NORAD
NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) is the joint aerospace and maritime warning and air defense command of the United States and Canada, which monitors North American airspace with radars.
NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) is a joint military command of the United States and Canada. Its mission is to monitor North America's airspace, to detect and identify aerial and other threats, and to provide air defense. It was established in the 1950s, during the Cold War, in response to the threat posed by Soviet bombers and missiles. Its headquarters is located at Peterson Space Force Base in the state of Colorado, and its command center is associated with the Cheyenne Mountain complex.
Why does it come up in the UFO/UAP topic?
NORAD's radars and airspace surveillance system continuously monitor the airspace, so in cases involving unknown aerial objects, the official response often involves them. It received public attention, for example, in February 2023, when several unknown objects were shot down in North American airspace and the NORAD commander spoke about the events at a press conference. During it, the general said that the systems may previously have filtered out such small, slow objects, and that after the settings were adjusted, more unknown objects were detected.
Researchers and journalists probing the UAP topic sometimes cite NORAD's data, radar recordings and alert practices, because the organization sees the airspace as a whole.
Official finding
According to NORAD's official statements, its mission is to handle aerial threats, not to research UFOs. Analyses concerning unidentified aerial phenomena are carried out by other bodies, such as AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office), and NORAD can provide them with data and information.
Popular culture
The organization is also known to the general public for its Christmas NORAD Tracks Santa program, under which Santa Claus's journey is symbolically tracked every year.