COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – American and Canadian personnel and aircraft from all three North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) regions (Alaska, Canada, and continental United States), led by the Canadian NORAD Region (CANR), have commenced redeployment activities from Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, following Operation NOBLE DEFENDER (OND). While the main aspects of the operation are now complete, a contingent of NORAD personnel and aircraft will remain at Pituffik Space Base until the end of the week while multi-day redeployment occurs.
From Jan. 21 to Feb. 3, 2026, NORAD personnel formed a binational Air Task Force in support of Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, an event which occurs at planned intervals across the North American continent. This iteration enhanced NORAD’s defense capabilities in the Arctic and is built on long-standing defensive cooperation between the United States and Canada as well as the Kingdom of Denmark. The operation strengthened NORAD’s ability to deter, detect, and, if necessary, defeat emerging threats to North America’s air approaches.
First designated a NORAD operation in 2018, Operation NOBLE DEFENDER demonstrates NORAD’s ability to defend the approaches to North America, integrate capabilities across multiple domains, and preserve capacity for follow-on operations. Operating from forward locations such as Greenland is a normal and established part of NORAD activity to ensure aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for Canada and the United States.
As in previous iterations of Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, a Danish CL-604 Challenger was available on standby to provide additional search and rescue capabilities. For the first time during Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, the Royal Danish Air Force completed complementary, adjacent air defense activities demonstrating the collective defense of allies in the Arctic.
The operation included 157 American and Canadian personnel from the Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR), Canadian NORAD Region (CANR), and Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR). Participating NORAD aircraft included the CF-18 Hornet, KC-135 Stratotanker, E-3 Sentry, F-16 Fighting Falcon, KC-46 Pegasus, and CH-149 Cormorant.
These forces were supported by maintenance, logistics, and command and control elements, enabling sustained operations in challenging Arctic conditions.
Operating from Pituffik Space Base provides NORAD with additional flexibility to position forces in the Northern approaches to North America, and provides valuable experience in the harsh Arctic conditions. During the operation, personnel conducted missions in extreme cold-weather conditions, with temperatures routinely reaching -13 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 Celsius) and wind chills as low as -36 degees Fahrenheit (-38 Celsius). Despite these conditions, aircrews, maintainers, and support personnel executed missions safely and effectively, underscoring NORAD’s ability to operate in diverse and demanding environments.
Quotes
“Operation NOBLE DEFENDER highlights the strength of NORAD’s integrated American and Canadian team and our ability to operate effectively in the Arctic. By bringing together personnel, aircraft, and capabilities from across all three NORAD regions, we continue to sharpen our readiness to defend North America. Our ability to operate from Greenland, in close coordination with our Danish partners, the Joint Arctic Command, and local Inussuk contractors, was a key part of achieving mission success – a real demonstration of cooperation between partners and allies.”
-Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Setter, ATF Commander
Quick Facts
- NORAD is the world’s only bi-national command charged with aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for the United States and Canada.
- NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars, and fighter aircraft to defend North America.
- Operation NOBLE DEFENDER occurs at planned intervals to maintain readiness and interoperability with allies and partners.
- All Operation NOBLE DEFENDER activities in Greenland are planned well in advance and are conducted in cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark, which has sovereignty responsibility for Greenland.
- All forces supporting Operation NOBLE DEFENDER operate with the requisite diplomatic clearances, and the Government of Greenland is also informed of planned activities. NORAD works closely with Danish authorities during operations from locations in Greenland, and we maintain open lines of communication with local and national partners.
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Contacts: For further information, please contact NORAD Public Affairs at (719) 554-6889 or via email at n-ncpa.omb@mail.mil.
For questions pertaining to activity by the Kingdom of Denmark, please contact: insert Danish POC
For questions directed to the U.S. regarding U.S./Kingdom of Denmark relations, please contact the State Department. For questions directed to Canada regarding Canada/Kingdom of Denmark relations, please contact Global Affairs Canada.
Imagery
DVIDS Operation NOBLE DEFENDER Feature Page
Social Media
NORAD: https://www.facebook.com/NORADCommand/
https://twitter.com/NORADCommand
ANR: https://www.facebook.com/ALCOMANR
https://twitter.com/ANRALCOM
CANR: https://twitter.com/RCAFOperations
https://www.facebook.com/RCAF.ARC
CONR: www.facebook.com/FirstAirForce www.facebook.com/AmericasAOC
www.twitter.com/1stAF
Additional links: