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{{Short description|Combined organization of the US and Canada providing air defence for North America}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = North American Aerospace Defense Command<br/>Commandement de la défense aérospatiale de l'Amérique du Nord
| image = North American Aerospace Defense Command logo.svg
| image_size = 245
| caption = Crest of North American Aerospace Defense Command
| dates = 
| start_date = {{nowrap|12 May 1958<br />({{Age in years and months|1958|5|12}})}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.norad.mil/Newsroom/Fact-Sheets/Article-View/Article/578772/norad-agreement/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.norad.mil%2FNewsroom%2FFact-Sheets%2FArticle-View%2FArticle%2F578772%2Fnorad-agreement%2F|title=NORAD Agreement|website=North American Aerospace Defense Command}}</ref>
| countries = {{flag|Canada}}<br>{{flag|United States}}
| allegiance = 
| branch = 
| type = Bi-national command
| role = Conducting aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning in the defense of North America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.norad.mil/Newsroom/Fact-Sheets/Article-View/Article/578770/north-american-aerospace-defense-command/|title = North American Aerospace Defense Command}}</ref>
| size = 
| command_structure = 
| garrison = [[Peterson Space Force Base]], [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]], U.S.
| garrison_label = Headquarters
| nickname = 
| patron = 
| motto = We Have the Watch
| colours = Blue<br>Turquoise<br>Yellow
| colours_label = Emblem Colors
| mascot = 
| equipment = 
| equipment_label = 
| battles = 
| anniversaries = 
| decorations = 
| battle_honours = <!-- Commanders -->
| commander1 = [[General (United States)|Gen]] [[Gregory M. Guillot]], [[United States Air Force|USAF]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.norad.mil/Leadership/|title=Leadership|website=www.norad.mil}}</ref>
| commander1_label = [[Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command|Commander]]
| commander2 = [[Lieutenant-general (Canada)|LGen]] [[Iain S. Huddleston]], [[Royal Canadian Air Force|RCAF]]
| commander2_label = [[Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command#List of deputy commanders|Deputy Commander]]
| commander3 = [[Lieutenant general (United States)|LTG]] [[Thomas Carden]], [[United States Army|USA]]
| commander3_label = Vice Commander, U.S. Element
| commander4 = [[Chief master sergeant#United States|CMSgt]] John G. Storms, [[United States Air Force|USAF]]
| commander4_label = Command Senior Enlisted Leader
| notable_commanders = <!-- Insignia -->
| identification_symbol = 
| identification_symbol_label = 
| identification_symbol_2 = 
| identification_symbol_3 = 
| identification_symbol_2_label = 
| identification_symbol_3_label = 
| website = {{URL|https://www.norad.mil|norad.mil}}
}}

Established in 1958, '''North American Aerospace Defense Command''' ('''NORAD {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|ɔɹ|æ|d}} <small>[[Help:Pronunciation respelling key|NΟR-ad]]</small>;''' {{langx|fr|Commandement de la défense aérospatiale de l'Amérique du Nord}}, '''CDAAN'''), formerly '''North American Air Defense Command''', and '''United States Army Air Defence Command,''' is the largest established combined bi-national military command in the world.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Charron |first=Andrea |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/NORAD/C3qAEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22NORAD%22&pg=PT51&printsec=frontcover |title=NORAD: In Perpetuity and Beyond |last2=Fergusson |first2=James |date=2022-11-15 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP |isbn=978-0-2280-1494-2 |page=15 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=States |first=National Guard Association of the United |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Proceedings_of_the_Annual_Conference/VWrfAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22NORAD+is+the%22&dq=%22NORAD+is+the%22&printsec=frontcover |title=Proceedings of the Annual Conference |date=1959 |publisher=The Association |page=156 |language=en}}</ref> The North American Aerospace Defense Command defends both [[Canada]] and the [[United States]], and protects and monitors [[North America]]'s skies and atmosphere.

After the [[Cold War]], and the collapse and dissolution of the [[Soviet Union]] in [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|1991]], NORAD adapted, and in the early 2000s, following [[NATO]]'s [[North Atlantic Treaty#Article 5|article five]] invocation for the first time and only time after the [[September 11 attacks]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Community Responds {{!}} National September 11 Memorial & Museum |url=https://www.911memorial.org/learn/resources/digital-exhibitions/digital-exhibition-revealed-hunt-bin-laden/international-community-responds |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=www.911memorial.org}}</ref> Canada partnered with the NORAD as a [[Strategic partnership|strategic partner]] under a permanent [[Bilateral treaty|bilateral and bi-national mutual defence agreement]] to prevent and detect attacks by [[United States foreign adversaries|foreign adversaries]]. 

