2009-05-13
The North American Aerospace Defence Command will play a key role in providing security for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games and the G8 Summit to be held in Huntsville next summer, says the U. S. air force general in charge.
Norad Commander Gen. Gene Renuart, also head of the U. S. Northern Command, said during a stop in North Bay Tuesday that plans involving both U. S. and Canadian aircraft and personnel are already underway to defend both events from any potential threats.
He said Norad will play an appropriate" role in safeguarding both the Winter Games and the summit while working alongside other agencies, similar to the part it has played in protecting the Super Bowl and other such high-profile events in the past.
Renuart was in the city visiting the Sgt. David L. Pritchard Building -- the new above-ground Norad complex -- at CFB North Bay. It was his first stop here since assuming command of Norad in 2007. The visit coincided with Norad's 51st anniversary Tuesday.
It's a great testament to the success of our mission," Renuart said of the milestone occasion for the bi-national military alliance.
But he pointed to the evolution of the Norad mission from its Cold War beginnings to the post-9-11 realities that threats to North American air space can originate from within our own borders.
Renuart said Norad scrambled fighter planes and intercepted as many as 270 flights in 2008, all of which were determined not be threats due to issues such as mechanical problems and pilot errors.