What is NORAD? What does it stand for? Who is in charge?

US media has been dominated by shooting down of a growing number of floating objects. While one was destroyed above Montana, the Canadian government petioned the help of NORAD to assist them in taking it down. Whether they are a threat or not is another matter, but the actions are definitely taking the heat away from other news stories that pose a real danger for a lot of people.

So what is NORAD? Firstly, NORAD stands for North American Aerospace Defense Command. Though it is based in El Paso, Colorado, it provides air protection for both the US and Canada. The organisation is designed to allow the two nations to share information and help protect each other’s airspace.

NORAD was founded in 1958 and was intended to aid the Strategic Air Command’s early warning and defensive capabilities. The organisation grew during the Cold War as the prospect of nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union increased.

With closer coordination between the superpowers towards the end of the 1980s NORAD’s role changed. Operations were broadened to include anti-smuggling activities and tracking small aircrafts entering and operating in the shared airspace.

Most recently, the mission statement of the NORAD Air Warning Center was “expanded to include the interior airspace of North America” in the wake of the 11 September terror attacks.

Away from its obvious military applications, NORAD also does a yearly Santa tracker. Claiming to use radar, they actually simulate the path of Santa across the globe.