NORAD collects information about the [[Atmosphere of Earth|atmosphere of the earth]], [[United States Space Surveillance Network|space objects]], and [[North America]]'s [[Coast|coastal waters]] developing [[Trajectory|trajectories]] and identifying their origin. Information about potentially [[Hostility|hostile targets]], originally [[strategic bomber]]s, but now in 2025 a variety of [[ballistic missile|ballistic]] and [[cruise missile]]s, is disseminated to various [[Military|armed forces]] and leadership. NORAD's defensive area covers most of Northern America, and is broken into three areas of responsibility, the [[Alaska North Slope|Alaskan region]], the [[Northern Canada|Canadian region]], and the [[Southwestern United States|American Continental region]]. 

[[NORAD Control Center|NORAD]]'s [[NORAD Control Center|main headquarters]] are in [[Colorado]], United States at [[Peterson Space Force Base]] (formerly Peterson Air Force Base), with other administrative offices located in [[New Mexico]], United States and [[Arizona]], United States. The combined forces of NORAD include 1,000 [[Soldier|soldiers]], [[Private military company|personnel]] and [[Military dependent|military dependents]]. The [[Cheyenne Mountain Complex]] located inside of [[Cheyenne Mountain]], in [[El Paso County, Colorado|El Paso County]] and near [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]], Colorado is used during a [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]] or [[Air-to-surface missile|air to ground attack]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Common defense leads to unique partnership |url=https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article/Article/1458437/common-defense-leads-to-unique-partnership/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250624111550/https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article/Article/1458437/common-defense-leads-to-unique-partnership/ |archive-date=2025-06-24 |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=U.S. Northern Command |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Structure ==
[[File:NORAD Region-Sector Map.jpg|thumb|279x279px|A map of NORAD regions and sectors, both the Continental United States and the Canadian regions are divided into eastern and western sectors.]]

=== Divisions ===
NORAD has administratively divided the North American landmass into [[Eleventh Air Force|The North American Aerospace Defence Command, Alaskan Region]] (ANR), [[1 Canadian Air Division|Canadian Region]] (CANR), and the [[Contiguous United States|Continental United States]] (CONR–AFNORTH).

The structure includes:
* The [[1 Canadian Air Division|1st Canadian Air Division]] ([[French language|'''French''']]: ''1<sup>re</sup> Division aérienne du Canada''), in the Canadian Region.

* The [[Eleventh Air Force]] (11 AF), in the Alaskan Region.

* The [[First Air Force]] (1&nbsp;AF), in the American Continental Region.

=== Command structure ===
The North American Aerospace Command maintains a headquarters located at [[Peterson Space Force Base]] near [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]]. The NORAD and [[United States Northern Command|USNORTHCOM]] Command Center at Peterson serves as both a central collection and coordination facility for a worldwide system of sensors designed to provide the commander and the leadership of Canada and the U.S. with an accurate picture of any  active aerospace or maritime threat.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NORAD.mil: ''Organizational History'' |url=http://www.norad.mil/about/index.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509055446/http://www.norad.mil/about/index.html |archivedate=9 May 2013}}</ref>

Command structure by order of authority:<ref>{{Cite news |title=USSTRATCOM leaders host NORAD director of operations |url=https://www.stratcom.mil/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/983666/usstratcom-leaders-host-norad-director-of-operations/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250524190733/https://www.stratcom.mil/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/983666/usstratcom-leaders-host-norad-director-of-operations/ |archive-date=2025-05-24 |access-date=2025-10-26 |work=U.S. Strategic Command |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Leadership |url=https://www.norad.mil/Leadership/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250925205653/https://www.norad.mil/Leadership/ |archive-date=2025-09-25 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=www.norad.mil |language=en-US}}</ref>

* [[General officer]]
* [[Commander-in-chief|Deputy Commander]]
* [[Chief of staff|Chief of Staff]]
* Commander Senior Enlisted Leader

== Regions ==

=== Regions ===
===Alaska, United States===
The [[Eleventh Air Force (United States)|Alaskan NORAD Region]] (ANR) maintains continuous capability to detect, validate and warn off any atmospheric threat in its area of operations from its Regional Operations Control Center (ROCC) at [[Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson]], Alaska.

ANR maintains the readiness to conduct a continuum of aerospace control missions, which include daily air sovereignty in peacetime, contingency and deterrence in time of tension, and active air defense against manned and unmanned air-breathing atmospheric vehicles in times of crisis.

ANR is supported by both active duty and reserve units. Active duty forces are provided by 11&nbsp;AF and the [[Canadian Armed Forces]] (CAF), and reserve forces provided by the [[Alaska Air National Guard]]. Both 11&nbsp;AF and the CAF provide active duty personnel to the ROCC to maintain continuous surveillance of Alaskan airspace.

