Royal Canadian Air Force Lt.-Gen. Blaise Frawley, deputy commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, hosts the celebration of NORAD’s 66th Anniversary in the atrium of the headquarters on Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, on May 10, 2024. JHOMIL BANSIL/U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
THE WATCH STAFF
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) marked its 66th anniversary in May 2024 with a ceremony at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The decision by Canada and the United States to form a binational air defense in 1958 ushered in a new era of bilateral partnership in pursuit of a common goal – the defense of the North American homeland. In its seventh decade, NORAD continues to offer a strong example of the advantages of collaboration and interoperability for democracies around the world.
Royal Canadian Air Force Lt. Gen. Blaise F. Frawley, NORAD deputy commander, presided over the May 10, 2024, ceremony. Frawley said NORAD’s creation on May 12, 1958, to confront the threat posed by the Soviet Union ushered in decades of increased military cooperation between Canada and the U.S. “We’re more than just friends across the 49th parallel. We are a team. We monitor the seas and skies together. We crew aircraft together. We train and exercise together. We also live, and strive, and grieve together,” Frawley said, according to a NORAD news release.
The men and women of NORAD who monitor all domains and approaches to the North American homelands are a product of that teamwork, Frawley said. The shared sense of mission has created the trust necessary to continually adapt to changing threats. “I would like to take the opportunity to recognize our NORAD personnel responsible for standing operational watch 24 hours a day, every day, without expectation of public recognition,” he said. “Thank you all, and your families, for all that you do in support of our noblest of missions — defending our homelands.”
During the Colorado event, Marine Sgt. Maj. James Porterfield, NORAD and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) senior enlisted leader, and U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Chole Serafin, the organization’s junior member, cut the ceremonial cake to officially mark NORAD’s anniversary.
Examples of the far more crucial tasks that NORAD personnel complete routinely aren’t hard to find. On May 2, 2024, NORAD sensors detected and tracked four Russian aircraft operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), according to NORAD news release. The Russian warplanes remained in international airspace and didn’t cross into U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace. “This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat,” the release stated. The May activity by Russia was at least the sixth time this year that Russian military aircraft have operated near the Alaska ADIZ. An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security, the release stated.
NORAD uses a network of satellites, ground-based radar, airborne radar and fighters to detect, intercept and, if necessary, engage any air-based threat to Canada and the United States. But that’s not the organization’s only role. NORAD also assists in the detection and monitoring of aircraft suspected of illegal drug trafficking, passing along information to civilian law enforcement agencies to fight the flow of illegal drugs into North America. NORAD is also developing an initial concept for implementing the new maritime warning mission, according to a NORAD fact sheet.
NORAD’s anniversary is an important moment to honor the impressive achievement of the binational partnership between the close allies. “On NORAD’s anniversary it is good to remember the outstanding work NORAD personnel have delivered for the United States and Canada every day for 66 years,” Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, NORAD and USNORTHCOM commander, said. “Now more than ever, we value the commitment of our Canadian and U.S. personnel, military and civilian, who defend the homelands. They continue NORAD’s proud legacy in the honorable homeland defense mission as they face challenging threats, in all domains, and approaching from all vectors.”
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