journey, thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The "NORAD Tracks Santa" website at http://www.noradsanta.org is up and running. The site features a holiday countdown, games and daily activities, video messages from students around the world and more, officials said, and it is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.

Official apps also are available in the Windows Store, Apple Store, and Google Play so parents and children can count down the days until Santa's launch on their smartphones and tablets. Tracking opportunities also offered on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google Plus. Santa followers just need to type "@noradsanta" into each search engine to get started.

Starting at midnight Mountain Standard Time on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make the preparations for his flight. Then, at 4 a.m. Mountain time, trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa's whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com.

NORAD's "Santa Cams" also will stream videos as Santa makes his way over various locations.

NORAD Tracks Santa is possible, in large part, to the efforts and services of numerous program contributors, officials said. New to this year's program are Bing, HP, iLink-Systems, Kids.gov, Microsoft's Windows Azure, BeMerry! Santa, and SiriusXM. Returning collaborators include the 21st Space Wing, Acuity Scheduling, Air Canada, American Forces Network, Analytical Graphics Inc., Avaya, Citadel Mall, Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Council, CradlePoint, Defense Video Imagery Distribution System, the Federal Aviation Administration, First Choice Awards and Gifts, Globelink Foreign Language Center, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, Meshbox, the National Tree Lighting Ceremony, Naturally Santa's, the Newseum, OnStar, PCI Broadband, the Pentagon Channel, RadiantBlue, Space Foundation, TurboSquid, twtelecom, UGroup Media, Verizon and VisionBox.

Santa's Countdown Calendar and the Santa Cam videos will feature music by military bands, including the Naden Band of the Maritime Forces Pacific, the Air Force Academy Band, the Air Force Band of Liberty, the Air Force Band of the Golden West, the Air Force Band of the West, the Air Force Band, the Air Force Heartland of America Band, the U.S. Army Ground Forces Band, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Band, the Air Force Band of Mid-America, and the West Point Band.

It all started in 1955, when a local media advertisement directed children to call Santa direct – but the number was misprinted. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the crew commander on duty at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. NORAD has carried the tradition on since the command was created in 1958.

VIGIALANT EAGLE 12: INTERNATIONAL EXERCISE TO HANDLE TERRORIST HIJACKINGS

Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard W, Scobee, deputy director of operations for North American Aerospace Defense Command, answers questions about Vigilant Eagle 12, Aug. 29, 2012. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher
　
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
NORAD, Russia Train to Confront Terrorist HijackingsBy Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2012 - It was a scene unthinkable even 30 years ago as U.S., Canadian and Russian militaries worked together this week at the North American Aerospace Command headquarters to confront a common enemy: terrorist hijackers.
 That's exactly what happened during Vigilant Eagle 12, the third exercise of its kind designed to promote collaboration in detecting hijacked aircraft and scrambling military jets to intercept and escort them to safety.
 This year's three-day exercise was computer-based, with participants at the NORAD headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; and at two bases in Russia.
 The scenario involved commercial airliners on international flights that had been seized by terrorists, Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard W. Scobee, NORAD's deputy operations director, told reporters as the exercise wrapped up yesterday. One simulated hijacking took off from Alaska and was headed for Russian airspace; the other originated in Russia and was bound for the United States.
 The scenarios required NORAD – the U.S.-Canada command that safeguards U.S. skies under Operation Noble Eagle -- and the Russian air force to go through the procedures they would use to dispatch fighter jets to investigate and track the aircraft heading toward each other's airspace. At that point, they handed off the missions to the other to complete.
 Applying lessons learned during last year's exercise, which involved actual aircraft, the participants worked through escort and handoff procedures using their different communications, command-and-control and air traffic control systems, Scobee explained.
 To complicate the scenarios, and to reflect what assets might be available during a real-life hijacking, they had to work without input from the U.S. Air Force's Airborne Warning and Control System or Russia's A-50 Beriev system.
 NORAD and Russia share surprisingly similar tactics, techniques and procedures, Scobee said yesterday during a post exercise news conference. "It is remarkable that they are so similar," he said. "Even though we developed them separately, we see the problem similarly."
 Subtle differences became transparent during the exercise, Scobee said, because of the "clean handoff" as one command handed the mission and authority over to the other. "It was like a handshake," he said.
The unifying factor, Scobee said, was an understanding that actions taken could mean the difference between life and death for passengers. "That is the No. 1 thing – and the Russian Federation is just like NORAD [and] the United States and Canada," Scobee said. "We want to protect our citizens, and that is our primary goal."
 Scobee and Maj. Gen. Sergey Dronov of the Russian air force, who led Russia's delegation in Colorado, praised the professionalism of both the NORAD and Russian militaries and their shared appreciation of the importance of the mission.
 "Right now, we have a common enemy, and that is terrorism," Dronov said through an interpreter.
 "Our countries are uniquely plagued by terrorism," agreed Scobee. "And this exercise gives us an opportunity to work together, to learn from each other about how we are dealing with those kinds of events."

