2. INTRODUCTION
• North American Aerospace Defense Command is a combined
organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace
warning, air sovereignty, and defense for North America.
• Headquarters for NORAD and the NORAD/USNORTHCOM (U.S. Northern
Command) center are located at Peterson Air Force Base in El Paso
County, near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• The nearby Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker has the Alternative
Command Center.
• The NORAD commander and deputy commander (CINCNORAD) are,
respectively, a U.S. four-star General or equivalent and a Canadian
three-star general or equivalent.
3.
4. HISTORY
• NORAD (originally known as the North American Air Defense Command), was
recommended by the Joint Canadian-U.S. Military Group in late 1956, approved
by the United States JCS in February 1957, and announced on 1 August
1957;the "establishment of [NORAD] command headquarters" was on 12
September 1957, at Ent Air Force Base's 1954 blockhouse.
• The 1958 international agreement designated the NORAD commander always
be a US officer (Canadian vice commander), and "RCAF officers…agreed the
command's primary purpose would be…early warning and defense for SAC's
retaliatory forces.
• ":252 In late 1958, Canada and the U.S. started the Continental Air Defense
Integration North (CADIN) for the SAGE air defense network:253 (initial CADIN
cost sharing agreement between the countries was on 5 January 1959), and two
December 1958 plans submitted by NORAD had "average yearly expenditure of
5.
6.
7. POST COLD WAR
• In 1989 NORAD operations expanded to cover counter-drug operations, e.g.,
tracking of small aircraft entering and operating within the US and Canada.
• DEW line sites were replaced between 1986 and 1995 by the North Warning
System.
• The Cheyenne Mountain site was also upgraded but none of the proposed
OTH-B radars are currently in operation.
• After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the NORAD Air Warning Center's
mission "expanded to include the interior airspace of North America."
• The Cheyenne Mountain Realignment was announced on 28 July 2006, to
consolidate NORAD's day-to-day operations at Peterson Air Force Base with
Cheyenne Mountain in "warm standby" staffed with support personnel.
8.
9. AGREEMENT
• The common defense of the North American continent traces its history back to 1940 when
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt met to discuss the
war in Europe and mutual defense concerns.
• In September 1957, the two nations agreed to create the “North American Air Defense Command”
(NORAD) headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo. as a bi-national command, centralizing
operational control of continental air defenses against the threat of Soviet bombers. On May 12,
1958, the agreement between the Canadian and U.S. governments that established NORAD was
formalized.
• The agreement included 11 principles governing the organization and operation of NORAD and
called for a renewal of the agreement in 10 years.
• The March 1996 renewal redefined NORAD’s missions as aerospace warning and aerospace
control for North America.
• The new agreement included a consultative mechanism for issues concerning aerospace defense
cooperation and, a provision for the review and management of environmental practices related to
NORAD operations.
• The May 2006 renewal added a maritime warning mission to the command's existing missions.
• The on-going adaptation of NORAD’s mission and capabilities to meet the challenges posed by
ever-changing threats testifies to the strength of the NORAD Agreement and the close
cooperation between Canada and the United States.
