Free Republic

Where's Santa Claus at?

If you have ever wondered about the government’s ability to control the civilian airwaves, you will have your answer on November 9th. On that day, federal authorities are going to shut off all television and radio communications simultaneously at 2:00PM EST to complete the first ever test of the national Emergency Alert System (EAS).

If you hear loud booms tonight, it's F-16's. From NORAD: North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR), will conduct an exercise – Falcon Virgo 11-11 beginning Wednesday night, Aug. 24 at midnight into early Thursday morning, Aug. 25, in the National Capital Region. Flights in the National Capital Region are scheduled to take place between midnight and 1:30 a.m. EDT Thursday morning. In the event of inclement weather, the exercise will take place the next day at the same time.

Around 12:45 a.m. on Thursday April 14, 2011 (in the wee hours today), my husband and I awoke to hear major (military) jet rumblings over D.C. or nearby. It reminded us of the strange-sounding reverberations we hear at the annual air show. It came in two subsequent periods. The first one lasted probably no more than 3-5 minutes. I'm a bad judge of how long it lasted when I can't see a clock (after I initially checked the time) and when it is a startling event. Anyway, it was a significant period, and not just a flyover -- which we...

NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command will cut 79 positions as part of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' cost-savings initiative to improve efficiency that he issued late last year. Commanders said 40 of the positions will be military and 39 will be civilian. Offices most directly affected include chaplains, history, surgeon general and control systems. Most of the people who lose their jobs will be transferred to other posts in the military, and in some cases the military will help individuals find new employment, a NORAD spokesman told Fox News. And some of the positions, which are currently vacant, simply will...

Shooting down enemy aircraft over American soil is an event U.S.-based alert pilots train for. They run exercise scenarios on a constant basis, preparing for that call to scramble. But all the dry runs in the world can't prepare a pilot for that moment when a live missile is released from the jet. That's why the 148th Fighter Wing out of Duluth, Minn., is spending two weeks here working with the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group. "We came here to shoot missiles and drop live ordnance to be better prepared for our Air Sovereignty Alert mission," said Lt. Col. Reed Bowman,...

The following is a transcript of her conversations. OPERATOR: We have Max. MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama, with NORAD, tracking Santa. How can I help you? MAX: Hi. MRS. OBAMA: Hi. What's your name? MAX: Max. MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Max. How old are you? MAX: Eight. MRS. OBAMA: Eight? Okay, well, this is the First Lady. And I'm helping them track Santa tonight, so how can I help you? You want to know where Santa is? [the rest of the transcript, if you can stomach it, is at the link]

A 55-year-old tradition continues this year as the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, launches its Santa Tracker at 2 a.m. EST on Christmas Eve, with help from Google Earth.

The Department of Defense is slamming the door on questions about the mysterious contrail filmed Nov. 8 by a KCBS television crew near Los Angeles after questions were raised about a warning from the National Geo-Spatial Intelligence Agency that there could be missiles fired in that area at that time.

The Russian air defense system is designed so that it responds to all aircraft approaching the state's airspace, a high ranking Defense Ministry source has said. "That is perhaps its basic difference from the American system," the source said commenting on recent remarks by a senior U.S. military official. Adm. James A. Winnefeld, Jr., head of the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), said in an interview Russia continued "to fly strategic nuclear bombers near U.S. and Canadian airspace because the Russian military is seeking to maintain the illusion of power." He said jet interceptors are not ordered to...

The military scrambled two F-16 fighters jets Friday morning after two small private aircraft violated restricted air space related to President Barack Obama's visit to Las Vegas, Nevada, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said. Both planes that violated the restricted airspace landed at nearby airports and were met by authorities, NORAD said.