===Canada===
Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters is at [[CFB Winnipeg]], Manitoba. It was established on 22 April 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.norad.mil/Portals/29/Documents/A%20Brief%20History%20of%20NORAD%20%28current%20as%20of%20March%202014%29.pdf,|title=p. 41.}}</ref> It is responsible for providing surveillance and control of Canadian airspace. The [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] provides alert assets to NORAD. CANR is divided into two sectors, the Canada East Sector and Canada West Sector. Both Sector Operations Control Centers (SOCCs) are co-located at [[CFB North Bay]], Ontario. The routine operation of the SOCCs includes reporting track data, sensor status and aircraft alert status to NORAD headquarters. In 1996, CANR was renamed [[1&nbsp;Canadian Air Division]] and moved to [[CFB Winnipeg]].

Canadian air defense forces assigned to NORAD include [[409 Tactical Fighter Squadron]] at [[CFB Cold Lake]], Alberta and [[425 Tactical Fighter Squadron]] at [[CFB Bagotville]], Quebec.  All squadrons fly the [[McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet]] fighter aircraft.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cf-18-hornets-1.1003648 | title=Canada's CF-18 Hornets | work=CBC News | date=21 March 2011}}</ref>

To monitor for drug trafficking, the Canadian NORAD Region monitors all air traffic approaching the coast of Canada, in cooperation with the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] and the United States drug law enforcement agencies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/war-conflict/defence/norad-watching-the-skies/topic---norad-watching-the-skies.html|title=CBC Archives|date=10 April 2013}}</ref> Any aircraft that has not filed a flight plan may be directed to land and be inspected by RCMP and [[Canada Border Services Agency]].

===Continental U.S.===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2014}}
The [[Continental NORAD Region]] (CONR) is the component of NORAD that provides airspace surveillance and control and directs air sovereignty activities for the [[Contiguous United States]] (CONUS). Since the terrorist attacks of [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], CONR has been the lead agency for [[Operation Noble Eagle]], an ongoing mission to protect the continental United States from airborne attacks.<ref>{{Cite web|access-date=May 17, 2022|title=Continental U.S. NORAD Region |url=https://www.norad.mil/About-NORAD/Continental-US-NORAD-Region/|website=[[North American Aerospace Defense Command]]}}</ref>

CONR is the NORAD designation of the United States Air Force [[First Air Force]]/AFNORTH. Its headquarters is located at [[Tyndall Air Force Base]], Florida. The First Air Force (1&nbsp;AF) became responsible for the USAF air defense mission in September 1990. AFNORTH is the United States Air Force component of [[United States Northern Command]] (NORTHCOM).

1&nbsp;AF/CONR-AFNORTH comprises [[Air National Guard]] Fighter Wings assigned an air defense mission to 1&nbsp;AF/CONR-AFNORTH on federal orders, made up primarily of citizen Airmen. The primary weapons systems are the [[McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle]] and [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon]] aircraft.

It plans, conducts, controls, coordinates and ensures air sovereignty and provides for the unilateral defense of the United States. A combined First Air Force command post is at Tyndall Air Force Base. The US East ROCC ([[Eastern Air Defense Sector]]), Sector Operations Control Center (SOCC) is at [[Rome, New York]]. The US West ROCC ([[Western Air Defense Sector]]) control center is at [[McChord Field]], Washington. Both maintain continuous surveillance of CONUS airspace.

In its role as the CONUS NORAD Region, 1&nbsp;AF/CONR-AFNORTH also performs counter-drug surveillance operations.

==History==
The North American Air Defense Command was recommended by the Joint Canadian–U.S. Military Group in late 1956, approved by the U.S. [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] in February 1957, and announced in August 1957.<ref>{{Cite report |last=Sturm |first=Thomas A. |date=January 1965 |title=Command and Control for North American Air Defense, 1959–1963 |publisher=Liaison Office, USAF History Division |pages=14–7}} (cited by Schaffel p. 251 & 315)</ref> NORAD's command headquarters was established on 12 September 1957 at [[Ent Air Force Base]]'s 1954 blockhouse.<ref>{{Cite report |last=McMullen |first=Richard F. |year=1965 |title=Command and Control Planning, 1958–1965 |pages=1–2}} (cited by Schaffel p. 252 & 315)</ref> In 1958, Canada and the United States agreed that the NORAD commander would always be a United States officer, with a Canadian vice commander. Canada "agreed the command's primary purpose would be ... early warning and defense for the [[Strategic Air Command]]'s (SAC)'s retaliatory forces".{{r|Schaffel}}{{Rp|252}} 

In late 1958, Canada and the United States started the [[Continental Air Defense Integration North]] (CADIN) for the [[Semi-Automatic Ground Environment]] air defense network.{{r|Schaffel}}{{Rp|253}} The initial CADIN cost-sharing agreement between the two countries was signed in January 1959.<!--{{rp|72}}--> Two December 1958 plans submitted by NORAD had "average yearly expenditure of around five and one half billions", including "cost of the accelerated Nike Zeus program" and three [[Ballistic Missile Early Warning System]] (BMEWS) sites.{{r|NORAD1959B}}

