Secretary of Homeland Security visits NORAD
The Departments of Defense and Homeland Security have very similar missions.
The commander of NORAD summed up the difference this week by saying he defends the nation and DHS secures the nation.
DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen toured the complex Thursday, and as evidence that NORAD/NORTHCOM remains actively involved in defending a nation, Nielsen’s comments to the media were suddenly interrupted with loud beeps, flashing lights, and phones ringing.
According to General Terrance O’Shaughnessy, the alert was an indication of a missile launch somewhere in the world.
All reporters and cameras were forced to step out of the room for a few minutes while the NORAD staff diagnosed the threat.
It was never revealed where the missing launch originated, only that it did not pose a threat to the United States.
O’shaughnessy said this type of alert is not rare.
“About two times a day, we’ll get a missile alert, and we’ll have to respond to it and determine whether or not we’re under attack or not,” he said.
Missile detection, however, is just one mission NORAD and NORTHCOM serve.
The primary command center at Peterson, as well as the alternate command center inside Cheyenne Mountain, also track every aircraft in the sky, especially the airspace surrounding the nation’s capital and wherever the president is visiting.
They also assess threats off the coast, threats in space, cyberspace, wildfires, and even approaching storms.
Because many of those threats would trigger a federal response from non-military agencies, Nielsen traveled to Colorado Springs this week to meet with the general and his team.
“When it’s a really bad day, or even when we think it’s going to be a really bad day, NORTHCOM comes in to help us with that support to civilian agencies,” she said.
Among the topics discussed Thursday was using both intelligence and network surveillance to ensure that the elections in November and in 2020 are free from outside interference.
“All 50 states are now sharing information with us, receiving information. About 90 percent of all election infrastructure will be covered with some form of a sensor, so we can watch for that network intrusion by election time this year.”
“If we need to call on our partners right here, we’ve already figured out how to do that, to bring whatever they have to bear as well,” she explained.
Nielsen was born in Colorado Springs when her parents were stationed at Fort Carson, but moved to Florida at a young age.
O’Shaughnessy presented her with a piece of Cheyenne Mountain containing the seals of NORAD and NORTHCOM to commemorate her visit.