For 30 years, it has protected the East Coast of the United States from sea and land strikes by enemy missiles. Yesterday, officials from the Air Force 6th Space Warning Squadron celebrated those three decades at PAVE PAWS — the first U.S. phased array warning system in the country and only one of four overall. "I think certainly the legacy is keeping a watch, a presence looking out over the Atlantic Ocean," Lt. Col. Max Lantz, commander of the 6th Space Warning Squadron, said Friday. "It's been one of vigilant watch for the past 30 years." Everyday, the 10-story radar...

The retiring general in charge of NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command said Thursday that he's leaving behind no unfinished business but has concerns about the nation's aging radar system and jet-fighter fleet. Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart ends his 39-year Air Force career July 1. Since March 2007, he has overseen the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint U.S.-Canadian command that monitors air and space threats to both nations, and the Northern Command, which oversees the U.S. military's homeland defense and supports civilian authorities. The nation's current radar system needs to be updated with an integrated system of...

In 2009, NORAD launched fighter aircraft on 14 occasions in response to unannounced flights of Russian Tu-95 Bear and Tu-160 Blackjack bombers that were in international airspace, but were close enough to US and Canadian airspace to warrant a closer look, Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, NORAD boss, told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday in written testimony. He said they "were not considered threats," but it is NORAD's practice to dispatch fighters to identify any unknown aircraft in such scenarios. In response to a Senator's question during the hearing, Renuart said there have also been "a couple of instances"...

Fighter jet crews from North American Aerospace Defense Command's Continental United States Region will be busy Sunday protecting the skies around Sun Life Stadium in Miami during Super Bowl XLIV. Air Force fighter jets will be airborne while enforcing the FAA's temporary flight restriction zone during the big game. "As America's air defenders, we have a total team mindset," said Air Force Maj. Gen. Garry Dean, commander of NORAD's Continental United States Region. "Special events like this world-renowned sporting event take precise coordination with all mission partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FAA and...

The eight-seat recreational airplane, a single-engine Gippsland Airvan, is cruising peacefully over southern Maryland on a hazy June afternoon, pilot and passengers enjoying the view from 4,000 feet, where the Nanticoke River runs into the swamplands at the edge of the Chesapeake Bay. Suddenly—whoosh! A trademark shape most of us encounter only in the movies or at airshows darts underneath the 100-knot pleasure craft, then carves a semi-circle in the sky in front of it. A voice crackles in the pilot’s headset: “This is a United States Air Force armed F-16. You are in violation of restricted airspace. Do you...

Neil Cavuto just read news crossing the wire. Two fighter jets were launched by NORAD from Tyndall AFB in FL due to an issue with an unruly passenger on an Air Tran flight from Atlanta to San Francisco. Hopefully, more follows soon. Plane has landed at Colorado Springs airport. A young man was taken into custody after the flight was diverted. The man was thought to be intoxicated and locked himself in the bathroom. The crew radioed the situation, and the fighters were launched. Everyone's safe on the flight .. the passenger is in custody.

Airtran flight 39, Atlanta to San Francisco, unruly passenger on board. Fighters launched to escort plane, landed in Colorado Springs. Info per Neil Cavuto on Fox News; no link yet.

Norad it tracking Santa. Next stop is Iraq for our troops right now.

Welcome to NORAD Tracks Santa

BOGOTA — Colombia's defense chief joked Monday that Venezuelan troops might have mistaken Santa's sleigh for a spy plane, dismissing accusations by President Hugo Chavez about drones flying over Venezuela. Chavez on Sunday accused the United States of violating Venezuela's airspace with an unmanned spy plane and ordered his military to be on alert and shoot down any such aircraft. The Pentagon has declined to comment on Chavez's accusations. Colombian Defense Minister Gabriel Silva and armed forces commander Freddy Padilla told reporters Monday that Colombian aircraft couldn't fly the kind of espionage mission described by Chavez. "Colombia doesn't have that...

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight. The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition...

