JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region (ANR) will participate in Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, a long-planned Arctic air defense operation involving military aircraft and personnel from Canada and the United States, March 14 to 17, 2022.
The majority of the Operation NOBLE DEFENDER flights will be conducted over sparsely populated Arctic areas at high altitudes where the public is not likely to see or hear them, however, the general public may notice an increase in military presence and flying activity within the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex (JPARC) and the Canadian Arctic.
“Our competitors’ kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities are rapidly increasing, and this includes their ability to operate, in and through the Arctic,” said General Glen VanHerck, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command. “Exercising in the Arctic allows us to demonstrate our resiliency and advance our operational capabilities that are critical for integrated deterrence and layered defense.”
NORAD is a Canadian and United States bi-national command charged with three missions: aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for Canada and the United States and may leverage assets from both nations in the defense of North America.
The defense of Canada and the United States is NORAD's number one priority. NORAD continues to execute its missions with the same conviction and diligence that has been the command’s trademark since 1958.