Free Republic

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...

We found this site a few years ago and my daughter still loves to watch NORAD track Santa's progress around the world on Christmas Eve! :-) Merry Christmas to those of you in the time zones where Christmas and Santa has already arrived! :-)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2007 – Members of North American Aerospace Defense Command are gearing up to track Santa Claus’ travels on Christmas Eve, providing detailed information about his whereabouts on the command’s Web site and through a toll-free telephone line. Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, delivered a tongue-in-cheek assessment of the Santa-tracking mission. He reported a “consistent phenomenon” the command has tracked for decades. “Sometime around the 24th of December, this individual begins to take flight, and he makes a very rapid trip around the globe,” he said. When Continental...

August 30, 2007 PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command along with U.S. Pacific Command, the Department of Homeland Security as well as local, state and other federal responders will exercise their response abilities against a variety of potential threats during Exercise Vigilant Shield ‘08, a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-designated, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)-sponsored, and U.S. Joint Forces Command-supported Department of Defense exercise for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities missions. VS-08 will be conducted concurrent with Top Officials 4...

TOMS RIVER (1010 WINS) -- A fiery streak across the sky got the attention of the Coast Guard Saturday night, after the reported fireball crashed into the waters off the Jersey Shore. Concerned calls started coming in from South Carolina to Long Island about 9 p.m. Coast Guard boats were searching near the site of the reported impact, off Normandy Beach in Toms River, about 10 miles off shore. No debris has been found in the water. The Toms River Fire Department says it also got some calls and there were at least 20 people on the beach with the...

TOMS RIVER (1010 WINS) -- A fiery streak across the sky got the attention of the Coast Guard Saturday night, after the reported fireball crashed into the waters off the Jersey Shore. Concerned calls started coming in from South Carolina to Long Island about 9 p.m. Coast Guard boats were searching near the site of the reported impact, off Normandy Beach in Toms River, about 10 miles off shore. No debris has been found in the water. The Toms River Fire Department says it also got some calls and there were at least 20 people on the beach with the...

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, Colo. (Reuters) - The U.S. military will move its secure command center from deep inside Cheyenne Mountain even as Russia revives military maneuvers that led America to burrow under the rock almost 50 years ago.

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2007 – Officials at U.S. Northern Command are “keenly aware” of information within the newly released National Intelligence Estimate and are committed to working to ensure terrorists don’t succeed in attacking the United States, a NORTHCOM official said. A declassified version of the report released yesterday notes that Islamic terrorist groups, particularly al Qaeda, are likely to remain a persistent threat to the U.S. homeland over the next three years. The report paints a picture of terrorists’ “undiminished intent to attack the homeland.” “We assess that al Qaeda’s homeland plotting is likely to continue to focus on...

They warn us of approaching storms. They allow us to make emergency phone calls on mobile phones. They're the digital conveyor belt for global commerce. They help police and ambulances reach their destinations when every minute counts. And the Pentagon relies on them to provide U.S. forces with intelligence, communications and targeting information. Satellites, it seems, have become our lifelines. Still, it's easy to take satellites for granted -- easy, that is, until the People's Liberation Army crashes a missile into one of China's aging meteorological satellites, as it did last month. It was a crude show of strength, which...

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Jan. 31, 2007 – The Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region is stepping up its air patrols in the Miami-Dade area to increase security during Super Bowl XLI activities. Spectators will see the Air Force Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, fly over Dolphin Stadium Feb. 4 during pregame events and other Air Force fighter jets in the local area during the game. The patrols are a smart, efficient way to protect American lives and resources in the region, said Maj. Gen. Henry C. Morrow, the commander of both 1st Air Force and Continental...

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released documents obtained November 2006 under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM). The documents concern the participation of NORTHCOM Commander, Admiral Timothy Keating, NORTHCOM Political Advisor Deborah Bolton, and Plans, Policy & Strategy Director Major General Mark Volcheff in a meeting of the “North American Forum” at the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Canada on September 12-14, 2006. A similar request for records concerning forum participation by then-Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and his entourage is still pending with the Pentagon......

