NORAD and USNORTHCOM BLOG

Investing in Our Children’s Future

2010-02-26T16:40:49.766875-07:00

My wife Jill and I recently had the pleasure of taping messages of support for DOD STARBASE, which is a premier educational program sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. In the STARBASE program, we’re able to take children out of the traditional classroom and put them into an interactive classroom with military personnel where they get hands-on experience with aviation, science, technology, engineering, math, and space exploration. Hopefully, it may inspire the children to have an enduring interest in some of those areas in the future.

In today’s environment where science, technology, engineering and math are in big demand and literally the key to the future economic strength of our country, STARBASE is an opportunity to encourage youngsters at the critical 5th grade point in their lives to dive into those subjects. We want to create a pool of young men and women who will have a passion for the technical fields and sciences, and that’s good for the nation. Who better to have as role models for our young people than our outstanding Airmen, Marines, Sailors and Soldiers?

Cheers, Gene Renuart

2010 Vancouver Olympics - The Canadians Are Ready

2010-02-12T19:41:11.613-07:00

The day has finally come and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics are starting. A lot of people have talked about the security needed for keeping athletes, spectators and world leaders alike safe during the games. I recently had the opportunity to travel to Vancouver and see the preparations first-hand. I can unequivocally say that the Canadians are ready.

Here at NORAD and USNORTHCOM, we are proud of the support we are providing for the Olympics. We routinely provide support for special security events, like the Super Bowl, presidential inauguration, Space Shuttle launches, and more. For the Olympics, we are adapting our traditional air sovereignty mission of air surveillance and warning, which we do every day, to cover the Olympic venues. Our NORAD airspace security effort reaches from Seattle up to Vancouver and on to Whistler. We'll be using ground-based radar, airborne radar, air defense alert aircraft and helicopters to help identify aircraft in the Olympics airspace.

Canada has worked diligently for three years to help ensure the safety and security of the Olympic Games, and this is good prudent planning to not leave any gaps or seams where our adversaries could take advantage. I for one am confident these will be the best and safest Olympic Games ever.

Good luck to the U.S. and Canadian athletes! Go for the Gold!

Cheers, Gene Renuart

USNORTHCOM supports Haiti relief efforts

2010-02-04T13:19:10.546875-07:00

There has been a tremendous worldwide response to the tragedy in Haiti, and I would be remiss in not publicly acknowledging the significant positive role U.S. Southern Command has played in coordinating the U.S. military efforts supporting this devastated country. And, while USSOUTHCOM, and notably LTG P.K. “Ken” Keen, Commander, of Joint Task Force Haiti, and his remarkable team, have led much of the heavy lifting for our military, many other organizations have worked to help play a role in this response effort. When the Haiti earthquake occurred, the Commander at U.S. Southern Command, General Doug Fraser, gave me a call and said, “Hey! We [USSOUTHCOM] could use some help and you guys [USNORTHCOM] are configured as a command to do large-scale disasters. You do that every day. Can you help us?” And, of course, we said, “Absolutely.” So as of today, the US Northern Command headquarters has nearly 125 of our staff deployed forward into Florida, some with FEMA and DHS, some with Customs and Border Protection--and then about 97 or so in Doug Fraser’s headquarters, providing him with that disaster response expertise.

Our interagency two-star-equivalent civilian is there. Our Marine J-4, one-star, not only was in Florida, but now he is forward running the logistic operation in Haiti for General Keen. Our Standing Joint Force Headquarters -- we basically gutted the Headquarters and sent all 60 members down to SOUTHCOM. They are the Future Planning Cell that is operating for Doug Fraser in Miami. It made sense to put that capacity forward and to give him that surge capability to be able to deal with this huge disaster.

It’s what we trained to do. I think that out of this, one of the lessons will be that we have to think about supporting / supported relationships in a very different way. General Glenn Spears, who is the AFSOUTH Commander, needed help in building a Regional Air Movement Coordination Center process. So I chopped Major General Gary Dean, our Joint Force Air Component Commander, over to Glenn Spears and said, “Do whatever he needs for you to do.”

So, this airflow coordination function for AFSOUTH sits in the AFNORTH Air Operations Center--the search and rescue planners, the Joint Personnel Recovery--Forward, these things are things that we pushed to AFSOUTH to build capacity for them on very short notice.

I think these are the kinds of models that we are going to have to use in the future. I would suggest that if something of this nature occurred in another Combatant Command today, you might have a need to do the same thing. The bottom line to all this…we have to think very differently about the way we structure our joint Combatant Commands and how we partner with each other in a crisis to be successful.

