USNorthCom

CHIPS, April-June, 2005

The Department of Defense established U.S. Northern Command in 2002 to consolidate, under a single unified command, existing missions that were previously executed by other military organizations. USNORTHCOM's mission is homeland defense and civil support, specifically:

* Conduct operations to deter, prevent, and defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories and interests within the assigned area of responsibility.

* As directed by the President or Secretary of Defense, provide military assistance to civil authorities including consequence management operations.

U.S. Northern Command plans, organizes, and executes homeland defense and civil support missions, but has few permanently assigned forces. The command is assigned forces whenever necessary to execute missions as ordered by the President. Approximately 1,200 uniformed personnel (representing all service branches) and civil service employees provide this essential unity of command from U.S. Northern Command's headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Admiral Keating assumed command of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command Nov. 5, 2004.

... The need for transformation is hardly new ... Pointing at the bad guys and saying, "You're not fighting fair" has nothing to do with winning the fight ... Transformation is about organizing and equipping to beat today's and tomorrow's threats.

On Sept. 11, 2001, the hijackers had knives that they knew they could get through airport security. They gained access to the airliner cockpits because the cockpit doors at that time were flimsy and pretty easy to enter. The terrorists then took over the airplanes. Some had trained here in our schools, and just to a degree sufficient for their purpose. Three of the aircraft made it to their targets, killing thousands.

Neither the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) nor the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was organized or trained for shooting down domestic airliners. One group of hijackers failed to reach their target, either the Capitol Building or the White House, because brave passengers, with sufficient information, said "Let's roll" and were able to counterattack.

Now, as much as the military promotes unity of command, on that day we didn't have it for the military defense of our homeland. Why is that? If you will remember, we just did not think we needed it. Now we know we do.

On that Tuesday morning Sept. 11, a gorgeous day in New York and Washington, it started out as just another day for NORAD. Canadians and Americans were watching the skies and space beyond our continent for potential threats. We were looking outward. But it became tragically apparent that we could no longer focus only on those external threats. We had to start looking inward--and in a hurry.

Today, we do. The FAA and NAV CANADA interior radars now feed our air defense sectors. We launch jets when we see a problem. If a hijacking should become evident, we are not still sitting on the bench. We are going to engage directly, coordinating closely with the FAA and other relevant agencies.

We now have formidable, layered air defenses around the National Capital Region. It is an integrated air defense system including NORAD fighters, Department of Homeland Security jets and helicopters, and ground-based missiles, a good number of them, all closely coordinated with the FAA and other agencies.

We have NORAD aircraft on alert or conducting irregular patrols all over the country, seven days a week, 24 hours a day ...

NORAD has flown almost 40,000 Noble Eagle sorties to protect Canadian and American airspace with not one severe mishap or accident. That's a credit to the people in NORAD and the young men and women who are doing the heavy lifting in the field. About three-quarters of the sorties have been flown by Air National Guard and Reserve forces. We are proud of that.

We want potential terrorists to know that they are not going to succeed. But you need to know that when we put an armed jet behind a civilian aircraft, our choices, by that point are limited, and they are not pleasant. If it's an airliner that has been hijacked and it's full of innocent passengers, we are already in trouble because other security measures have failed.

I recommend that we not kid ourselves. The noble passengers on United Flight 93 that day over Pennsylvania did what they had to do. We, in NORAD, will do everything we can to prevent a similar circumstance. But there could come a time when you, as a private citizen, traveling in an airplane, may have to step up to defend yourself.

It is not convenient to stand in a long line at the airport. But our airport security is a critical part of our nation's defense against terrorists. Those security personnel are just one part of a very complex, elaborate and sophisticated system that is structured to do the important job of identifying potential threats before those threats can do any harm.

NORAD armed jets are not the first option for dealing with hijackers; those fighters are just about the last option. But it is an option that we have today that we didn't have before 9/11. Fighting terrorists is a lot more than just organizing and training ourselves to handle a 9/11 situation better. And that leads us to your U.S. Northern Command.