[[File:NORADBlast-Doors.jpg|thumb|The 25-ton North [[Blast shelter#Design|blast door]] in the [[Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker]] is the main entrance to another blast door in the background, beyond which the side tunnel branches into access tunnels to the main chambers.]]
Canada's NORAD bunker at [[CFB North Bay]] with a SAGE [[AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central]] computer was constructed from 1959 to 1963. Each of the USAF's eight smaller [[AN/FSQ-8 Combat Control Central]] systems provided NORAD with data and could command the entire United States air defense. The RCAF's 1950 "ground observer system, the [[Long Range Air Raid Warning System]]", was discontinued.<ref>''Canadian Long Range Early Warning'' (letter to HQ [[Western Air Defense Force|WADF]]), [[Continental Air Command|CONAC]], 16 October 1950 (cited by Schaffel p. 138 & 304)</ref> In January 1959, the United States [[Ground Observer Corps]] was deactivated.{{r|Schaffel}}{{Rp|222}} 

The Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker's planned mission was expanded in August 1960 to "a hardened center from which CINCNORAD would supervise and direct operations ''against space attack'' as well as air attack".<ref name=ARDC>{{Cite report |title=title [[To be announced|tbd]] |publisher=[[Air Force Systems Command|Air Research and Development Command]]}} (cited by Schaffel, p. 262)</ref> In October 1960, the Secretary of Defense assigned, "operational command of all space surveillance to [[Continental Air Defense Command]] (CONAD) and operational control to North American Air Defense Command (NORAD)".<ref name=Sturdevant>{{Cite report |series=AAS History Series |volume=18 |editor=Launius, Roger D |year=1995 |chapter=Chapter 7: The United States Air Force Organizes for Space: The Operational Quest |last=Sturdevant |first=Rick W |title=Organizing for the Use of Space: Historical Perspectives on a Persistent Issue |publisher=Univelt for the [[American Astronautical Society]] |issn=0730-3564}}</ref>

In December 1960, the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] (JCS) placed the Ent Air Force Base [[Space Detection and Tracking System]] (496L System with [[Philco]] 2000 Model 212 computer){{r|Weeden}} "under the operational control of CINCNORAD ",{{r|LeonardV2}} during the Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker excavation, and the joint SAC-NORAD exercise "[[Operation Skyshield|Sky Shield]] II". In September 1962—"Sky Shield III" were conducted for mock penetration of NORAD sectors.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.atlasmissilesilo.com/Documents/SquadronUnitHistory/AtlasF/579thSMS/AF-D-O-579-99-RO-00009_6thBombWing_UnitHistory_1962_09_September.pdf |title=p. 17, PDF |access-date=10 September 2012 |archive-date=21 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055807/http://www.atlasmissilesilo.com/Documents/SquadronUnitHistory/AtlasF/579thSMS/AF-D-O-579-99-RO-00009_6thBombWing_UnitHistory_1962_09_September.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1963, NORAD command center operations moved from Ent Air Force Base to the partially underground "Combined Operations Center" for [[Aerospace Defense Command]] and NORAD at the [[Chidlaw Building]].{{r|Chronology}} President [[John F. Kennedy]] visited "NORAD headquarters" after the 5 June 1963 [[United States Air Force Academy]] graduation. On 30 October 1964, "NORAD began manning" the Combat Operations Center in the [[Cheyenne Mountain Complex]].{{r|LeonardV2}}  

In 1965, about 250,000 United States and Canadian personnel were involved in the operation of NORAD,{{Failed verification|Renault doesn't say these were NORAD personnel, but that they were United States and Canadian personnel, which included non-NORAD people (e.g., no interceptor personnel were in NORAD units)|date=September 2012}}<ref name=Renuart>{{cite journal |last=Renuart | first=Victor E. Jr. |year=2009 |title=The Enduring Value of NORAD |url=https://archive.org/stream/jfq-54-nsia/jfq-54#page/n93/mode/1up |journal=Joint Force Quarterly |volume=54 |pages=92–6}}</ref> On 1 January 1966, [[Air Force Systems Command]] turned the COC over to NORAD.{{r|DelPapa}}  The NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Complex was accepted on 8 February 1966.{{r|LeonardV2}}{{Rp|319}}

