Arctic Defence:Operation NOBLE DEFENDER

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) sucessfully completed Operation NOBLE DEFENDER,a dynamic force employment operation,last month.It ran from 15-31 January 2023.The drills spanned multiple locations from Alaska to Greenland.Said NORAD and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) commander General Glen Van Herck,US Air Force: Operation NOBLE DEFENDER sucessfully demonstrated our willingness and capability to conduct operations above the Arctic Circle in even the harshest weather conditions,and proved a concept of integration with key Arctic partners to defend northern approaches to North America.* Locations of OND included Thule Air Base,Greenland;Iqaluit Forward Operating Location,Nunavut,Canada;5 Wing Goose Bay,Newfoundland and Labrador,Canada;and Eielson Air Force Base,Alaska.Some 225 US Forces and Canadian Forces personnel supported and operated a wide range of aircraft,including four F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters;three Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets;four KC-135 refueling tankers;one RCAF Airbus CC-150 Polaris transport/refueling tanker;one E-3 Sentry AWACS;and one Canadian Forces AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter.* OND marked an historic first-ever deployment of F-35As to Thule Air Base,Greenland,with the permission of NATO Ally the Kingdom of Denmark.* The drills culminated with CF-18 Hornets escorting a U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber posing as an adversary through Northern Canada and the Central US.The joint operation demonstrated collaboration and integration with mission partners to defend the entirety of our northern approaches and the necessity of force integration to the defence of North America.* In the course of OND,CF-18 Hornets from 3 Wing,Bagotville,Quebec took off from Iqaluit Airport in Nunavut.Special Operations Forces from U.S. Special Operations Command North parachuted out of a US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter to a location off the Bering Sea.F-22 Raptors soared overhead and inflatable boats from Commander Naval Special Warfare Group One headed for shore.* OND is a recurring operation throughout the year,maintaining mission readiness in varied environments and preserving the capacity for follow-on operations,NORAD said.OND validates the command's capability to defend the US and Canada against threats from every avenue of approach to the continent.This is especilly relevant in light of Russia's Arctic buildup in recent years as they revamped Cold War bases and built new ones.China is also stepping up its Arctic military operations.*

National Security Crisis:New Details About Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)

Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired,Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House,held a briefing on 13 February 2023 for the press corps at the White House.China has had a long-standing programme of balloon surveillance.These balloons have provided a limited additive capability to the People's Liberation Army.We are finally trying to understand such Unidentified Aerial Phenomena better.We have been more closely scrutinising slow-moving,high altitude objects that are hard to detect.In each instance,we have followed the same basic course.Those objects whose altitude posed a threat to civilian aircraft were shot down immediately.There are no active tracks today.We are working with our Allies on tracking UAP.Interagency teams have been formed to deal with the UAP issue within the US Government.The fourth object, which came down in Lake Huron,came down in the Canadian part of Lake Huron and we had good communications with our Canadian Allies.It had been shot down by Wisconsin Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcons.* In general,with a balloon,as opposed to a spy satellite,you could get better fidelity photos;you can loiter and soak in a little bit more information.NORAD and NORTHCOM commander General Glen Van Herck is using established protocols.The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is the safest,most effective way to bring objects down,in his judgement.A fighter jet's cannon could threaten civilian aircraft.Some of the Chinese spy balloon's electronics have already been recovered,along with some of its structure.Why were the three weekend objects shot down?They were unmanned,not being controlled,posing a threat to civilian aircraft,and could have surveillance capabilities with which to threaten national security.* The US Coast Guard is assisting the Canadian Coast Guard at Lake Huron.It is believed the wreckage of this fourth object is in deep water.The object had an octagonal shape with strings attached to the bottom.There is no reason for the American people to worry about extraterrestrial craft.There is no indication of such a thing.The basic parameters of the objects have been seen before.Some of them could be small rigid-sided dirigibles,pointed out former FAA official Mary Schiavo.It's nothing new.* The US has been aware of China's balloon programme since 2021.We're seeing more objects because we're looking more.We have modified the radar filters to scrutinise low speed,high altitude objects.* CNN has reported that the Beaufort Sea,Alaska object and the Yukon Territory object had small metal cylinders attached to them (possibly surveillance payloads).The Beaufort Sea object was metallic and broke into pieces when it hit the sea ice.The Yukon object was a small metallic balloon with a payload that had traveled over sensitive US sites.The Lake Huron object descended slowly into the water when it was shot down.* Update:The US Navy and Coast Guard have almost finished recovering the Chinese spy balloon off South Carolina.They will now move out further from the coast to finish up.