[Scan-DC] NORAD exercise planned for Washington D.C. on Thurs.

[Alan Henney]

-----Original Message----- 
From: Michael Kucharek
Sent: Tue 1/23/2007 6:56 PM
Subject: NORAD exercise planned for Washington D.C.


NORTH AMERICAN
AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND
Continental United States NORAD Region
Media Advisory

Directorate of Public Affairs, Headquarters, North American Aerospace
Defense Command, 250 Vandenberg, Suite B016,
Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80914-3808; NORAD website:
www.norad.mil


070123-01
January 23, 2007

NORAD exercise planned for Washington D.C.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – The North American Aerospace Defense
Command and its geographical component, the Continental United States
NORAD Region (CONR), will conduct Exercise Falcon Virgo 07-04 Thursday
in the National Capital Region (Washington, D.C.).

This exercise comprises a series of training flights held in
coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National
Capital Region Command Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations
Center, Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, and NORAD's Northeastern
Air Defense Sector.

Exercise Falcon Virgo 07-04 is designed to test NORAD's intercept and
identification operations.  Civil Air Patrol aircraft, C-38s, and US
Coast Guard HH-65 helicopters will participate in the exercise.
Residents in the area can expect flights to occur during the late
night and early morning hours.

In the event of inclement weather the exercise will push to the next
day, until all exercise requirements are met.

These exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure
NORAD's rapid response capability.  NORAD has conducted exercise
flights of this nature throughout the U.S. and Canada since the start
of Operation Noble Eagle, the command's response to the terrorist
attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

As the Continental United States (CONUS) geographical component of the
bi-national command NORAD, CONR provides airspace surveillance and
control, and directs air sovereignty activities for the CONUS region.
CONR and its assigned Air Force assets throughout the country ensure
air safety and security against potential air threats.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD fighters have responded to more than 2,100
possible air threats in the United States, Canada and Alaska, and have
flown more than 42,000 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning
and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.

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