===1968 reorganization===
[[United States Department of Defense]] (DoD), also referred to as the Department of War (DoW), realignments for the NORAD command organization began on 15 November 1968 (e.g., [[Army Air Defense Command]] (ARADCOM)).<ref>{{cite report |title=Upper Reservation of Fort Mac Arthur Historic District |url=http://www.ftmac.org/downloads/SHPOrevision/FtMacArthurFinalCommission.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.ftmac.org/downloads/SHPOrevision/FtMacArthurFinalCommission.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|quote=On November 15, 1968, as part of the internal reorganization of the Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM), the 47th Artillery Brigade was transferred east. the Army Air Defense command at Fort MacArthur became the 19th Artillery Group (Air Defense). This change was made to align ARADCOM units in accordance with a reorganization of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).}}<!--pdf 29--><!--br>{{Cite journal |last=Moeller |first=Colonel Stephen P |date=May–June 1995 |title=Vigilant and Invincible |url=http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/airdef/vigilant.htm  |journal=ADA Magazine }} [covers the [[U.S. Army Air Defense Command]] (ARADCOM) 1950s–1974]}}<br />Rings of Supersonic Steel: Air Defenses of the United States Army 1950–1979--></ref> By 1972, there were eight NORAD "regional areas&nbsp;... for all air defense".<ref name=Digest>{{cite book |date=1972 |at=North American Air Defense Command |chapter=Chapter 1: Air Defense Doctrine and Procedures |chapter-url=http://ed-thelen.org/72digest1.html#1a|title=U.S. Army Air Defense Digest, 1972 |location=Hillman Hall, [[Fort Bliss]], Texas |publisher=<!--U.S. Army Air Defense School--> |access-date=19 September 2012 |quote=Currently, the North American Continent is divided into eight regional areas (fig 2) of air defense responsibility· Each region commander is responsible to CINCNORAD for all air defense activity within his designated area. … The average number of unknowns in the system has steadily declined over the years until now the number is approximately 40 per month.}}</ref> The NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Complex Improvements Program (427M System){{r|DelPapa}} became operational in 1979.{{r|CMU}}

===False alarms===
On at least three occasions, NORAD systems failed, such as on 9 November 1979, when a technician in NORAD loaded a test tape, but failed to switch the system status to "test", causing a stream of constant false warnings to spread to two "[[continuity of government]]" bunkers as well as command posts worldwide.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The 3am Phone Call: False Warnings of Soviet Missile Attacks during 1979–80 Led to Alert Actions for U.S. Strategic Forces|journal=National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 371 |publisher=National Security Archive, George Washington University |location=Washington D.C. |date=1 March 2012 |url=https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb371/index.htm}}</ref> On 3 June 1980, and again on 6 June 1980, a [[Computer network|computer communications]] device failure caused warning messages to sporadically flash in U.S. Air Force command posts around the world that a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear attack]] was taking place.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.gao.gov/f0102/115265.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://archive.gao.gov/f0102/115265.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=NORAD's Missile Warning System: What Went Wrong? (MASAD-81-30)|date=15 May 1981|publisher=U.S. Government Accountability Office |access-date=3 November 2010}}<br />{{cite web |url=http://archive.gao.gov/d25t7/139055.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://archive.gao.gov/d25t7/139055.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Attack Warning: Better Management Required to Resolve NORAD Integration Deficiencies (IMTEC-89-26)|date=7 July 1989 |publisher=U.S. Government Accountability Office |access-date=3 November 2010}}</ref> 

During these incidents, [[Pacific Air Forces]] (PACAF) properly had their planes loaded with nuclear bombs in the air. [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) did not and received criticism,{{By whom|date=February 2017}} because they did not follow procedure, even though the SAC command knew these were almost certainly [[false alarm]]s, as did PACAF.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} Both command posts had recently begun receiving and processing direct reports from the various radar, satellite, and other missile attack detection systems, and those direct reports simply did not match the erroneous data received from NORAD.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

===1980 reorganization===
[[File:North Radar System.png|thumb|The [[North Warning System]] as envisioned by Canada and the US in 1987]]

Following the 1979 Joint US-Canada Air Defense Study, the command structure for aerospace defense was changed, e.g., "SAC assumed control of [[United States Space Surveillance Network|ballistic missile warning and space surveillance facilities]]" on 1 December 1979 from ADCOM.{{r|Winkler}}{{Rp|48}} The Aerospace Defense Command major command ended 31 March 1980. Its organizations in Cheyenne Mountain became the "ADCOM" ''specified'' command under the same commander as NORAD,{{r|Chronology}}<!--{{Rp|FAS}}--> e.g., HQ NORAD/ADCOM J31 manned the Space Surveillance Center. 

In 1982, a NORAD Off-site Test Facility<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio_print.asp?bioID=10585&page=1 |title=Brigadier General David A. Cotton |publisher=U.S. Air Force |access-date=17 December 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212030914/http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio_print.asp?bioID=10585&page=1 |archive-date=12 December 2012 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> called the Test and Development Facility (TDF) was located at Peterson AFB.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gao.justia.com/department-of-defense/1991/4/attack-warning-imtec-91-23/IMTEC-91-23-full-report.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://gao.justia.com/department-of-defense/1991/4/attack-warning-imtec-91-23/IMTEC-91-23-full-report.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Attack Warning. Costs to Modernize NORAD's Computer System Significantly Understated  |date=1991 |website=gao.justia.com }}</ref> The [[DEW Line]] was to be replaced with the [[North Warning System]] (NWS), the [[Over-the-horizon radar|Over-the-Horizon Backscatter]] (OTH-B) radar was to be deployed, more advanced fighters were deployed, and E-3 Sentry [[Airborne early warning and control|AWACS aircraft]] were planned for greater use. These recommendations were accepted by the governments in 1985.  The United States Space Command was formed in September 1985 as an adjunct, but not a component of NORAD.