WASHINGTON -- The North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Continental U.S. NORAD Region plans a training flight exercise over the Washington area. The exercise, called Falcon Virgo 10-03, will take place late this evening and early tomorrow. It will include civil air patrol aircraft and Coast Guard helicopters. The exercise is made up of a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Command Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center, the Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR), Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR's Eastern Air Defense Sector.

12/8/2009 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- It's that time of the year again and North American Aerospace Defense Command officials are getting ready to track Santa Claus. The NORAD Tracks Santa Web site, www.noradsanta.org, is now live and features fun holiday games and activities that change daily. The Web site is available in seven languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese. On Dec. 24, the Web site will stream videos, captured by NORAD "Santa Cams," from numerous cities along Santa's journey. This year, children and the young-at-heart are able to track Santa through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and TroopTube.mil....

WASHINGTON — The government is to review an air defense system established after the September 11, 2001 attacks to determine whether the costly program is still necessary, the New York Times reported Friday. The review is expected to include a complete reassessment of the threat of a terror attack by air and will consider the cumulative effects of various security measures taken since the 2001 attacks. The review was ordered by Major General Pierre Forgues, the Canadian who currently heads the North American Aerospace Defense Command, commonly known as Norad. "The fighter force is extremely expensive, so you always have...

Armed F-16s from the Wisconsin Air National Guard were on the runway and could have shot down the errant Northwest flight, officials said today. "As a force of last resort, NORAD is always prepared to do whatever is necessary," NORAD spokesperson Mike Kucharek told ABCNews.com. Air traffic controllers feared Northwest Flight 188, might have been hijacked after its pilots failed to respond to radio transmissions for more than an hour. Air traffic controllers reported the pilots initially failed to respond to commands as it passed from the air space controlled by the FAA Denver Center into the area controlled by...

In hopes of preventing terrorist attacks, 2010 Olympic organizers will deploy 8,000 security personnel, spend as much as $1 billion in Canadian government funds and elicit help from the North American Aerospace Defense Command. NORAD leaders are finalizing plans with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to provide fighter jets and radar support in Vancouver, where 5,500 athletes from 80-plus countries, including about 215 Americans, will converge in February. About 4,000 Canadian soldiers are expected to oversee ground operations, with air patrol handled primarily by CF-18 Hornets from NORAD and Canadian Forces helicopters. On the water, the U.S. will complement Canadian...

---snip--- A barrage of e-mails between officials right after the flight made public Friday showed a flurry of second guessing, finger-pointing, attempts at damage control - even comparisons between them and The Three Stooges. "We ... need to construct some sort of timeline on when folks became aware of it if that is possible," one Air Force official wrote, responding to the public fright. "I agree we .. . need to accomplish damage control, but we aren't the POC (point of contact)," the response reads. "Nor do I want to become a belly button for NORAD to push on this...

U.S. 'ready' for N. Korean missile Pyongyang expected to test ICBM By Bill Gertz July 2, 2009 COLORADO SPRINGS | U.S. missile defenses are prepared to try to knock down the last stage of a Taepodong-2 missile that North Korea is expected soon to launch if sensors detect the weapon threatens U.S. territory, the commander of the U.S. Northern Command told The Washington Times. "The nation has a very, very credible ballistic-missile defense capability. Our ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California, I'm very comfortable, give me a capability that if we really are threatened by a long-range ICBM that I've...

A pair of F-16 fighter jets are scheduled to make periodic passes over downtown Washington at relatively low altitudes early tomorrow and again in the predawn hours Wednesday as part of a military exercise, the Air Force said. The two Air Force jets, taking part in an exercise run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, are slated to fly over the city at about 5,000 feet several times between midnight tonight and 6 a.m. tomorrow, and again during the same time frame starting at midnight Tuesday, said Air Force Lt. Col. Almarah Belk. She said two Cessna prop planes...

