The rapid response event will deploy more than 5,500 personnel across air, land, maritime, space and cyber to test and grade the ability of NORAD, USNORTHCOM and the Canadian Joint Operations Command to defend the homeland during an attack, U.S. Northern Command said on Tuesday.
The event is a Command Post Exercise that uses simulated forces and requires the commander, staff and communications to operate within and between headquarters.
NORAD is a bi-national command shared by the U.S. and Canada, in charge of aerospace warning and control missions over North America.
USNORTHCOM brings together the U.S. Army North, U.S. Navy North, U.S. Marine Forces North and Special Operations Command North to defend the homeland, and cooperates with civil support and security to protect and secure U.S. interests.
In September, NORAD and USNORTHCOM teamed up to support FEMA during the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
"The homeland is no longer a sanctuary and conducting exercises like Vigilant Shield is just one example of the many active measures taken every day by NORAD and USNORTHCOM as we continue enhancing our ability to defend our nations," Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, NORAD and USNORTHCOM Commander, said in a statement.
Security scare briefly locks down US nuclear weapons facility
Chicago (AFP) Oct 23, 2018 -
Employees at the United States' primary nuclear weapons facility were briefly told to "shelter in place" Tuesday, when a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot triggered an emergency response.
The incident at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas occurred just before noon (1800 GMT), when a routine inspection identified "a potential concern with a vehicle," the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said in a statement.
"As a precaution, all employees were sheltered in place."
Police were called and authorities closed roads around the facility for about an hour while officials investigated.
"After searching the vehicle, it was determined there were no prohibited items or explosives, and the emergency event was resolved without incident," the NNSA said.
The plant is operated by government contractors and is the nation's primary one of six facilities for the assembly and dismantlement of nuclear weapons.
A recording on the plant's phone system said it was operating normally after what was initially described as a "security event."
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