Headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs and augmented with an Alternate Command Center in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex that can host command operations in the event of an emergency, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, is an organization that combines United States and Canadian facilities and personnel to provide aerospace warnings, aerospace control, and maritime warnings.
Aerospace warning involve the detection, verification, and warning of any attack against North America emanating from the aerospace domain. This includes the detection and tracking of aircraft, ballistic missiles, or space vehicles. The goal of aerospace control is defending the air sovereignty and protecting the air defenses of both the U.S. and Canada. Maritime warnings, which were added to NORAD’s responsibilities in 2006, involves monitoring activities carried out in coastal regions, maritime areas, and even internal waterways.
NORAD was originally announced as the North American Air Defense Command on 1 August 1957 as a joint effort helmed by the United States and Canada and was established on 12 September 1957 at Ent Air Force. Per the NORAD agreement, the Commander-in-Chief of Norad is a four-star American general (or Admiral), while the Deputy Commander is a three-star Canadian general. One of the original overarching purposes of NORAD was to provide an early warning for the United States Air Force’s Strategic Air Command to ensure its safety and its ability to launch a retaliatory counterstrike in the almost unthinkable scenario of a first strike by an enemy force.
In 1981, the Command was renamed the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Two decades later, NORAD’s mission was significantly broadened to include monitoring of interior airspace of North America in 2001.