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2009 – A North American Aerospace Defense Command exercise designed to test the command’s aerospace defense capabilities in the national capital area has been rescheduled after inclement weather last week forced its postponement. Exercise Falcon Virgo, originally planned for the May 15-16 overnight period, now is scheduled for May 19-20. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, Coast Guard Dolphin choppers and Civil Air Patrol Cessnas will participate in the exercise over the nation’s capital and its suburbs. A number of Falcon Virgo exercises have taken place since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, officials said. The most...

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2009 – The North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct an exercise over the nation’s capital and its suburbs May 15, Defense Department officials said today. Exercise Falcon Virgo tests the aerospace defense of the national capital area. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, Coast Guard Dolphin choppers and Civil Air Patrol Cessnas will participate in the exercise. A number of Falcon Virgo exercises have taken place since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, officials said. The most recent one over Washington was in March. “The exercise is always held in the middle of the night...

The North American Aerospace Defense Command and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region, will conduct exercise Falcon Virgo 09-07, on May 15 and 19 between midnight and 6:00 a.m. in the National Capital Region (NCR), Washington, D.C. The exercise comprises a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Command Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center, the Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR), Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR's Western Air Defense Sector.

Mike Kucharek, a spokesman for North American Aerospace Defense Command, is being reported in an article on Foxnews.com that very shortly after American F-16s started following the stolen plane, they knew they wouldn't shoot it down. Why?

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/42563292.html SNIPPET: "A stolen airplane from Thunder Bay, Ontario that had U.S. defense Officials on high alert throughout Monday, landed on a Missouri highway." MULTIMEDIA WATCH THE VIDEO SNIPPET: "Spokespeople say a student at a flight school stole the aircraft and took off. The plane continued to fly towards Madison and that's when two F-16 fighter jets fighter intercepted the stolen Cessna"

Over the skies of the Midwest, two F-16 fighter jets are escorting a private Cessna 172 aircraft stolen from a flight school in Ontario, Canada, whose pilot has been unresponsive to multiple requests that he establish communications with ground controllers. The plane entered American airspace over Michigan's Upper Peninsula at 3:25 p.m. today and has been trailed by the military aircraft since 4:43 p.m. as it has flown over Minnesota, south through Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. The aircraft went past St. Louis flew south over eastern Missouri towards Arkansas. At one point, the Wisconsin state capitol building in Madison was...

U.S. F-16 fighter jets are tracking a single-engine plane over Missouri that was stolen from a Thunder Bay, Ont., aviation school Monday afternoon. Lt.-Cmdr. Gary Ross of NORAD in Colorado told CTV Newsnet that as of about 9 p.m. the plane was about 50 kilometres east of Salem. "We remain in pursuit and are trying to encourage the pilot to land safely," he said. Ross said the pilot has not responded to radio calls from the F-16s or the FAA and that the stolen Cessna 172 only has about one hour of fuel left. He also said the pilot has...

Note: The followint text is a quote: NORAD visually identifies 2 Russian bombers near Northwest Territories February 27, 2008 North American Aerospace Defense Command launched fighter aircraft Feb. 18 and visually identified two Russian TU-95 Bear bomber aircraft approximately 190 kilometers northeast of Tuktoyuktuk, Northwest Territories. This response included two CF-18 Hornet fighter aircraft from 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada as well as two F-15 Eagle aircraft from the Alaskan NORAD Region. The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace at all times and never entered sovereign Canadian or American airspace. All aircraft involved in the visual identification returned to...

(Washington, DC) -- DC area residents should not be alarmed to see and hear military aircraft overhead today as NORAD will be conducting a live-fly exercise. Civil Air Patrol aircraft, Air Force F-16s and Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopters will participate in the exercise which also includes the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Command Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center and other agencies and military groups. The flights are expected to take place late at night and early in the morning. It is the latest in a series of exercises which have been conducted following the terrorist...