NORAD was renamed ''North American Aerospace Defense Command'' in March 1981.

===Post–Cold War===
In 1989, NORAD operations expanded to cover counter-drug operations, for example, tracking of small aircraft entering and operating within the United States and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nuke.fas.org/guide/usa/c3i/cmc.htm|title=Cheyenne Mountain Complex - United States Nuclear Forces|website=nuke.fas.org}}</ref> DEW line sites were replaced between 1986 and 1995 by the North Warning System. The Cheyenne Mountain site was upgraded, but none of the proposed [[OTH-B]] radars are currently in operation.

After the [[September 11 attacks]], the NORAD Air Warning Center's mission included the interior airspace of North America.<ref name="Cheyenne Mountain Division - Air Warning Center (AWC) by NORAD Public Affairs">{{cite web|url=http://www.norad.mil/about/CMOC_2.html |title=Cheyenne Mountain Complex |at=AWC [Air Warning Center]|publisher=NORAD Public Affairs |access-date=9 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005065851/http://www.norad.mil/about/cmoc_2.html|archive-date=2012-10-05}}</ref>

The Cheyenne Mountain Realignment<ref name=GAO>{{cite report |last=D'Agostino |first=Davi M |date=21 May 2007 |title=Defense Infrastructure: Full Costs and Security Implications of Cheyenne Mountain Realignment Have Not Been Determined [GAO—07-803R] |url=http://www.gao.gov/assets/100/94893.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.gao.gov/assets/100/94893.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |publisher=[[Government Accountability Office|United States General Accounting Office]] |access-date=9 September 2012}}</ref> was announced in July 2006, to consolidate NORAD's day-to-day operations at [[Peterson Air Force Base]].<ref name="After 4 Decades, a Cold War Symbol Stands Down, 29 July. 2006, by Kirk Johnson">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/29/washington/29norad.html?_r=2&oref=slogin |title=After 4 Decades, a Cold War Symbol Stands Down |author=Kirk Johnson |access-date=31 December 2009 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 July 2006}}</ref> Cheyenne Mountain remains on "warm standby", staffed with support personnel.

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|-
| colspan="14" style="background:silver; text-align:center;"| '''Former NORAD Regions/Sectors'''
|-
| 
| 1966
| 1967
| 1968
| 1969
| 1970–1983
| 1984
| 1985–1986
| 1987
| 1988–1990
| 1991–1992
| 1993–1995
| 1996–2005
| 2006–2009
|-
| [[20th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| 1966–1967
| style="text-align:center; border:none"| 
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| 1969–1983
|-
| [[21st Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| 1966–1967
| style="text-align:center; border:none"| 
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| 1969–1983
|-
| 22nd Air Division
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"| 1966–1987
|-
| [[23rd Air Division (United States)|23rd Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center; border:none" colspan="3"|
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="5"| 1969–1987
|-
| [[24th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center; border:none" colspan="3"|
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="6"| 1969–1990
|-
| [[25th Air Division]] 
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="9"| 1966–1990
|-
| [[26th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="9"| 1966–1990
|-
| [[27th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1966–1969
|-
| [[28th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1966–1969
| style="text-align:center; border:none" colspan="2"| 
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1985–1992
|-
| [[29th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1966–1969
|-
| [[30th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| 1966–1968
|-
| [[31st Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1966–1969
|-
| [[32d Air Division|32nd Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1966–1969
|-
| [[34th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1966–1969
|-
| [[35th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1966–1969
|-
| [[36th Air Division]]
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1966–1969
|-
| [[Western Air Defense Sector#History|Western Air Defense Sector]] (WADS)
| style="text-align:center; border:none" colspan="7"|
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1987–1995
|-
| [[Eastern Air Defense Sector#History|Eastern Air Defense Sector]] (EADS)
| style="text-align:center; border:none" colspan="7"|
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="6"| 1987–2009
|-
| [[Southeast Air Defense Sector]] (SEADS)
| style="text-align:center; border:none" colspan="7"|
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="5"| 1987–2005
|-
| [[Southwest Air Defense Sector]] (SWADS)
| style="text-align:center; border:none" colspan="7"|
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"| 1987–1995
|}
{{clear}}