Follow along with NORAD as they track the magical journey of Santa Claus (Father Christmas/Sinterklaas/Pere Noel/De Kerstman/Julenisse etc.) around the world tonight! CLICK HERE TO BEGIN

12/23/2006 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) -- Despite being pounded by the holiday blizzard of 2006, North American Aerospace Defense Command remains on alert for the nation and ready to track Santa Claus, according to NORAD officials. "NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center is schedule to begin operations as scheduled at 2 a.m. Christmas Eve," said Michael Perini, director of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs. More than 800 Santa tracking volunteers will cycle through the center answering telephone calls and e-mails from children around the world wanting to get a fix on Santa Claus' whereabouts. "In 2005, the volunteers at the...

Canadian NORAD fighter pilots flying the CF-18 Hornet jet fighter will escort Santa Claus throughout Canada. And meeting Santa Claus in United States of America airspace will be United States NORAD fighter pilots flying F/A-18 Hornet and/or the F-15 Eagle fighter jets. This year, sadly, the F-14 Tomcat is unable to provide protection for Santa's super-secret, high-tech, marvel-of-aviation sleigh; after long decades of noble service the fighter jet is now retired. Based on what we see in the photo below (released by the United States Navy) retirement is far from Santa's mind. He's looking quite comfortable, and physically fit, as...

For all of you who have kids who want to track Santa on Christmas Eve, please check out the NORAD Santa Tracking Site http://www.noradsanta.org/index.php and let your children follow Santa on his journey around the world. Enjoy.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Nov. 17, 2006 -- In advance of the holiday season and its 51st season of tracking Santa Claus on his annual journey around the world, the North American Aerospace Defense Command today activated its “NORAD Tracks Santa” Web site for 2006. The U.S.-Canadian command’s program began in 1955 when an errant phone call was made to NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The call was from a local child who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a local newspaper advertisement. The commander who answered the phone that...

"With the arrest of an apparent Russian spy, it looks like the Conservative Canadian government is actually securing their nation. Along with the recent terror arrests, this encourages one to hope they will be doing the same on the US border.""I want to see if the Russians are ready to bully Canada in the same way they bullied Georgia when their spies were caught in that nation. This reinforces the need for NATO to take strong stances with Russia."

Dr. Strangelove would have a hea wt attack: America's vaunted underground war room deep inside this granite mountain is being retired. Not only that, but Russian military men have been inside the place. During the long nuclear standoff with Moscow, the nation's super-secret nerve center was a symbol of both Cold War might and apocalyptic dread, depicted in such movies as "WarGames" in 1983. But with the end of the Cold War, the war room is being put on "warm standby" to save money. A staff will keep it ready to resume operations at a moment's notice if a blast-hardened...

As a precaution. They have not said plan crash in NY is terror related.

A new U.S. push for greater Russian military openness collided with Cold War habits last week as Russian long-range bombers flew within 15 miles of U.S. airspace off Alaska, Denver Post website reported. Fully-armed U.S. fighter jets responded, intercepting the two bombers. The Russian Tu-95 bombers on a training exercise Thursday penetrated a North American buffer zone, said a statement Friday from Maj. Gen. Brett Cairns, operations chief for Colorado Springs-based North American Aerospace Defense Command.

News Release NORAD intercepts Russian aircraft NORAD - September 29, 2006 WINNIPEG, MAN. – North American Aerospace Defense Command launched three pairs of fighters Thursday evening from the command's Canadian NORAD Region (CANR) and the Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR) in response to Russian aircraft that penetrated North America’s Air Defense Identification Zone, according to NORAD officials. “While the Russian air assets at no time violated Canadian or U.S. airspace, integrated air defense assets in and around CANR and ANR were able to detect, intercept and identify a number of the Russian Tu-95 Bear heavy bombers participating in an annual Russian...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., charged on July 31 that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) have covered up "catastrophic failures" that left the nation vulnerable during the Sept. 11 hijackings. "For almost three years now, NORAD officials and FAA officials have been able to hide their critical failures that left this country defenseless during two of the worst hours in our history," Dayton declared during a Senate Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. During the hearing, Dayton told leaders of the Sept. 11 commission, that, based on the commission's report, a NORAD...