- The US military is conducting a large-scale exercise to test its ability to fend off enemy bomber aircraft threatening the homeland.
- Four US combatant commands and
NORAD are coming together for the first time for this exercise, during which fighters supported by aerial refueling tankers will protect US airspace from an approaching bomber. - "The high-end training we are conducting enables integration between strategic-level organizations who all play a significant role in the most important mission for our nation — defending our homeland," Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, commander of NORTHCOM and NORAD, said in a statement Friday.
The US military is currently putting its ability to protect the homeland from enemy aircraft to the test in a major, first-of-its-kind exercise in the Atlantic from May 28 to May 31, US Northern Command announced Friday.
On offense, a
Playing defense, Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18s and US Air Force F-15s under the bilateral Northern Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and US Navy F/A-18s from the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group under US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) will fend off the approaching bomber.
NORAD has significant experience defending North American airspace, as its fighter jets are routinely called to intercept Russian
The fighters participating in the exercise will be supported by KC-135 Stratotankers from US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM). The alert tankers are, like NORAD fighters, always on standby to respond to a potential threat.
US Space Command (SPACECOM) will be providing GPS and communications support throughout the training exercise.
The
With these strategic assets already in place, military leaders saw this as an opportunity to conduct a joint exercise aimed at strengthening the joint force and increasing interoperability, a NORTHCOM spokesman said.
The ongoing exercise marks the first time four US combatant commands and NORAD have come together to conduct
"Leading complex multi-combatant command operations across multiple domains demonstrates our readiness to defend our homeland regardless of COVID-19," Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, the NORTHCOM and NORAD commander, said Friday.
"The high-end training we are conducting enables integration between strategic-level organizations who all play a significant role in the most important mission for our nation — defending our homeland," he added.
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