NORAD Braces For Attacks

Colorado Springs Gazette | July 2, 2002 | John Diedrich

[Stand Watch Listen]

NORAD is braced to provide security for the nation during the July Fourth weekend.

Federal authorities issued an alert to state and local authorities warning of a possible terrorist attack around the holiday. The message was not made public because the threat is too vague, officials said.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command, headquartered in Colorado Springs, will be ready to defend the nation's air space, said Maj. Mike Snyder, a NORAD spokesman, which greatly increased fighter patrols over the nation after the Sept. 11 attacks. "July Fourth weekend is a special situation," Snyder said. "We will take actions to provide adequate security measures."

NORAD's policy bars giving details of where and when fighters will be in the air or even to confirm they are increasing flights, Snyder said.

But he said Americans should not be surprised to see - or not to see - fighter jets overhead this weekend. There are other, less visible steps NORAD might take to increase security, such as putting more jets on standby and increasing radar coverage of certain areas. They will be working with other agencies, Snyder said.

[TBall]

Did anyone see the Norad story on MSNBC? Very interesting when talking about 911 and the decisions being made.