A U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin flying under the
direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted a general
aviation aircraft that was out of communications in the Special Flight Rules
Area over Washington, D.C. at approximately 11:20 a.m. EDT this morning, Sept. 19, 2013.
The aircraft was intercepted and escorted out of
the area.
NORAD's mission – in close collaboration with
homeland defense, security, and law enforcement partners – is to prevent air
attacks against North America, safeguard the sovereign airspaces of the United
States and Canada by responding to unknown, unwanted and unauthorized air
activity approaching and operating within these airspaces, and provide
aerospace and maritime warning for North America.
NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that is responsible for
the air defense of North America and maritime warning. The command has three
subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Elmendorf Air
Force Base, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the
Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The command is poised
both tactically and strategically in our nation’s capital to provide a
multilayered defense to detect, deter and prevent potential threats flying over
the airspace of the United States and Canada.