UNCLASSIFIED FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY UNTIL RELEASED BY THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, DEFENSE SUBCOMMITTEE STATEMENT OF GENERAL RALPH E. EBERHART, USAF COMMANDER NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND AND UNITED STATES NORTHERN COMMAND BEFORE THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, DEFENSE SUBCOMMITTEE 13 MARCH 2003 UNCLASSIFIED FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY UNTIL RELEASED BY THE Chairman Lewis, Congressman Murtha and Members of the Subcommittee: It is an honor to appear before this Committee again, and to represent the outstanding men and women of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). The soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, National Guardsmen, reservists and civilians serving in our Commands are truly the "best of the best," and give our two great Nations-the United States and Canada every reason to be proud. NORAD Our number one priority is to strengthen aerospace warning and control of United States and Canadian airspace. Prior to 11 September 2001, we focused on threats originating from outside North America. As a result of these terrorist attacks, we now also look for threats from within our borders. Thanks in large part to the timely passage of the Fiscal Year 2002 Defense Emergency Response Fund, today we have connectivity with 70 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) long-range interior en route radars, better ground-to-air communications, and a robust coordination capability to provide comprehensive coverage of our airspace. Throughout this integration effort, the FAA has been very responsive to our requests for technical assistance. This strong partnership of dedicated people is committed to further improving our ability to protect the Nation's airspace. Operation NOBLE EAGLE. NORAD defends North America from domestic air threats through Operation NOBLE EAGLE. Across the United States and Canada, armed fighters are on alert and flying irregular combat air patrols to identify and intercept suspect aircraft. Since 11 September 2001, we have flown over 27,000 sorties to deter, prevent and defend against potential terrorist attacks, without a single mishap. This tremendous accomplishment is a tribute to the professionalism and perseverance of the men and women executing these missions. In addition, we are supporting homeland defense operations with a layered air defense of the National Capital Region. We have developed new relationships across the Department of Defense (DoD) and with interagency partners to establish a comprehensive shield to guard our Nation's capital. To maintain our warfighting edge, we routinely exercise and evaluate our ability to defend against the full spectrum of air threats. United States' and Canadian civil agencies continue to make air travel safer through increased airport and aircraft security measures. However, if called, we stand ready as the last line of defense against threats within our airspace. North American Air Surveillance Plan. In our efforts to provide the best possible coverage of North America, we have teamed with the FAA and North American Air Surveillance Council to further enhance our wide-area surveillance capabilities. There has been an outstanding level of interagency cooperation to develop a comprehensive North American Air Surveillance Plan that addresses our requirements to detect, identify and classify all aircraft within North American airspace. We look forward to fielding expanded capabilities that track even smaller, low-altitude threats. NORAD'S RELATIONSHIPS USNORTHCOM. NORAD and USNORTHCOM are two separate commands. Neither command is subordinate to the other or a part of the other, but we work very closely together. Members of the two commands work side-by-side within the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center and, in many cases, United States military members are dual-hatted in positions on both staffs. Bi-National Planning Group. The Departments of Defense and State have been working with their counterparts in Canada to develop additional areas of cooperation to better protect our citizens. One promising outcome of this collaboration is an agreement to establish a Bi-National Planning Group for a two-year term. This group will identify additional ways to protect our citizens and strengthen air, land and maritime defense of North America, while respecting the national interests and sovereignty of each nation. Members have already begun arriving and will be appended to NORAD. USNORTHCOM On 1 October 2002, the President established USNORTHCOM as a regional combatant command to provide "unity of command" for United States military actions that counter threats to our homeland from the air, land, or sea domain. We are just like the other regional combatant commands, with one important difference-the United States homeland is in our area of responsibility. We conduct operations to deter, prevent, and defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories and interests. We also provide military assistance to civil authorities, when directed by the President or the Secretary of Defense. When we work with civil authorities, we will most likely be in a support role to a lead federal agency, providing "one-stop shopping" for federal military assistance. The President's decision to establish USNORTHCOM has enhanced the DoD's ability to provide quick, responsive support, when and where needed. Whenever Organization. USNORTHCOM has few permanently assigned forces. mission requirements dictate, we will request additional forces from the Secretary of Defense, and if approved, receive them from our force provider, United States Joint Forces Command. Our day-to-day operations are conducted by three subordinate commands: The Joint Force Headquarters-Homeland Security supports land and maritime defense planning for the continental United States, and provides military The Joint Task Force-Civil Support provides command and control of consequence management forces that respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive events. The Joint Task Force-6 provides support to federal, state and local counterdrug law enforcement agencies. Exercises. Over the past several months, we have trained and exercised with 55 federal, state and local agencies across a broad spectrum of scenarios. During UNIFIED DEFENSE 02-2 in September 2002, we validated our initial capability to command and control forces in response to future attacks. Most recently, in February 2003, we completed a second major exercise, UNIFIED DEFENSE 03-01, to strengthen the trusted relationships we need with interagency partners to defend our Nation's homeland. Current Operations. We have demonstrated our ability to conduct operations in a number of emergency situations. During the Washington D.C. sniper attacks, we coordinated aerial surveillance for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's efforts. Most recently, we supported military operations in the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. As directed by the Secretary of Defense, we established a response task force to provide command and control for DOD resources and units, in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We have also been called upon to conduct operations in support of preplanned events. In October 2002, using forces provided by United States Pacific Command, we supported the President's attendance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference in Los Cabos, Mexico. In January 2003, we provided command and control of all military support to the State of the Union Address, to include security, emergency medical, and chemical and biological response forces. |