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United States government operations and exercises on September 11, 2001

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Ongoing military operations

Operation Northern Vigilance represented a NORAD deployment of fighter jets to Alaska and Northern Canada, initiated in reaction to a Russian exercise involving long-range bomber aircraft. This operation integrated both simulated scenarios and live elements but was promptly terminated once NORAD received a hijacking alert from NEADS. Subsequently, all simulation data were purged from NORAD’s Colorado command center. Following the U.S. decision to halt the operation, Russia also discontinued its planned exercise.

Planned military exercises

Military exercises scheduled for September 11, 2001, included:

  • Global Guardian, an annual strategic exercise conducted by United States Strategic Command in cooperation with Space Command and NORAD, aimed at validating nuclear command and control protocols. This exercise coincided with NORAD’s Vigilant Guardian and Amalgam Warrior, as well as Air Combat Command’s Crown Vigilance and Space Command’s Apollo Guardian.
  • Vigilant Guardian, a twice-yearly NORAD Command Post Exercise executed through office-based computer simulations without actual flight operations, engaging all levels of NORAD command. On September 11, one of the scenarios involved a conventional hijacking simulation. General Eberhart noted that the shift from simulation to active response occurred within approximately 30 seconds. The heightened staffing during this exercise facilitated swift decision-making throughout NORAD and its NEADS division.
  • Vigilant Warrior. Richard Clarke referenced a NORAD exercise named Vigilant Warrior taking place on September 11, based on a statement from Richard Myers. Nevertheless, no documentation supports this title; Myers likely meant either Vigilant Guardian or Amalgam Warrior, the latter being a large-scale live-fly drill held biannually. It is worth noting that Vigilant Warrior was also the designation of a 1994 U.S. Army operation in the Persian Gulf responding to Iraqi military movements toward Kuwait.

National Reconnaissance Office drill

On September 11, 2001, the National Reconnaissance Office was engaged in an exercise simulating a small aircraft crash into its headquarters caused by mechanical failure. According to spokesperson Art Haubold, "No actual aircraft was involved—certain stairwells and exits were closed off to mimic damage, requiring evacuation through alternative routes." The drill was immediately aborted after the real attacks commenced, and most staff members were dismissed.

Operation Tripod bioterrorism exercise

Planned for September 12, 2001, Operation Tripod aimed to evaluate antibiotic distribution strategies in response to a bioterrorism event in New York City. NYC Emergency Management Director Richard Sheirer mobilized over 1,000 Police Academy cadets and Fire Department trainees acting as simulated casualties with diverse medical conditions. Senior officials including Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, police and fire commissioners, FBI agents, and FEMA representatives observed the exercise at Pier 92, which functioned as a prototype distribution center.

Initially intended as a follow-up to the May 2001 RED Ex training, the exercise was canceled upon the onset of the September 11 attacks. Nevertheless, the pre-established setup at Pier 92 enabled NYC OEM to swiftly repurpose it into an emergency operations facility after evacuating their original command post located in WTC Building 7, which was subsequently destroyed. Within 31 hours, this site coordinated search and rescue efforts around the WTC area. The exercise was rescheduled and successfully conducted on May 22, 2002.

See also

External links

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