Many years after commercialization of air transport, security in flight and at the airport was not taken seriously as it is the case today. Security at the airport was not the responsibility of the federal government and airlines hired the services of private security agencies to check in and screen passengers. The security men deployed in the airports were therefore poorly trained and paid poorly therefore the protection against sabotage was just a mirage. Moreover, air defense was not as serious as it is today. The price for this negligence was paid in September 11 2001 when the United States became a victim of terrorist attack. Three civilian aircrafts were hijacked by terrorists who effortlessly beat the security system and crashed the aircrafts into buildings including the Pentagon. Many people died and the attack has been the most calamitous in the history of the United States (Kaplan, 2006).
Since the 911, attack numerous changes have taken place in aviation security. There are no more private security agencies screening the passengers in the airports. This responsibility has been given to the federal security personnel who are also involved in the verification of travelers documents. Air defense has also improved tremendously with the launch of the Operation Noble Eagle. Security inside the airports and in the vicinity has also improved due to deployment of more regular police officers around the airports. To that effect, the federal government has spent billions of dollars as it attempts to improve security in the air transport. Radical improvement of aviation security started immediately after the 911 attack when the Transportation Security Administration was established. This was also supported by the launch of a far reaching air defense effort known as the Operation Noble Eagles.
Operation Noble Eagles and Air Defense
The Operation Noble Eagles was launched after the 911 terrorist attacks as an air defense to prevent other such incidences from occurring in the United States. The operation is an extensive operation that prevents any hijacking of a plane or air attack on all major entry points similar to the September 11 terrorist attack. Although the operation is very costly, both political leaders and the military leaders have argued that the cost is necessary to ensure that the United States is free from any threat of air attacks. The cost of the operation cannot be compared to the protection the operation guarantees above the cities. The operation is therefore a necessary permanent defense strategy by the federal security agencies which is significant assignment of the United States Air Force. Although the initial plan was the operation to last for six years, it significantly increased security in the American aviation industry and plans to extend the air patrols indefinitely were put in place in 2007. The noble eagle had conducted about forty four thousand patrol flight as of match 2007. Over two thousand responses to threatening situations had been done by the noble eagle aircrafts. The operations had cost the federal government over 27 billion as of 2007 according to the congressional report service. This high cost was reasonable considering the additional security the patrols had provided to prevent the recurrent of horrific attacks.
Today, the federal authority cannot declare the end of the Noble Eagles operations since it is no longer a temporary measure rather it has become a permanent expedient. The focus has now shifted to implementing measures that can improve controls and command of American air defense missions. The administrations main focus is how to tighten the air defense command structures and create networks that make it possible for the Noble Eagles to detect any threat in time and send signals to the crews in their aircrafts for urgent response. The Noble Eagles in conjunction with other aviation research agencies are also working on developing technology that will enable them avoid frightening scenarios in case of an attempted air attack. For example, they are working on technologies that would provide an alternative for a fighter pilot shooting down a civilian airliner which has been hijacked before it reaches the target. Under such circumstances, the Noble Eagles may be forced to sacrifice the passengers in the airline though innocent to avoid a more horrific incidence.
Since the formation of the noble eagles, the Air National Guard fighter team has had a burden as the Noble Eagles were borne from the team. The air national guard officials have however been interested in easing the burden without necessarily acquiring new personnel or machines. However, these attempts have been a big challenge due to the impact of the noble eagle assignments since the September 11 attacks. Despite the big challenges, the Operation Noble Eagles have been considered by many people as a great success. The noble eagle continuous mission has been commended by senior military officials and civilians leaders including Canadian Air Force senior official such as Lt. Gen Findley. The operation Noble Eagles has been considered as the greatest improvement in the North America Aerospace Defense Command which is a United States Canada military organization based in Colo. It has been termed by many people as a permanent solution to the threat of air attacks in the entire North American continent. NORAD official accepts the facts that the September 11 attack met the North America and NORAD unprepared to deal with such horrific attack just a decade since threats of the cold war ended. The air defense systems above the cities in the United States were significantly reduced while the Air force focused beyond the borders, which has been considered by many a wrong orientation of the air defense. The air defense systems were therefore incapable of responding appropriately and in time to intercept the hijacked aircrafts before they reached their target.
