Commander says NORAD should widen its watch

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Aug 26, 2004 | by PAM ZUBECK THE GAZETTE

The nation's air and space defense command should expand to oversee seaborne threats and possibly Mexico, the mission's commander said Wednesday.

Air Force Gen. Ed Eberhart also said the nation's homeland defense command could grow into a full-fledged combatant command with more forces.

Eberhart, who oversees both the two-nation North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, spoke to reporters at headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in the only interview planned before his Nov. 5 retirement.

Noting that NORAD's agreement with Canada is due for renewal in 2006, Eberhart said a panel of 55 Canadians and Americans is drafting a new pact.

That presents an opportunity to consider whether the arrangement, which dates to the 1960s, should be remolded to react better to ter- rorism threats, including seaborne threats, he said. First reported by The Gazette in April, Eberhart's prediction that NORAD will take on maritime monitoring isn't without challenges.

Air Force Maj. Charles Thinger, air warning manager at the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, said not all vessels have transponders -- signal-emitting devices used on aircraft to enable authorities to track commercial flights by radar. Also, not all ports are outfitted with security equipment.

Eberhart also said Mexico should be included in discussions about NORAD's future.

"We should pause and work with our neighbors to the south and to the north and see if this is right for the three nations to include Mexico," he said. "My intuition tells me that someday that's going to make sense."

As for NorthCom, Eberhart predicted the command will continue to build relationships with federal agencies and state and local first responders but also could grow in numbers.

NorthCom, formed in October 2002, has about 1,300 employees, who turn to other services for people and equipment to fulfill their missions. Other unified combatant commands have tens of thousands of troops under their command.

Eberhart said changes at NORAD and NorthCom probably will be dictated by terrorism and efforts to "stay ahead of that threat."

Because prime targets such as New York City and Washington, D.C., have been flooded with security measures, terrorists may turn to the interior, Eberhart said.

"I believe if the enemy believes we are not ready for them in Denver, Colorado Springs or St. Louis, that's exactly where they're going to go," he said.

More imminently, Eberhart warned that terrorists are eyeing the Nov. 2 election.

"In terms of a likelihood of an attack, there's no doubt in my mind that terrorist organizations would like to strike before the election, and they're looking for any opportunities to," he said.

"Between now and then, we can't assume we're safe through the election, that we're necessarily safe through the inauguration, or that we're necessarily safe two or three months later. They're just waiting for us to let our guard down."

Wednesday's media tour for about 18 local, national and international journalists included unprecedented access to NORAD and NorthCom facilities, notably the Combined Intelligence Fusion Center, which assesses information gathered by various agencies.

The intelligence director, identified only as Mike for security reasons, said, "I think the average American citizen would be surprised by how much has happened and how many times we have succeeded" in thwarting terrorist attacks. He would not discuss details.

Eberhart, a 1968 Air Force Academy graduate and highly decorated command pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours, is to be replaced by Navy Vice Adm. Timothy Keating. Keating will be the first officer from a branch other than the Air Force to hold the post.

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