Military pilots have flown more than 55,000 Noble Eagle missions.
Operation Noble Eagle is the code name given to the defense network that defends North America from attack by air. The U.S. Congress officially enacted Operation Noble Eagle on September 14, 2001. The North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, maintains the program; it involves the U.S. Air National Guard, the U.S. Air Force, and the Canadian Air Force, plus coordination with U.S. agencies such as the Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration.
Creation
Operation Noble Eagle, or ONE, originated in the aftermath of the terrorist hijackings of commercial aircraft in 2001. Prior to this event, North American air defense focused on repelling hostile attacks originating outside the U.S. borders. The U.S. and Canadian military had scaled back operations at the end of the Cold War, and quickly enacted measures to counter this new threat. NORAD established continual patrols of U.S. airspace by nightfall on September 11, and has maintained them ever since.
Operations
The Noble Eagle strategy involves continual flyovers, or sorties, by defensive aircraft, principally the Air National Guard, although the Air Force and other branches of the military have also been involved when necessary. In addition, new technologies alert pilots if they inadvertently stray into restricted airspace, and air traffic controllers can contact NORAD instantly if an aircraft behaves in an unexplained manner.
Capital Region
More stringent defense covers the National Capital Region, or NCR, a 34.5-mile region over Washington, D.C. Noble Eagle aircraft constantly patrol this area, coordinating with Coast Guard helicopters that monitor aircraft arriving from offshore locations. ONE has a ground-based missile system in place, as well as less drastic measures including the Visual Warning System. This system employs eye-safe lasers to alert pilots if they enter NCR airspace without the proper clearances.
Training
After Sept. 11, U.S. combat pilots required new training because they previously focused almost entirely on enemy aircraft. The Air National Guard required pilots and their aircraft to spend far more time on patrols than on training, a reversal of the policy in previous decades. The darkest element of post-9/11 combat training involves psychologically preparing pilots for the nearly unthinkable prospect of shooting down a hijacked commercial airplane. While other measures are in place to reduce the likelihood of 9/11-style attacks in the future, this kind of sacrifice remains a possibility.
Costs
According to a 2009 report by the federal Government Accountability Office, expenses for Operation Noble Eagle peaked in the two years following Sept. 11, and have dropped off sharply since then. Completed improvements in security and infrastructure, many of which were one-time expenses, and efficiencies in maintaining air and ground personnel contribute to the lower cost of the operation. Noble Eagle costs for the financial year 2008 were $28.1 billion, a fraction of the money spent on the overseas war efforts.
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