In a world of uncertainty, there is one critical mission the North American Aerospace Defence Command can count on every year: tracking Santa Claus.

On Sunday, millions of people will log onto the specialized website and social media channels that depict the jolly old elfB次元官网网址檚 magical journey as he and his reindeer visit children around the world.

More than 60 years after it began, the Santa tracker is a beloved holiday tradition and a powerful public-relations opportunity for the binational agency dedicated to defending North American airspace.

Informing the public about NoradB次元官网网址檚 mission the rest of the year has been a priority for commander Gen. Glen VanHerck, and in that regard, the dramatic start to 2023 came with an unexpected opportunity.

On Jan. 27, Norad learned that a high-altitude surveillance balloon from China was heading toward North America. It was detected entering Alaskan airspace the next day and tracked as it passed over Canada on Jan. 30 and 31.

Norad quietly collected data on the balloon until U.S. fighter jets shot it down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, when the public learned of its existence for the first time. American jets took down three more unidentified objects over the next several weeks, making international headlines.

B次元官网网址淚t raised the awareness of NoradB次元官网网址檚 mission,B次元官网网址� VanHerck said in a recent interview from Norad headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo.

B次元官网网址淚t raised the awareness of the domain awareness gaps. It raised the awareness that we need to share and collaborate globally on potential threats approaching North America.B次元官网网址�

Those gaps included the technological B次元官网网址� a lack of long-range radar in the Far North B次元官网网址� and the human.

B次元官网网址淭he (intelligence) community knew it was there,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淥ne of my fellow combatant commanders knew it was there, but didnB次元官网网址檛 pass me the information until the 27th of January.B次元官网网址�

VanHerck refused to say which commander knew about the balloon last January, but said, B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think that would happen again.B次元官网网址�

NoradB次元官网网址檚 internal processes and procedures have not changed since the balloon incident, VanHerck said. As far as heB次元官网网址檚 concerned, things went as they should have once the potential threat was detected.

Still, he has a wish list for the agency that Santa Claus is not likely to deliver this year.

B次元官网网址淚 lack infrastructure to operate from, I lack access to forces that are organized, trained, equipped and ready to execute the mission. And thatB次元官网网址檚 not only in Canada, thatB次元官网网址檚 in the United States,B次元官网网址� he said.

During President Joe BidenB次元官网网址檚 visit to Ottawa last March, he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that an Arctic over-the-horizon radar system is expected to be up and running in 2028.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 part of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 plan to spend $38.6 billion on Norad modernization over 20 years, announced in 2022.

VanHerck wonB次元官网网址檛 be in command when the new radar system comes online. The Biden administration named his successor, Lt.-Gen. Gregory Guillot, back in May, in a process that has since stalled in the U.S. Senate.

Guillot made headlines during his Senate confirmation hearings in July, when he pledged to have tough conversations with his Canadian counterparts about what one senator called insufficient military spending.

VanHerck said he has had those B次元官网网址渇rank conversationsB次元官网网址� with the Canadian defence chief, Gen. Wayne Eyre, and defence ministers during his time in Colorado Springs.

B次元官网网址淚 would tell you that I donB次元官网网址檛 think achieving a specific percentage of GDP or anything is a marker that necessarily means weB次元官网网址檙e doing the right thing,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 think we need to look at the threat B次元官网网址� we need to look at our national security and we need to fund based on that.B次元官网网址�

Norad also needs clear policy direction from both governments, he said. CanadaB次元官网网址檚 defence policy B次元官网网址淪trong, Secure, EngagedB次元官网网址� dates to 2017 and an update that was set to be released in the fall of 2022 has not yet materialized.

VanHerck said heB次元官网网址檇 like to see that B次元官网网址渟ooner than later.B次元官网网址�

In the meantime, heB次元官网网址檚 been asking each country to produce a list of critical infrastructure that needs to be protected so Norad can prioritize its resources. It took around two years of prodding to get the Biden administration to provide information about critical defence infrastructure alone.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e too slow. WeB次元官网网址檙e not agile enough in policy decisions and modernization and acquisitions,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l leave very proud of what the members of Norad and United States Northern Command have been able to accomplish, but still disappointed that weB次元官网网址檙e not going fast enough.B次元官网网址�

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