Within hours of after the September 11 attack, the North America Aerospace command had launched several and continuous patrols over almost all the major cities in the United States. Different forces including the fighters from the navy and the US Marines combined their efforts with the Air force fighters to conduct the air patrols. The Operation Noble Eagles were however introduced due to the burden and expenses of involving different forces in the air patrols. The first five years of the teams operation was faced with crisis but with time, the force has been able to embrace the mission and go round the challenges associated with the mission. NORAD has also embraced the outstanding and determination of the team to transform air patrols and air defense systems in the United States air. It is believed that the Noble Eagles will endure the test of time and continuously improve their defense systems and patrols and thus reduce the risk of possible air attack on the Americans (Kreisher, 2007).
Despite the increased security in the air transport after the September terrorist attack, experts believe that there are still threats of air attack against the Americans. The security system both at the airport and in the aircrafts has been significantly improved. The screening of passengers and baggage in the airports has been enhanced to reduce cases where suspects get into the airliner with dangerous objects or explosives. The federal security agencies have also developed a watch list of international criminals and are involved in checking and verification of passengers documents to deter the access of terrorists into the airliners. To avoid cases of the airline crews being assaulted by suspects while on flight, all airliners have armored cockpit doors. The pilots are also armed to guard themselves from any attack or hijacking while on flight. There are air marshals deployed in civilian airliners to protect the airliner, the crew and the passengers from the attack. Today, security agencies all over the world are able to share security information including possible air attack threat, terrorist watch list and other intelligence information. All these strategies have been aimed at reducing the threats associated with aviation security. However, we are not yet to the attainment of a secure sky above the United States cities ((Talbot, 2002).
Although the United States air defense has undergone major changes all along and many consider it near perfect, the operation noble eagle is one of the greatest moves since the 911 attack towards secure skies over the American cities. The Noble Eagles have expanded air defense by introducing new features such as more expansive sensors and aircrafts as well as men who are dedicated to guard their country. The efforts of the Noble Eagles have been so great to have an impact on the Air National Guard by exerting a significant strain in different ways. In many ways, the defense missions have been broader and deeper since the September 11 terrorist attack and the institution of the noble eagles. What started as an emergency response to the attack has evolved into a major aspect of the United States defense systems and it is not expected that the operations of the noble eagle will stop any soon. New demands in the defense system arises everyday which has resulted into an overhaul of the air defense system over the period of time making the Noble Eagles more equipped and ready to counteract any attempted air attack.
When the Noble Eagles was established, it was involved in combat air patrols where there fighter jets were flown over major cities all over the United States where they were supported by air control systems which were under the control of the federal security agencies. The patrols were intended to defend the major cities from terrorist attacks similar to the September 11 attack and also served as a physical sigh that the federal government was determined to provide security against the increased terrorist threats of air attacks.
As the missions by the Noble Eagles improved and became more necessary, the combat air patrols in all major cities proved unsuitable due to the cost involved. The combats were a major strain to the Air National Guard due to the high number of fighters and pilots required their maintenance and the overall burden on the military budget. The nonstop compacts were estimated to cost the military budget and thus the federal government up to two hundred million dollars per month. Due to this strain, the Pentagon was forced to look for better and less costly air defense strategies without impacting on the security of America. The department of defense therefore settled at a strategy in which the Noble Eagles were expected to increase strip alerts instead of nonstop air combat. The strip alerts were to be enhanced by random air patrols which were to be based on the threats suspected.
The alerts strips were previously maintained by the NORAD. In these sites, fighters which are fully armed and fueled sit and can take off within the minimum time possible time after a notice of threat has been issued. The alert bases were established during the cold war. The American military and civilian leaders suspected that the Soviet Union was likely to send bombers to bomb the United States and therefore the United States was ringed by these air defense alert bases. However, the Soviet Union did not attack and after the end of the cold war seemed to military and civilian leaders as the end of air attack threat and the air defense systems through out the United States were allowed to weaken. The threat seemed to have ended when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s (Kinkade, 2004). As a result of the assumed lack of threat in the American skies, the NORAD dismantled all the alert bases and maintained only twenty six sites throughout North America. By the time the United States was attacked by terrorist in September 11, the number of alert bases had reduced to only seven bases. There was no perceived threat, the forces were atrophied and alert security systems were shut down due to the high cost of maintenance. Unfortunately, none of the remaining alert bases were near the terrorist attack target on September 11. The alert bases were unprepared to respond to such attack therefore the response was slow and it was after the world trade center and the pentagon had been attacked (Hamilton, 2002).
