News Archive

Aug. 28, 2012

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Department of Defense Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System C-130s reached a major mission milestone on Friday, Aug. 24, by dropping the 2 millionth gallon of retardant for the season.MAFFS 5, assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command’s 302nd Airlift Wing, based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., dropped the record

Partisan Pictures’ cameraman Ben McCoy collects film footage in limited lighting within the tunnel leading to the south portal inside Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station while producer Jonathan Grupper and sound specialist Thomas Wilson (left background) look on. Partisan Pictures captured film footage at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station for a documentary project during the second week of April 2012. The project also included rare footage of a multi-threat NORAD and USNORTHCOM exercise in the Alternate Command Center.

April 26, 2012

North America’s mountain fortress hosts film crew

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Located within the center of a solid granite mountain in an excavated area larger than four football fields and almost seven stories high, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station hosts one of the most secure military facilities on the continent. Yet, it showed itself capable of typical warm Colorado hospitality

Feb. 10, 2012

DHS Director of Operations to USNORTHCOM: We’re with you

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - The Department of Homeland Security’s Director of the Office of Operations Coordination and Planning, Richard Chávez, toured U.S. Northern Command headquarters Feb. 7 and had a message to the men and women of USNORTHCOM.“We’re with you,” he said. “And you’re with us” in regards to our joint efforts to provide for

Oct. 31, 2011

NORAD, USNORTHCOM to hold homeland defense, security exercise

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - The North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command annual Homeland Defense exercise is scheduled for Nov. 1-10. VIGILANT SHIELD 12 is a joint exercise supported by the Joint Coalition Warfare Center and conducted as a command post exercise with a supporting field training exercise in Key West.

Sept. 15, 2011

CSM Winzenried assumes top enlisted post at NORAD, USNORTHCOM

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Army Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Winzenried assumed the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command’s top enlisted post today in a ceremony at the commands’ headquarters Sept. 15.Winzenried succeeds Command Chief Master Sgt. Allen Usry, who retired after 29 years of service in the same

Col. Barrett Holmes (left) meets with Michael Byrne, Glen Sachtleben, and Capt. Chris Colbert, as the four prepared to board a UH-60 helicopter Aug. 28 to conduct an initial damage assessment of North Carolina. Holmes is the defense coordinating officer for U.S. Army North’s Region IV Defense Coordinating Element. Byrne is a federal coordinating officer, and Sachtleben, an operations officer, both with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Colbert is the pilot of the helicopter from the 3rd Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade that conducted the flight mission in support of FEMA, which is the overall lead for the federal response effort for Hurricane Irene.

Aug. 31, 2011

Army North springs into action during Hurricane Irene

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - Army North’s headquarters sprang into action Aug. 25 as Hurricane Irene closed in on the eastern coast of the United States. The command’s operations center in the historic Quadrangle became a hub of activity as the Soldiers, along with their civilian partners, managed the mountain of information on the track of the storm.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Anthony Hayes, 145th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, North Carolina Air National Guard, prepares to refill a C-130H Hercules, equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System, with fire retardant as it taxis into the pits at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, April 19, 2011. MAFFS is capable of dispensing 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in under 5 seconds. Wildfires have spread across various parts of Texas and have burned more than 1,000 square miles of land. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Staff Sgt. Eric Harris)

April 18, 2011

C-130s drop retardant over Texas wildfires

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. –As the nation’s second most populous state and second largest in square miles, Texas continues to battle wildfires in all its 254 counties, many of the fires considered major. In a letter to the president on April 16, 2011, Texas Gov. Rick Perry requested federal assistance to help contain the fires, and Air

March 31, 2011

USNORTHCOM chief stresses disaster preparedness

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States must do more to prepare for natural disasters on the scale of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and more cooperation is necessary to combat transnational criminal organizations, the commander of U.S. Northern Command said here yesterday.In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Navy Adm.

Staff Sgt. Jose Grimes, search and rescue duty officer with the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., monitors the radar as he coordinates with another agency during a SAR mission. Sergeant Grimes played a critical role in locating a downed aircraft March 7 near the Canadian border in Maine and coordinating bi-national assets to rescue the aircrew member who survived.

March 8, 2011

US, Canada join forces to rescue aircraft crash survivor

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Coordinating assets to search for missing and downed aircraft is just another day on the job for the Airmen of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base. What isn’t so typical is when those assets have to be coordinated with Canadian forces for a cross-border search and rescue

Navy Adm. James "Sandy" Winnefeld, commander of U.S. Northern Command, speaks to senior Guard officers and enlisted leaders during the 2011 General Senior Leadership Conference at Arlington Hall in Arlington, Va., Feb. 28, 2011. Winnefeld talked with the adjutant generals about the contingency dual-status commander concept, which would create better cooperation between federal and state assets during a disaster.

March 7, 2011

Guard, NORTHCOM leadership concept will improve disaster responses

ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard’s relationship with U.S. Northern Command has always been of the utmost importance Navy Adm. James “Sandy” Winnefeld, Jr., combatant commander, said here last week.“One of the biggest goals I had coming into this job was to dramatically improve the relationship,” he told senior Guard officer and enlisted leaders

U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeants Clifford Fallico (second from left), Air Forces Northern intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planner, and Robert Carnall, 702nd Computer Support Squadron System Administrator (third from left), stand before Chief Master Sgt. Angela Abshire (right), director of standards at the Noncommissioned Member Professional Development Center, at the graduation ceremony where they both earned the “Comradeship Award” from the Canadian Intermediate Leadership Program, Canadian Forces College, Noncommissioned Member Professional Development Center, St. Jean Sur Richlieu in Quebec, Canada. Only four of 120 students received the peer-voted award.

Feb. 11, 2011

Historic firsts for AFNORTH sergeants lead to distinguished honors

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - It had all the markings of a historic event – with firsts on several fronts.As well it should; it was a historic event.At a ceremony held Jan. 28, two Air Forces Northern technical sergeants were the first-ever U.S. Airmen to graduate from the Canadian Intermediate Leadership Program at the Canadian Forces College,

Feb. 8, 2011

Chairman’s Corner: National Military Strategy

Today, I released the 2011 National Military Strategy which provides a vision for how our Joint Force will provide the military capability to protect the American People, defend our Nation and allies, and contribute to our broader peace, security and prosperity.While we continue to refine how we counter violent extremism and deter aggression, this

Maj. Gen. Karl R. Horst, Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region commanding general, provides details of his command's mission and capabilities within the national capital region to National Guard leaders as part of the Contingency Dual Status Commanders' Conference Feb.

Feb. 7, 2011

Guard leaders discuss Contingency Dual Status Commanders concept at JFHQ-NCR

WASHINGTON, D.C - National Guard commanders from 13 states visited Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region as part of their Contingency Dual Status Commanders' (CDSC) Conference Feb. 1. Dual status commanders can direct both federal active-duty forces and state National Guard forces in response to domestic incidents. Maj. Gen. Karl R.

Dec. 9, 2010

‘Mission One’ at Northcom: Defending the homeland

WASHINGTON (10/26/10) -- Developing regional response capabilities, stepping up preparations for a no-notice catastrophe and maturing partnerships are among priorities at U.S. Northern Command, the new deputy commander said here Tuesday.“We’re working very closely with the National Guard and [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] and the Joint

Nov. 1, 2010

NORAD, USNORTHCOM commander outlines focus areas at homeland security symposium

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command spoke at the National Symposium on Homeland Security and Defense at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 29.Navy Adm. James Winnefeld, NORAD and USNORTHCOM commander, outlined the commands’ eight primary focus areas and

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