Cheers, Gene Renuart

USNORTHCOM and the National Guard; an important relationship

2010-02-02T15:42:27.390625-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to talk with National Guard members at both the Hurricane Planning Workshop in Florida and the Joint Task Force Commander Training Course. Both venues were a tremendous opportunity to discuss how USNORTHCOM and the National Guard work together during a crisis situation. And, while homeland defense is always our primary focus and requires 24/7/365 attention, bringing together a coordinated civil support effort is not happen stance either. To support our states, integrated planning and shared situational awareness are key. But even bigger than that, we must anticipate where a state or region might want our support, so we can be ready when they need us.

Joint military operations in the homeland are complex, and the National Guard must be prepared to operate either for the federal government or the governor of a state. NORTHCOM has a responsibility to provide the best support possible using our networks and resources, especially our specialized capabilities that do not reside in any other agency.

When it comes to homeland defense and supporting civil authorities, USNORTHCOM and the National Guard need each other. We serve our states and our nation best when we collaborate to protect our citizens; and they deserve the best.

Cheers, Gene Renuart

Is NORAD on heightened alert?

2010-01-12T15:14:34.437-07:00

Since Christmas Day, and the unsuccessful terror attempt to blow up a commercial airliner, NORAD scrambled and launched three times for a variety of aircraft disturbances. Many people have wondered and questioned if this is unusual, if NORAD is somehow on a new heightened alert. The answer is absolutely not. Although these events have been highlighted more in the media, these are not unusual events for our commands. In fact, in both 2008 and 2009, NORAD scrambled approximately 200 times each year and we’ve responded more than 3,300 times since 9-11.

When it comes to the decision on whether we scramble fighter aircraft or not, each event is evaluated on a case-by-case basis with the best information we have at the time. Our forces will be in place and ready if we are needed. The simple truth is we lean forward every day...the American and Canadian people deserve it.

U.S. gives reconnaissance helicopters to Mexico

2009-12-21T13:33:25.0625-07:00

Tuesday, I was in Mexico City to attend a ceremony in which the U.S. Government delivered five Bell-412 helicopters to Mexico as part of the Merida Initiative. As Commander of U.S. Northern Command, I was honored to represent the Department of Defense in this historic ceremony.

The helicopters are to be used by the Mexican Air Force for transport and reconnaissance missions.

The delivery of these five helicopters reflect the U.S. Government’s continued commitment to work with the Government of Mexico as a full partner in dealing with the societal, international and regional challenges posed by the international cartels and narcotics trafficking.

U.S. Northern Command is prepared to do its part through continued support for the Merida Initiative and by taking steps here at home that complement those efforts. We will continue to work with our Mexican military counterparts to increase information-sharing, interoperability, and training and equipping of their military forces. A great step forward in our continuing relationship.

Cheers,

Gene

NORAD and USNORTHCOM Commander Visits New York City

2009-12-11T14:38:57.890625-07:00

Another great week highlighted by a trip to New York City! On Wednesday, we spent some valuable time with the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. Mayor Bloomberg’s city has really become the gold standard for how municipalities should plan for the spectrum of catastrophes that can come at the hands of either a terrorist or Mother Nature. They have taken the lessons learned from the tragedy of 9/11 and established a response framework that is obviously one of the best in our Nation.

His leadership style is impressive and can best be highlighted by how he interacts with his staff and his constituents. One noticeable example was that the Mayor has decided to not have a traditional office. In fact, his desk is literally at the epicenter of activity for city operations. He expressed to me that this design was the best way to break down barriers of communication and ensure that information flow between his staff and him is near instantaneous and allows for the least amount of bureaucratic obstacles. At some level, this information design structure is very similar to NORAD and USNORTHCOM’s integrated Command Center. Our center, which is tied to every state and territory in the United States, was designed to ensure that all of our domain watch standers (land, air, sea, space, and cyber) could provide information to our N2C2 leadership and then to me in the same unencumbered manner.

We also spent some time talking about and pledging to each other to continue to work together. I hope in the near future that we will be working with the City on large-scale exercises, which will truly hone our coordinated response should it be necessary.

Next I spent the afternoon with USCG Captain Bob O’Rielly and his team at Sector NY. We had a great opportunity to understand the challenges he faces as Captain of the Port in the complex environment that is NY/NJ/CT. Weather kept us from getting out on the water!

The day ended with me attending the 48^th USO Armed Forces Gala & Gold Medal Dinner. A great night and a great organization. Thank you USO for all that you do for our troops!