==In popular culture==
[[File:Why NORAD Tracks Santa.jpg|thumb|A 1955 [[Sears]] ad with the misprinted telephone number that led to the NORAD Tracks Santa Program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.norad.mil/AboutNORAD/NORADTracksSanta.aspx |title=North American Aerospace Defense Command – NORAD Tracks Santa |access-date=13 May 2014 |publisher=NORAD }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |date=24 December 2013 |title=Eastern Air Defense Sector to Track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve: New York Air Guardsman Once Again Will Help NORAD Track Santa |url=http://dmna.ny.gov/pressroom/?id=1388687134 |publisher=New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs |access-date=13 May 2014}}</ref> [[NORAD Tracks Santa]] follows [[Santa Claus]]' Christmas Eve journey around the world.<ref name=SC-Santa>{{cite web|last=Pellerin|first=Cheryl|title=NORAD Gears Up to Track Santa Claus|url=http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-IN-NORAD-Gears-Up-to-Track-Santa-Claus-120711.aspx?et_cid=2364707&et_rid=220285976&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews-IN-NORAD-Gears-Up-to-Track-Santa-Claus-120711.aspx|work=Informatics|publisher=Scientific Computing|access-date=8 December 2011}}</ref> The service has expanded to various internet platforms and can be accessed seasonally by phone at: 1-877-HI-NORAD (multilingual)<ref>{{cite web|title=NORAD Tracks Santa|url=https://www.norad.mil/About-NORAD/NORAD-Tracks-Santa/
|publisher=North American Aerospace Defense Command|access-date=February 12, 2023}}</ref>]]

=== In film and television ===

The NORAD command center located under [[Cheyenne Mountain]], Colorado is a setting of the 1983 film ''[[WarGames]]'' and the television series ''[[Jeremiah (TV series)|Jeremiah]]'' and ''[[Stargate SG-1]]''. In the 2014 film [[Interstellar (film)|''Interstellar'']], NORAD dissolves and its headquarters is converted for [[NASA]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Ben|title=From 'War Games' to 'Interstellar': NORAD's bunker is a film favorite|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/06/12/cheyenne-mountain-norad-pop-culture/71074868/|access-date=2021-12-08|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}}</ref> The 1970 movie, [[Colossus:_The_Forbin_Project | Colossus:The Forbin Project]] is largely based on NORAD.

In the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[Back to the Cold War]]", [[Mr. Mackey]] hacks into NORAD using late-1980s computer hardware.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-02 |title='South Park's Mr. Mackay Preps For Nuclear Attack In 'Back To The Cold War' Clip – Deadline |url=https://deadline.com/video/south-park-cold-war-promo-russia-ukraine/ |access-date=2022-06-10 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302150151/https://deadline.com/video/south-park-cold-war-promo-russia-ukraine/ |archive-date=2 March 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Santa tracker ===
{{main|NORAD Tracks Santa}}
As a publicity move on 24 December 1955, NORAD's predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), informed the press that CONAD was tracking [[Santa Claus]]'s [[sleigh]], adding that "CONAD, [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Navy|Navy]] and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] Air Forces will continue to track and guard Santa and his sleigh on his trip to and from the U.S. against possible attack from those who do not believe in Christmas". A Christmas Eve tradition was born,<ref name="appelbaum">{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/12/yes-virginia-there-is-a-norad/421161/|title=Where Does NORAD's Santa Tracker Really Come From?|first=Yoni|last=Appelbaum|date=24 December 2015|website=theatlantic.com}}</ref> known as the "[[NORAD Tracks Santa]]" program. Every year on [[Christmas Eve]], "NORAD Tracks Santa" purports to track Santa Claus as he leaves the [[North Pole]] and delivers presents to children around the world. Today, NORAD relies on volunteers to make the program possible.<ref name="norad-santa">{{cite web |url=https://www.norad.mil/NORAD-Tracks-Santa/ |title=NORAD Tracks Santa |work=NORAD.mil |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224050527/http://www.norad.mil/about/Santa.html |archive-date=24 December 2009 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[154th Wing]]
* [[Air Forces Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness Directorate]]
* [[Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command]]
* [[Joint Surveillance System]], (of USAF & FAA), replaces SAGE
* [[Main Centre for Missile Attack Warning]], a Soviet/Russian equivalent.
{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=Chronology>{{cite web |title=NORAD Chronology |url=http://www.norad.mil/AboutNORAD/NORADHistory.aspx|publisher=NORAD.mil |access-date=28 July 2012}} (see also [http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/airdef/norad-chron.htm FAS.org chronology])</ref>

