NORAD officials keep constant vigil for threats to homeland

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates
  • Air Force News Agency
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AFPN) --  Defending North America's borders is no easy task. The threats are continuous and can come from anywhere -- by land, in the air, on the sea or even through information systems. 

Anticipating these threats and warning of them is the job of the men and women of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. A bi-national and joint force United States and Canadian organization, the command is charged with the missions of aerospace and maritime warning and aerospace control for North America. 

"These principle domains that we operate in all task NORAD to provide warnings to the two nations on potential threats," said Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., the NORAD commander. 

NORAD is divided into three regions -- the Alaska Region, the Canadian Region and the Continental United States Region -- that all work together to provide a blanket of information and surveillance resources for North America. Within these regions are four Air Defense Sectors, located in Alaska, Canada and the Eastern and Western U.S., and a myriad of alert sites that allow NORAD to execute its mission of aerial and maritime warning and control. 

The aerospace warning mission includes the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation and warning of aerial attacks against North America. These attacks can range from a single aircraft to a salvo of missiles. 

Aerospace control includes ensuring air sovereignty and air defense of the airspace of Canada and the United States. To accomplish this mission, NORAD officials use a network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radar and fighters to detect, intercept and, if necessary, engage any aerial threat to North America. 

"We can quickly launch fighters to intercept aircraft that are suspicious or that are not complying with out national airspace system," General Renuart said. "And either the (United States) or Canada can choose to take advantage of those fighters if they need to interdict a target." 

The maritime warning mission is similar to the aerospace control one, except for the fact that the maritime portion is concerned with the waters surrounding North America instead of the sky above it. 

"Maritime warning is all about telling us what's out there on the water and what among that might be a potential threat," said Navy Capt. Joseph Voboril, the Maritime Defense Division chief. 

Controlling the sky and the seas means being able to see them. This is where NORAD's Consolidated Command Center comes in. Member of the 24-hour center work 365 days a year and serves as the heart of NORAD's operations by monitoring, processing and interpreting missile, space or air events that could have operational impacts on U.S. or Canadian forces or capabilities. 

The command center is linked directly to the National Command Authorities of both the United States and Canada and is in constant communication with a variety of agencies in both countries. 

"The command center is the culmination of a lot of great effort by people who have taken the idea of unity of effort and of integration of capabilities and brought them together as a symbol of a true integrated approach to both warning and defense of our homelands," General Renuart said. 

None of NORAD's capabilities are possible without the United States' partnership with Canada -- a partnership equally enjoyed and valued by both nations. 

"NORAD remains the cornerstone of the Canadian-American continental defense partnership," said Peter MacKay, the Canadian minister of national defence. "This command and control center will help NORAD meet the challenges of the future and the work of the personnel who staff the command center contribute to the defense of the continent every day." 

Defending the continent is a job NORAD members have performed for 50 years. In that time, NORAD has continually adjusted its structure to meet the demands of a changing world. In its early years, NORAD was the continent's eyes and ears during the Cold War and many of its resources were spent scanning the globe for outside threats. Then, on Sept. 11, 2001, all of that changed. 

"We used to have an outward focus when examining threats," General Renuart said. "Now we are looking inward as well to determine any man-made threats that may arise right here in North America." 

The key to this is anticipation and collaboration, the general said. 

"We are taking more of a proactive approach instead of a reactive one," he said. "And we now have much better communication and information sharing with various agencies, such as the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security." 

The end goal of NORAD is to provide the best possible aerial and maritime warnings systems to North America; a goal officials at the command say is getting closer every day. 

"Is there always room to grow and improve? Yes," General Renuart said. "But are we better prepared today then we were on Sept. 10, 2001? Definitely." 

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