DECEMBER 24, 2024 – The North American Aerospace Defense Command defends the North American airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
On Dec. 24, NORAD will add one more element to its mission list as it tracks Santa Claus on his around-the-world flight. American and Canadian NORAD personnel at the Eastern Air Defense Sector, a unit of the Continental U.S. NORAD Region-1st Air Force, are standing by to support this effort.
“EADS is always happy to support NORAD’s Santa tracking operation,” said Col. Joseph F. Roos, EADS commander. “Our highly trained Airmen defend the homeland day and night, and they are prepared and ready to track Santa this Dec. 24.”
EADS, which is responsible for the air defense of the United States east of the Mississippi, comprises the New York Air National Guard’s 224th Air Defense Group, a Canadian Armed Forces detachment, U.S. Army and Navy liaison officers, and federal civilians and contractors. EADS also has a squadron and a detachment in the National Capital Region.
A bi-national Canadian and American command, NORAD’s top priority is the defense of the North American homeland. NORAD employs a network of space-based, aerial and ground-based sensors, air-to-air refueling tankers and fighter aircraft on alert, controlled by a sophisticated command and control network to detect, deter and defend against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace.
The modern tradition of tracking Santa began in 1955 when a young child accidentally dialed the unlisted phone number of NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command operations center. Col. Harry Shoup, the director of operations, answered the phone and instructed his staff to check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole.
A tradition was born and continued when NORAD was formed in 1958. Each year since, NORAD has dutifully reported Santa’s location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families across the globe.
The NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center will become fully operational at 4 AM Mountain Standard Time Dec. 24. Children and parents can call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to talk to a NORAD staff member who will report Santa’s exact location. Operators are available until midnight.
Children, families and fans also keep track of Santa’s location on the NORAD Tracks Santa® website and several social media platforms.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noradsanta
- YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/NORADTracksSanta
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noradtrackssanta_official
- NORAD Tracks Santa web site: https://www.noradsanta.org
- NORAD Tracks Santa Newsroom: https://noradsantanews.com/newsroom
- NTS App available on mobile devices
- Updates via Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM and OnStar
By Timothy Jones
New York National Guard