-Caveat Lector- (NORAD conducts simulated hijacking exercise… Why was exercise planned before September 11 if Condoleezza Rice said nobody ever imagined terrorists using jets as missiles? Because Condoleezza Rice is a liar, as is the entire Bush Crime Administration. It's time to impeach Bush and try him on criminal charges. Then go after Clinton. Imagine the two traitors sharing the same cell together.)
June 5, 2002 NORAD fighters intercept jets in exercise By John Diedrich The Gazette NORAD fighter jets responded to simulated hijackings Tuesday in an elaborate training exercise that included the possible shooting down of a civilian airliner loaded with passengers. The exercise, called Amalgam Virgo, was planned before the Sept. 11 attacks, but certain parts of it were changed to reflect what happened, said Marine Corps Maj. Mike Snyder, spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command based in Colorado Springs. It involved 1,500 people from several agencies in the United States and Canada and was meant to test the countries’ air defense systems and procedures. NORAD has held air defense exercises before. In fact, one several years ago had hijacked airliners flying into “high-visibility targets” in the United States, Gen. Ed Eberhart, commander of NORAD, said last fall. The only difference was the simulated hijacking originated overseas, giving fighter jets more time to respond. Tuesday, two planes took off from separate cities. A Delta Air Lines 757 left Salt Lake City at 7:30 a.m. MDT and was headed to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska. That plane was flown by a Delta crew. The other, a Navy C-9 acting as another airliner, took off at 10 a.m. MDT from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station at Oak Harbor, Wash., to Vancouver International Airport in British Columbia. Agents from the FBI and Royal Canadian Mounted Police played the hijackers. Their actions were changed because of Sept. 11. Snyder declined to give details. About 10 NORAD fighters intercepted the airliners. Snyder declined to say what other actions they could take. Shooting down a hijacked plane has always been in NORAD’s rules. In fact, the order was given Sept. 11 to fire on any airliner threatening Washington, D.C. It was given after the plane struck the Pentagon. “Now, it is certainly more of a concern in our rules of engagement and decision-making,” Snyder said. “We can’t make certain assumptions or give leeway post-9-11. But that’s not to give the impression that we are trigger- happy, by any means.” There was no live firing in this exercise. But it’s important to practice the scenario to test how orders would be given and whether pilots could handle firing on a civilian plane, Snyder said. “Pilots need to practice steeling themselves,” he said. NORAD has had plenty of practice responding to in-air emergencies since Sept. 11. The command flew 22,000 sorties and handled more than 300 so-called “aviation events,” in which fighter jets responded to events ranging from an equipment malfunction to the shoe bomber. “We are well versed in the kind of airborne terrorist threats we might encounter,” Snyder said. “But folks should not think of NORAD as trigger pullers in the air. We are the force of last resort. If we are involved, something went wrong somewhere else. The best security in the air begins on the ground.” Contact Information John Diedrich may be reached at 636-0110 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright 2002, The Gazette, a Freedom Communications, Inc. Company. All rights reserved. Contact us. -end article- -------------------- -InfoWarz "If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." -Samuel Adams, Father of the American Revolution, (1780) <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