The goal, he said, is to increase the complexity of the exercises, refining concepts and procedures in simulation, then applying them in the sky the following year.
 "Next year, we will go back and use lessons learned from this exercise and apply them to another live-fly exercise," he said. "It will be one of those things where we learn from each other and keep building on the exercises we have."
 Future exercises will continue to integrate new curve balls that keep participants on their toes while reflecting how adaptable adversaries operate, Scobee said.
 "It is a constant chess game, because just like we don't keep our tactics stagnant, terrorists do the same thing," he said. "They are always thinking of another way to try to get past our systems of control. So we always have to think about adjusting our tactics, our training and our procedures."
 Dronov said he was impressed during this year's exercise by how quickly the participants dealt with challenging scenarios thrown their way. "They are also walking away with some priceless experience of interaction with each other," he said. "I am confident that in the future, this cooperation will continue."
 The Vigilant Eagle series stems from a 2003 agreement between the U.S. and Russian presidents to promote closer cooperation as they move beyond the Cold War era, Scobee explained. The threat of international hijackers served as a foundation to help advance that effort, resulting in a relevant exercise program that helps address a recognized threat.
 "The populations of the United States and Canada and the Russian Federation should hear this loud and clear: We are here to ensure their safety," Scobee said. "Not only do we practice here at NORAD multiple times a day for this to happen, but now we are also practicing with our international partners to ensure that the air systems of all our countries are safe. And then, if something does go wrong, that we are there to take action."

This helps to provide a unified front against terrorist hijackers like those who attacked the United States on 9/11, giving birth to the Noble Eagle mission, he said.

"We will never be helpless again," Scobee added. "[The public] should hear that loud and clear."

U.S. AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND'S CHANGE IN MISSION 2001

The Jan. 1, 2001 release of the Congressionally-chartered Space Commission report set the stage for significant organizational and mission changes for AFSPC. (Courtesy of Department of Defense/dod.gov)
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
AFSPC Milestone: Space commission report released


8/15/2012 - Peterson AFB, Colo. -- As Air Force Space Command approaches its 30th Anniversary on 1 Sep, here is a significant milestone from the command's history...


On 11 January 2001, the release of the Congressionally-chartered Space Commission report set the stage for significant organizational and mission changes for AFSPC.


Recommendations from the report led to AFSPC becoming a four-star Air Force command and its commander no longer triple-hatted with U.S. Space Command and NORAD, allowing AFSPC commanders the ability to focus their time and energy on organizing, training, and equipping U.S. Air Force space forces. In addition, the Space and Missile Systems Center was transferred from AFMC to AFSPC, bringing to the command responsibility for the development and acquisition of space and missile systems, thus merging operations and acquisitions functions within a single organization.

MILITARY SPACE MISSION

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ARMED WITH SCIENCE
Solar - B Spacecraft goes into orbit to begin looking at the sun. It is specifically looking at solar magnetic fields and the origins of the solar wind. (Photo concept from NASA) 
Written on MAY 17, 2012 AT 7:30 AM by JTOZER
The Military Mission In Space
The Air Force is constantly monitoring the skies, but that isn’t limited to our atmosphere.  Keeping our military satellites up and running is tantamount to mission success, and working to improve that equipment and technology is a part of the ever-growing advancement of our military mission in space.

The Space Control Center inCheyenne Mountain Air Station (NORAD) is the terminus for the SSN’s abundant and steady flow of information. The SCC houses large, powerful computers to process SSN information and accomplish the space surveillance and space control missions.

The NAVSPACECOM provides the site and personnel for the Alternate SCC (ASCC). The ASCC would take over all operations in the event the SCC could not function. This capability is exercised frequently.

The Orbital Space Debris
STRATCOM tracks over 20,000 man-made space objects, baseball-size and larger, orbiting Earth. The space objects consist of active/inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragmentation. About seven percent are operational satellites, 15 percent are rocket bodies, and about 78 percent are fragmentation and inactive satellites.
Most debris (about 84 percent) is out approximately 800 kilometers – roughly twice the normal altitude of the space shuttle which orbits at about 300 kilometers.
Only a small amount of debris exists where the shuttle orbits.
The likelihood of a significant collision between a piece of debris (10 centimeters or larger) and the shuttle is extremely remote. The statistical estimate is one chance in 10,000 years, in the worst case. The probability is higher for objects smaller-than-baseball size which currently cannot be tracked with available sensors.

Although 8,000 space objects seems like a large number, in the 800 kilometer band there are normally only three or four items in an area roughly equivalent to the airspace over the continental U.S. up to an altitude of 30,000 feet. Therefore, the likelihood of collision between objects is very small.

Through STRATCOM, the command tracks and catalogs all space objects orbiting Earth which are 10 centimeters or larger. During shuttle missions, the center computes possible close approaches of other orbiting objects with the shuttle’s flight path. NASA is also advised of space objects which come within a safety box that measures 10 by 10 by 50 kilometers of the orbiter.

The Future of Space Observation
The shuttles might be collecting dust in museums these days, but the need to advance our satellite and observation technology is a crucial part of the military mission in space.  Different things affect different parts of our planet, our satellites, and even our technology.  Continuing the advancement of understanding and prevention of solar weather could make a big difference.