Officials from pentagon have repeatedly declared that the United States defense system is capable of preventing the recurrence of the September 11 incidence in the American soil. It is reported that the air defense command in the United States had received a warning about nine minutes prior to the crash of one of the airliners into the world trade center. If the air defense response were prepared for an air attack, it could arguably have been possible to prevent the attack. It could have been possible for the alert bases to detect the threat or the hijacking in time and respond before a horrific incident could have happened. If the alert systems that have been put in place today were effective on the day of the attack, it is estimated that the warning could have reached the defense systems about 17 minutes before the first attack. The time could have been enough to respond and shot down the airliner. Moreover, the communication systems as well as connectivity have been improved since then which means that the warning could have even reached the defense systems even earlier. Senior officials in the military and analysts have agreed that the command and control of the air defense was poor which led to poor response and have recommended that a slight improvement in the command and controls could have saved the situation. To that effect, command and control improvement and strengthening has been the main area of focus by the NPRAD. New command and control center has been constructed while numerous upgrading projects have been underway in the command headquarters. Enhancement of command posts in different alert bases all over the United States has also been given a priority.
To avert any threat of air attack similar to the 911 attack, NORAD has maintained a close eye of the United States skies with enhanced precision. This was previously the role of FAA before the September 11 attack. The risk associated with possible terrorist attack keeps the NORAD command base at Colo busy. However, nine years after the attack, no case of hijacking of an airliner has even been reported though the defense systems are not ready to take any chance. The base inspects over seven thousand airliners pathways approaching the American skies every day. At any given time of the day, there may be up to ten thousand aircrafts in the American skies. Moreover, there are over eighty thousands domestic flights reported every day. It is the responsibility of NORAD to monitor all these pathways and flight at any time of the day. Systems at the NORAD base can detect almost instantly when an airliner goes off the track. The airliners must therefore strictly follow the planned tracks while private jets or planes are also monitored and are not allowed in some restricted areas. These systems according to the bases officials can assure the Americans protection from attacks of the September 11 style with much greater precision.
Despite the improved air defense alert since America was attacked by terrorists in September 11 2001, the last resort incase of threat from a civilian airliner has always been an issue. The last resort in such cases is always shooting down the airliner although it may have innocent passengers on board. Shooting down of an aircraft can only be ordered by the NORAD in situation where the aircraft present a valid security threat and is headed for a target while refusing to respond to orders. In this case the NORAD considers the fact that if the airliner reach the target, all the passengers on board will die and most likely other people will die and property will be destroyed. The airliner can be shot down to prevent the occurrence of a horrific incidence. Although the air defense systems and commands are worried about possible attack in the future, there are also worried about the innocent passengers who could be victims of erroneous shooting down of an aircraft that does not present any valid threat (Hebert, 2005).
Since the 911, attack numerous changes have taken place in aviation security. There are no more private security agencies screening the passengers in the airports. This responsibility has been given to the federal security personnel who are also involved in the verification of travelers documents. Air defense has also improved tremendously with the launch of the Operation Noble Eagle. Security inside the airports and in the vicinity has also improved due to deployment of more regular police officers around the airports. To that effect, the federal government has spent billions of dollars as it attempts to improve security in the air transport. Radical improvement of aviation security started immediately after the 911 attack when the Transportation Security Administration was established. This was also supported by the launch of a far reaching air defense effort known as the Operation Noble Eagles.
Operation Noble Eagles and Air Defense
The Operation Noble Eagles was launched after the 911 terrorist attacks as an air defense to prevent other such incidences from occurring in the United States. The operation is an extensive operation that prevents any hijacking of a plane or air attack on all major entry points similar to the September 11 terrorist attack. Although the operation is very costly, both political leaders and the military leaders have argued that the cost is necessary to ensure that the United States is free from any threat of air attacks. The cost of the operation cannot be compared to the protection the operation guarantees above the cities. The operation is therefore a necessary permanent defense strategy by the federal security agencies which is significant assignment of the United States Air Force. Although the initial plan was the operation to last for six years, it significantly increased security in the American aviation industry and plans to extend the air patrols indefinitely were put in place in 2007. The noble eagle had conducted about forty four thousand patrol flight as of match 2007. Over two thousand responses to threatening situations had been done by the noble eagle aircrafts. The operations had cost the federal government over 27 billion as of 2007 according to the congressional report service. This high cost was reasonable considering the additional security the patrols had provided to prevent the recurrent of horrific attacks.
