Amalgam Virgo exercise prepares units for Super Bowl

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TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  Fighter aircraft, at the direction of officials from Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, or CONR, will be busy well before Super Bowl Sunday preparing to protect Sun Life Stadium in Miami during game day.

Exercise Amalgam Virgo 10-Miami will be held Jan. 28 in the Greater Miami area to allow interagency partners the chance to practice temporary flight restriction violation procedures.

Amalgam Virgo 10-Miami comprises a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Civil Air Patrol, and CONR's Eastern Air Defense Sector.

Residents in the area can expect flights to begin around midnight Jan. 28 and continue for about two hours into the early morning Jan. 29.

"This exercise in Miami is an effective way to ensure all interagency partners are prepared for game day," said Maj. Gen. Garry Dean, CONR commander. "The exercise will test command and control and execution procedures for air defense for the Super Bowl and other like venues throughout the United States."

These exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure CONR's rapid response capability. CONR officials have conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout the U.S. since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command's response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

"Defending America's skies is our number one priority," General Dean said. "Whether it's Super Bowl Sunday or any other Sunday, the men and women of CONR are always on alert."

Since Sept. 11, 2001, CONR fighters have responded to more than 2,300 possible air threats in the United States and have flown more than 54,000 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.