Dr. Andrea Charron, 06 June 2020.
NORAD stands for North American Aerospace Defense Command. It is a binational command made up of Canadians and Americans who have 3 missions: aerospace warning, air defence and maritime warning for North America.
NORAD is made up of three regions: Canadian NORAD Region (CANR) based in Winnipeg at 17 Wing; Continental NORAD Region (CONR) based in Tyndall Air Force base in Panama City Florida; and Alaska NORAD Region (ANR) based in Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage AK. The regional commands are connected to the NORAD headquarters based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. The Commander and Deputy-Commander of each NORAD region is represented by both states; if the Commander is Canadian, the Deputy is American and vice versa. NORAD, US Northern command (USNORTHCOM) and Canadian Joint Operational Command (CJOC) work as a tricommand to ensure the defence of both homelands.
Since its formation, NORAD has undergone a number of changes. The binational agreement originally signed in 1958, and requiring updates every few years, was signed in perpetuity in 2006. At the same time, the maritime warning mission was added to its two other missions, aerospace warning and control. 2020 is the year of personnel changes:
