Joint Exercise Conducted Over Alaska, Russia Simulated
Hijacking
An automated female voice commands over onboard speakers,
"Traffic! Traffic! Descend! Descend!" as a North American Aerospace
Defense Command F-22 Raptor approaches the right wing of the track
of interest.
Vigilant Eagle F22 Patrol
Five minutes after take-off from Anchorage en route to the Far
East, Fencing 1220, a Gulfstream 4 simulating a Boeing 757
commercial jetliner, squawked an emergency to ground controllers,
spurring action from members of the Federal Aviation Administration
and the Defense Department and kicking off exercise Vigilant Eagle,
the first joint counter air-terrorism exercise between NORAD and
the Russian air force.
"What we are practicing today is communication procedures
between NORAD, plus U.S. civilian air traffic control agencies and
our Russian counterparts so that we can pass on information to them
about air terrorism events to allow them to posture their forces to
respond in kind," said Canadian Forces Col. Todd Balfe, the Alaska
NORAD Region deputy commander.
Once the FAA was notified of the trouble on Fencing 1220, they
requested assistance from NORAD, which assigned an E-3 Sentry
airborne warning and control platform to the track of interest and
diverted two F-22 fighters to intercept, Colonel Balfe said.
Because of the aircraft's planned route, which would take it over
Russian airspace, it was necessary to notify Russian air traffic
controllers and the Russian military.
At a predetermined location halfway across the Pacific Ocean,
the NORAD E-3, in direct communication with its Russian equivalent,
an A-50 Mainstay, handed over control. Moments later, a deep
Russian baritone bellowed, "Fencing One-Two-Two-Zero," over the
aircraft's radio, and two SU-27 Russian fighters joined the pursuit
close enough to see the sun reflecting off the pilot's visor.
Onboard Fencing 1220, former Cold War opponents witnessed the
fruit of years of planning and joint effort, but the scenario has
all-too-real implications.
"This exercise is very beneficial to North America and to
Russia," said Col. Alexander Vasilyev, the deputy director of
security and safety for the Russian air force. "There has never
been an exercise like this before.
"Terrorism is something that affects all our countries," he
continued, "so it is very important that we work together to
develop procedures and bring the relationship between our countries
closer together to unite our countries in the fight against
terrorism."
Back in Alaska, members of the 176th Air Control Squadron worked
with Russian officers as exercise controllers, making sure all the
appropriate processes and procedures were carried out.
Master Sgt. Doug Patchin, of the 176th ACS, said he believes
Vigilant Eagle is a ground-breaking event that could be emulated by
other commands.
"This exercise is phenomenal," he said. "The hope is that
everyone walks away from the exercise with a common understanding
of what communication procedures would be used in a real-world
crisis."
Colonel Balfe described Vigilant Eagle as a momentous exercise
and a watershed event.
"We are trying to transition our relationships militarily from a
period of confrontation in the Cold War to a period of cooperation,
and there is no better mission for NORAD to partner with our
Russian counterparts than on the air terrorism mission," he said.
"Regardless of other geopolitical events, we all agree that air
terrorism is something we want to prevent, deter, and if necessary,
defeat."
After six hours of tracking by ground controllers in the U.S.
and Russia and aerial surveillance by U.S. and Russian airborne
warning and control platforms and fighter aircraft, Fencing 1220
safely landed in the Far East to be handed over to authorities.
After an overnight rest, the exercise was conducted in reverse,
allowing Russian forces to turn over responsibility to NORAD and
bring Vigilant Eagle 2010 to a successful completion, Colonel Balfe
said.
"We've worked hard on both sides to make this work, and I think
it would be logical for this exercise to be a building block for
future cooperation between our nations," Colonel Balfe said. "We
are building this relationship stronger, which has a real benefit
to U.S. and Canadian citizens and obviously Russian citizens
too."