Today, the federal authority cannot declare the end of the Noble Eagles operations since it is no longer a temporary measure rather it has become a permanent expedient. The focus has now shifted to implementing measures that can improve controls and command of American air defense missions. The administrations main focus is how to tighten the air defense command structures and create networks that make it possible for the Noble Eagles to detect any threat in time and send signals to the crews in their aircrafts for urgent response. The Noble Eagles in conjunction with other aviation research agencies are also working on developing technology that will enable them avoid frightening scenarios in case of an attempted air attack. For example, they are working on technologies that would provide an alternative for a fighter pilot shooting down a civilian airliner which has been hijacked before it reaches the target. Under such circumstances, the Noble Eagles may be forced to sacrifice the passengers in the airline though innocent to avoid a more horrific incidence.
Since the formation of the noble eagles, the Air National Guard fighter team has had a burden as the Noble Eagles were borne from the team. The air national guard officials have however been interested in easing the burden without necessarily acquiring new personnel or machines. However, these attempts have been a big challenge due to the impact of the noble eagle assignments since the September 11 attacks. Despite the big challenges, the Operation Noble Eagles have been considered by many people as a great success. The noble eagle continuous mission has been commended by senior military officials and civilians leaders including Canadian Air Force senior official such as Lt. Gen Findley. The operation Noble Eagles has been considered as the greatest improvement in the North America Aerospace Defense Command which is a United States Canada military organization based in Colo. It has been termed by many people as a permanent solution to the threat of air attacks in the entire North American continent. NORAD official accepts the facts that the September 11 attack met the North America and NORAD unprepared to deal with such horrific attack just a decade since threats of the cold war ended. The air defense systems above the cities in the United States were significantly reduced while the Air force focused beyond the borders, which has been considered by many a wrong orientation of the air defense. The air defense systems were therefore incapable of responding appropriately and in time to intercept the hijacked aircrafts before they reached their target.
Within hours of after the September 11 attack, the North America Aerospace command had launched several and continuous patrols over almost all the major cities in the United States. Different forces including the fighters from the navy and the US Marines combined their efforts with the Air force fighters to conduct the air patrols. The Operation Noble Eagles were however introduced due to the burden and expenses of involving different forces in the air patrols. The first five years of the teams operation was faced with crisis but with time, the force has been able to embrace the mission and go round the challenges associated with the mission. NORAD has also embraced the outstanding and determination of the team to transform air patrols and air defense systems in the United States air. It is believed that the Noble Eagles will endure the test of time and continuously improve their defense systems and patrols and thus reduce the risk of possible air attack on the Americans (Kreisher, 2007).
Despite the increased security in the air transport after the September terrorist attack, experts believe that there are still threats of air attack against the Americans. The security system both at the airport and in the aircrafts has been significantly improved. The screening of passengers and baggage in the airports has been enhanced to reduce cases where suspects get into the airliner with dangerous objects or explosives. The federal security agencies have also developed a watch list of international criminals and are involved in checking and verification of passengers documents to deter the access of terrorists into the airliners. To avoid cases of the airline crews being assaulted by suspects while on flight, all airliners have armored cockpit doors. The pilots are also armed to guard themselves from any attack or hijacking while on flight. There are air marshals deployed in civilian airliners to protect the airliner, the crew and the passengers from the attack. Today, security agencies all over the world are able to share security information including possible air attack threat, terrorist watch list and other intelligence information. All these strategies have been aimed at reducing the threats associated with aviation security. However, we are not yet to the attainment of a secure sky above the United States cities ((Talbot, 2002).
Although the United States air defense has undergone major changes all along and many consider it near perfect, the operation noble eagle is one of the greatest moves since the 911 attack towards secure skies over the American cities. The Noble Eagles have expanded air defense by introducing new features such as more expansive sensors and aircrafts as well as men who are dedicated to guard their country. The efforts of the Noble Eagles have been so great to have an impact on the Air National Guard by exerting a significant strain in different ways. In many ways, the defense missions have been broader and deeper since the September 11 terrorist attack and the institution of the noble eagles. What started as an emergency response to the attack has evolved into a major aspect of the United States defense systems and it is not expected that the operations of the noble eagle will stop any soon. New demands in the defense system arises everyday which has resulted into an overhaul of the air defense system over the period of time making the Noble Eagles more equipped and ready to counteract any attempted air attack.
When the Noble Eagles was established, it was involved in combat air patrols where there fighter jets were flown over major cities all over the United States where they were supported by air control systems which were under the control of the federal security agencies. The patrols were intended to defend the major cities from terrorist attacks similar to the September 11 attack and also served as a physical sigh that the federal government was determined to provide security against the increased terrorist threats of air attacks.