“There is simply no other relationship like it.” With these words, the new commander of North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), USAF General Victor “Gene” Renuart, kicked off a media campaign in Ottawa in April to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NORAD. “There are no two nations like Canada and the United States that have agreed to protect each other’s air space and sovereignty. When you consider the support that NORAD provides. and the threats in so many domains that it counters, it is a truly outstanding relationship.” May 12 marks the 50th anniversary of the most significant military...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2008 – Among North American Aerospace Command’s diverse and challenging missions, none is more gratifying -- or as downright fun -- as tracking Santa Claus each year for children around the world, the NORAD commander said this week. “It is the most wonderful experience you can ever imagine to talk to children from literally all over the world who want to know where Santa is and ‘When is he going to be at my house?’” Air Force Gen. Victor E. “Gene” Renuart told local, state and federal leaders during a Dec. 16 symposium here on community resilience....

NORAD, USNORTHCOM participate in Exercise Vigilant Shield 09 November 5, 2008 PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command will participate in Exercise Vigilant Shield 09 Nov. 12 - 18. The focus of VS09 is on homeland defense and civil support. The exercise will include scenarios to achieve exercise objectives within the maritime, aerospace, ballistic missile defense, cyber, consequence management, strategic communications, and counter terrorism domains. VS09 will run concurrent with other Department of Defense-sponsored and international exercises to more realistically test the synchronized response of federal, state, local and international mission partners...

How The West Was Won The rapid and unexpected decline of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq was officially recognized this week, when Maj. Gen. John Kelly, commanding the Marine Expeditionary Force, turned operational control of Anbar Province over to the Iraqi army and police. Anbar, a vast expanse of desert the size of North Carolina, had been the stronghold of the Sunni insurgency. For years, foreign fighters loyal to al-Qaida had sneaked across Iraq's northwestern border with Syria, into Anbar and down a "rat line" of safe houses in Haditha, Ramadi and Hit. From Fallujah, the arch terrorist Zarqawi...

this site is personal to me it seems no strings attached, their sponsors take care of it all. just click and you will help many worthwhile causes, like hunger, breast cancer, literacy and pets. really, i run firefox with adblock plus and this site has given me no malware or issues/popups. it seems legit, if i can donate a can of food a day and more, i'm sure someone here can help spread the word. i appreciate it. and i'm in no way affiliated with them or paid, this isn't spam. i'm just a news junkie with this place and...

ROME, N.Y., May 13, 2008 – While North American Aerospace Defense Command celebrates its rich and historic 50-year history, one unit will remain diligently watching the skies just as it did on Sept. 11, 2001. Master Sgt. Thomas Whiteman, an Air National Guardsman with Northeast Air Defense Sector, salutes as Master Cpl. Bob Peldjak, a Canadian member of NEADS, stands at attention while the Canadian national anthem is played and the Canadian flag is raised on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2007. The binational, joint ceremony is held every year at the Veterans Memorial Park in Rome, N.Y., honoring the...

Government Attic. I'm on dialup so I won't be downloading the tapes. But this should interest some here.

Anybody know if there are sites similar to "FR", sites where Christians/conservatives can post, discuss? Thank you. John Lofton, Editor, TheAmericanView.com JLof@aol.com

PIEDMONT, Mo. — President Bush Wednesday evening declared a major disaster in Missouri and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in areaa struck by severe storms and flooding. Residents of low-lying towns stacked sandbags or grabbed belongings and evacuated the region after a foot of rain pushed rivers and creeks out of their banks in the nation's midsection. At least 13 deaths had been linked to the weather, and three people were missing.

The Free Republic is not so "free."

SIERRA VISTA — A recent international airspace incident involved a critic of the government’s illegal-immigration policies and two F-16 fighter jets. Glenn Spencer, head of the American Border Patrol, apparently triggered a security trip wire on Jan. 15 as he was flying from El Paso, Texas, in a Cessna 206. “I was monitoring the progress of the government in securing our border, and I was intercepted by an F-16!” Spencer stated in a letter to his supporters. He uses the letter to drum up support for his watchdog cause. The incident happened shortly after noon, about eight miles east of...