<ref name=CMU>{{Cite report |title=FY97 DOT&E Annual Report |url=http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/dote97/index.html |chapter=Cheyenne Mountain Upgrade (CMU) |chapter-url=http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/dote97/97cmu.html |format=webpage transcription of chapter |access-date=9 September 2012 |quote=CMU also upgrades and provides new capability to survivable communication and warning elements at the National Military Command Center (NMCC), U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), and other forward user locations. CMU additionally provides at Offutt, AFB an austere backup to Cheyenne Mountain ballistic missile warning. … Granite Sentry provides a Message Processing Subsystem and a Video Distribution Subsystem, and it upgrades the NORAD Computer System display capability and four major centers: (1) the Air Defense Operations Center, (2) the NORAD Command Center, (3) the Battle Staff Support Center, and (4) the Weather Support Unit. Granite Sentry also processes and displays nuclear detection data provided from the Integrated Correlation and Display System.}}</ref>

<ref name=DelPapa>{{Cite report |last1=Del Papa |first1=Dr. E. Michael |last2=Warner |first2=Mary P |date=October 1987 |title=A Historical Chronology of the Electronic Systems Division 1947–1986 |url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a201708.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105532/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a201708.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=24 December 2013 |number=ESD-TR-88-276 (AD-A201 708) |access-date=19 July 2012 |quote=McNamara…reasoned that Soviet missiles could eliminate air defense systems in a first strike&nbsp;... the policy that {{sic|emerged}} embraced the most extreme option: massive retaliation, popularly referred to&nbsp;... as [[mutual assured destruction]] (MAD). ...&nbsp;1966…NORAD&nbsp;... Combat Operations Center&nbsp;... integrated several distinct systems into a single workable unit to provide the NORAD Commander with the necessary information and control to perform his mission. ...&nbsp;the Space Defense Center combining [[Project Space Track|the Air Force's Space Track]] and the [[Air Force Space Surveillance System|Navy's Spasur]].}}</ref>

<ref name=LeonardV2>{{Cite book |last=Leonard |first=Barry |title=History of Strategic and Ballistic Missile Defense: Volume II: 1956–1972 |url=https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/40-5-1-p2.pdf |date=2011|publisher=DIANE |isbn=9781437921311 |access-date=10 February 2023|quote=The missile and space surveillance and warning system currently [1972] consists of five systems and a space computational center located in the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain complex. The five systems are: the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System; the Defense Support Program (DSP) formerly called Project 647; the Forward Scatter over the Horizon Radar (440L AN/FRT-80 transmitter, AN/FSQ-76 receiver) system; the Sea-Launched Ballistic Missile Warning System; and the Space Detection and Tracking System. ...&nbsp;In July 1961, the National Space Surveillance and Control Center (NSSCC) was discontinued as the new SPADATS Center became operational at Ent Air Force Base, Colorado. Officially, this marked the beginning of aerospace operations by CINCNORAD.}}</ref>

<ref name=NORAD1959B>1959 Jul–Dec NORAD/CONAD Historical Summary</ref>

<ref name=Schaffel>{{Cite report |last=Schaffel |first=Kenneth |year=1991 |title=Emerging Shield: The Air Force and the Evolution of Continental Air Defense 1945–1960 |url=https://archive.org/details/TheEmergingShield |format=45MB [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] |work=General Histories |publisher=Office of Air Force History |isbn=0-912799-60-9 |access-date=26 September 2011 |url-access=registration }}</ref>

<ref name=Weeden>{{Cite report |last1=Weeden |first1=Brian C |last2=Cefola |first2=Paul J |title=Computer Systems and Algorithms for Space Situational Awareness: History and Future Development |url=http://swfound.org/media/15742/computer%20systems%20and%20algorithms%20for%20space%20situational%20awareness%20-%20history%20and%20future%20development.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://swfound.org/media/15742/computer%20systems%20and%20algorithms%20for%20space%20situational%20awareness%20-%20history%20and%20future%20development.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |publisher=[[Secure World Foundation|SWFound.org]] |access-date=2 September 2012}}</ref>

<ref name=Winkler>{{Cite report |last1=Winkler |first1=David F |last2=Webster |first2=Julie L |date=June 1997 |title=Searching the Skies: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program |url=http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA331231 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201202922/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA331231 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 December 2012 |publisher=U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories |access-date=26 March 2012 }}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* Andrea Charron, James Fergusson: ''NORAD: In Perpetuity and Beyond.'' McGill-Queen's/Brian Mulroney Institute of Government Studies in Leadership, Public Policy, and Governance. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal 2022. ISBN 978-0-2280-1400-3.

==External links==
{{sister project links|auto=yes}}
* {{official website|http://www.norad.mil}}

{{Space forces}}
{{Colorado Springs}}
{{Public-sector space agencies}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:North American Aerospace Defense Command| ]]
[[Category:Multinational units and formations]]
[[Category:Cheyenne Mountain Complex]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Colorado Springs, Colorado]]
[[Category:Military units and formations in Colorado]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1958]]
[[Category:Canada–United States military relations]]
[[Category:Military alliances involving Canada]]
[[Category:1958 in military history]]
[[Category:1955 in military history]]
[[Category:1958 establishments in Colorado]]