North American Aerospace Defense Command | |
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Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | |
NORAD Emblem
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Coordinates | 38°50′08″N 104°41′51″W / 38.83556°N 104.69750°WCoordinates: 38°50′08″N 104°41′51″W / 38.83556°N 104.69750°W |
Type | Aerospace Warning and Aerospace Control of North America |
Site information | |
Owner | United States and Canada |
Controlled by | USNORTHCOM |
Site history | |
Built | 1961 (Directorate) |
In use | 1958 – present |
Events | May 2006 NORAD Agreement Renewal |
Garrison information | |
Current commander |
General Lori Robinson, USAF Lieutenant General Pierre St-Amand RCAF |
Past commanders |
See list |
Garrison | Headquarters: Peterson Air Force Base Directorate: Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station (west of Colorado Springs, Colorado) |
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD, /ˈnɔːræd/), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Northern America. Headquarters for NORAD and the NORAD/United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) center are located at Peterson Air Force Base in El Paso County, near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The nearby Cheyenne Mountain Complex has the Alternate Command Center. The NORAD commander and deputy commander (CINCNORAD) are, respectively, a United States four-star general or equivalent and a Canadian three-star general or equivalent.
CINCNORAD maintains the NORAD headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The NORAD and USNORTHCOM Command Center at Peterson AFB serves as a central collection and coordination facility for a worldwide system of sensors designed to provide the commander and the leadership of Canada and the U.S. with an accurate picture of any aerospace or maritime threat. NORAD has administratively divided the North American landmass into three regions: the Alaska NORAD (ANR) Region, under Eleventh Air Force (11 AF); the Canadian NORAD (CANR) Region, under 1 Canadian Air Division, and the Continental U.S. (CONR) Region, under 1 AF/CONR-AFNORTH. Both the CONR and CANR regions are divided into eastern and western sectors.