No better or more reliable friend

2009-12-03T16:21:58.1875-07:00

Service Members, Family, and Friends of NORAD and USNORTHCOM,

Like many of you, I awoke this morning to a news story titled, “Secret Pentagon e-mails suggest distrust of Canada.” I would have not spent another moment of thought on this story if I hadn’t realized that someone is actually taking these allegations seriously.

Unfortunately, no one called NORAD and U.S. Northern Command to ask us our thoughts on this theory. If they had, I would gladly have educated the questioner on the long-standing and proud tradition of cooperation between the nations of Canada and the United States under the North American Aerospace Defense Agreement.

Since 1940, when U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King met to discuss the war in Europe and the mutual defense of North America, our nations have expanded and reinforced that relationship. Since 1957, when the first “North American Air Defense Command” was formed, U.S. and Canadian Forces have worked side-by-side under the NORAD banner to perform aerospace warning and aerospace control in defense of our homelands.

Today, more than 300 Canadian Forces work in the United States with the “North American Aerospace Defense Command,” where we continue with our original charter and the addition of maritime warning to deter and detect potential threats and ultimately defend our homelands. Under one command, every day, the U.S. and Canada share critical intelligence, resources, policy and procedures necessary to complete our mission. Ours is a trust forged by a half-century of active and comprehensive defense of North America. If any question remains of the trust between our nations, let the success of NORAD be the answer.

8 Carson Soldiers Killed

2009-10-05T15:25:03.687-06:00

To the NORAD and US Northern Command Team,

On Saturday, eight brave members of our Colorado Springs military community were killed in combat in the hills of Afghanistan. By all accounts, the death of these eight soldiers, all members of the 4th Brigade Combat team, marks the deadliest day for Fort Carson since the Vietnam War.

I want to extend, on behalf of our entire command, our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the families of these brave warriors. The mission of Defending our Homeland is being fought on many different frontlines and we must never forget the dedication and sacrifices of these fallen heroes.

Please take a moment today to remember all who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms and redouble your efforts in this continued battle against a determined enemy. I will.

NORAD and USNORTHCOM Remember 9/11

2009-09-10T15:54:09.40625-06:00

It’s been eight years since that fateful day on Sept. 11, 2001 when nearly 3,000 people died on American soil. I invite the citizens of Canada and the United States to join with the men and women of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command to remember the innocent people, heroic firefighters, and medical and law enforcement responders who died on that horrific day.

This is also an appropriate time to thank the people who have ensured Canada and the United States have not experienced a catastrophic foreign terrorist attack in the homelands during the past eight years. For this success, we must thank the American, Canadian, and other coalition forces who have successfully battled on foreign soil to prevent further attacks from reaching our homes.

We must thank the dedicated intelligence, law enforcement, homeland security, and national, state and local emergency response folks who protect our families here at home every day. And we must thank our good neighbors in Canada and Mexico for their sovereign cooperation in working together to stop terrorism in all our countries. There are few things more important to homeland defense than good neighbors helping each other.

This Sept. 11 also marks USNORTHCOM’s sixth anniversary of full operational capability. USNORTHCOM was established in response to the 9/11 attacks and closely integrated with NORAD. Together these joint and combined commands work with more than 60 interagency partners and connect to 150 command centers across the U.S. and Canada. NORAD and USNORTHCOM anticipate and are prepared to respond to any threats or disasters in or over our nations.

We have demonstrated our will and ability to deter and defeat those who would seek to harm us at home.

Further, USNORTHCOM is ready now to support civil authorities in time of need and when directed, whether in the aftermath of a manmade threat, a natural disaster or a pandemic. In just the past year, we’ve responded to fires in California, floods in North Dakota, and hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico. We’ve zealously watched North Korea’s missile program, grown our missile defense capability, and honed our skills through nationwide exercises such as Ardent Sentry and Vigilant Shield.

Now, as we monitor the pulse of our nations, and as we remember those who gave their lives in New York, at the Pentagon and in a hallowed field in Pennsylvania, I personally want to thank the men and women of NORAD and USNORTHCOM, whom I have the honor to lead. They are a key part of why the United States and Canada are safe today. They are making a difference and standing to the front in defending 307 million Americans and 34 million Canadians where they live, work and play; where they raise their children and where they build for the future.

As time passes, years will become decades since the 9/11 attacks, but a few facts will remain constant. Our enemies should make no mistake about our resolve. We shall never fail to defend our homes and our families. We shall remain alert and prepared, never letting down our guard. And we shall never forget.

Gene