As the missions by the Noble Eagles improved and became more necessary, the combat air patrols in all major cities proved unsuitable due to the cost involved. The combats were a major strain to the Air National Guard due to the high number of fighters and pilots required their maintenance and the overall burden on the military budget. The nonstop compacts were estimated to cost the military budget and thus the federal government up to two hundred million dollars per month. Due to this strain, the Pentagon was forced to look for better and less costly air defense strategies without impacting on the security of America. The department of defense therefore settled at a strategy in which the Noble Eagles were expected to increase strip alerts instead of nonstop air combat. The strip alerts were to be enhanced by random air patrols which were to be based on the threats suspected.
The alerts strips were previously maintained by the NORAD. In these sites, fighters which are fully armed and fueled sit and can take off within the minimum time possible time after a notice of threat has been issued. The alert bases were established during the cold war. The American military and civilian leaders suspected that the Soviet Union was likely to send bombers to bomb the United States and therefore the United States was ringed by these air defense alert bases. However, the Soviet Union did not attack and after the end of the cold war seemed to military and civilian leaders as the end of air attack threat and the air defense systems through out the United States were allowed to weaken. The threat seemed to have ended when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s (Kinkade, 2004). As a result of the assumed lack of threat in the American skies, the NORAD dismantled all the alert bases and maintained only twenty six sites throughout North America. By the time the United States was attacked by terrorist in September 11, the number of alert bases had reduced to only seven bases. There was no perceived threat, the forces were atrophied and alert security systems were shut down due to the high cost of maintenance. Unfortunately, none of the remaining alert bases were near the terrorist attack target on September 11. The alert bases were unprepared to respond to such attack therefore the response was slow and it was after the world trade center and the pentagon had been attacked (Hamilton, 2002).
Officials from pentagon have repeatedly declared that the United States defense system is capable of preventing the recurrence of the September 11 incidence in the American soil. It is reported that the air defense command in the United States had received a warning about nine minutes prior to the crash of one of the airliners into the world trade center. If the air defense response were prepared for an air attack, it could arguably have been possible to prevent the attack. It could have been possible for the alert bases to detect the threat or the hijacking in time and respond before a horrific incident could have happened. If the alert systems that have been put in place today were effective on the day of the attack, it is estimated that the warning could have reached the defense systems about 17 minutes before the first attack. The time could have been enough to respond and shot down the airliner. Moreover, the communication systems as well as connectivity have been improved since then which means that the warning could have even reached the defense systems even earlier. Senior officials in the military and analysts have agreed that the command and control of the air defense was poor which led to poor response and have recommended that a slight improvement in the command and controls could have saved the situation. To that effect, command and control improvement and strengthening has been the main area of focus by the NPRAD. New command and control center has been constructed while numerous upgrading projects have been underway in the command headquarters. Enhancement of command posts in different alert bases all over the United States has also been given a priority.
To avert any threat of air attack similar to the 911 attack, NORAD has maintained a close eye of the United States skies with enhanced precision. This was previously the role of FAA before the September 11 attack. The risk associated with possible terrorist attack keeps the NORAD command base at Colo busy. However, nine years after the attack, no case of hijacking of an airliner has even been reported though the defense systems are not ready to take any chance. The base inspects over seven thousand airliners pathways approaching the American skies every day. At any given time of the day, there may be up to ten thousand aircrafts in the American skies. Moreover, there are over eighty thousands domestic flights reported every day. It is the responsibility of NORAD to monitor all these pathways and flight at any time of the day. Systems at the NORAD base can detect almost instantly when an airliner goes off the track. The airliners must therefore strictly follow the planned tracks while private jets or planes are also monitored and are not allowed in some restricted areas. These systems according to the bases officials can assure the Americans protection from attacks of the September 11 style with much greater precision.
Despite the improved air defense alert since America was attacked by terrorists in September 11 2001, the last resort incase of threat from a civilian airliner has always been an issue. The last resort in such cases is always shooting down the airliner although it may have innocent passengers on board. Shooting down of an aircraft can only be ordered by the NORAD in situation where the aircraft present a valid security threat and is headed for a target while refusing to respond to orders. In this case the NORAD considers the fact that if the airliner reach the target, all the passengers on board will die and most likely other people will die and property will be destroyed. The airliner can be shot down to prevent the occurrence of a horrific incidence. Although the air defense systems and commands are worried about possible attack in the future, there are also worried about the innocent passengers who could be victims of erroneous shooting down of an aircraft that does not present any valid threat (Hebert, 2005).
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