Officials have just released photos taken by North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD top secret “SantaCams.”
The photographs taken at an undisclosed location Christmas Eve have, just minutes ago, been declassified by military intelligence and released to the news media.
Sources close to the Pentagon say the photo was taken by a “SantaCam” somewhere near Sydney, Australia.
NORAD is the bi-national U.S.-Canadian military organization responsible for the aerospace defense of the United States and Canada. NORAD was created by a 1958 agreement between Canada and the United States. The agreement has been renewed nine times – most recently in 2000.
NORAD provides warning of missile and air attack against both of its member nations, safeguards the air sovereignty of North America, and provides air defense forces for defense against an air attack. NORAD´s mission has evolved over the years to meet the aerospace defense needs of Canada and the United States. The most recent “evolution” in NORAD´s mission came as a result of Sept. 11, 2001. Because of that day, NORAD now monitors the airspace within Canada and the United States, too. There are men and women in NORAD constantly watching the skies to keep the United States and Canada safe.
It is also used on Christmas Eve to track Santa, his sleigh and reindeer as they trek across the globe from the North Pole.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:37 pm