PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Military and civilian personnel at the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command have been awarded, by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) for service from Jan. 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2008.
“I want to congratulate each and every member of the NORAD and NORTHCOM team,” said General Gene Renuart, Commander of NORAD and USNORTHCOM. “This is well deserved and highlights the importance of our day-to-day efforts to protect Canada and the United States.”
The JMUA is awarded in the name of the Secretary of Defense to joint activities for meritorious achievement or service, superior to that which is normally expected, for actions in the following situations: combat with an armed enemy of the United States, a declared national emergency or under extraordinary circumstances that involve national interests.
During the timeframe cited in this awarding, NORAD and USNORTHCOM were called into action numerous times in their respective roles. Some significant events were NORAD visually identifying hundreds of unknown aircraft in Canadian and U.S. airspace and protecting restricted airspace, and USNORTHCOM fighting fires in California and assisting with hurricane and flooding support.
For more information about NORAD and USNORTHCOM, please visit www.norad.mil and www.northcom.mil.
For more information about the JMUA, please visit http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Awards/JOINT%20MERITORIOUS%20UNIT%20AWARD1.html