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The Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region provides continuous surveillance of Canadian and U.S. airspace, with the ability to detect and identify any potential threats or interests, and inform essential assets for a timely and effective response.
Some of the information needed to confirm a potential threat is collected through national-level intelligence organizations, such as the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation, so it is top secret. Without the National Tactical Integration unit, embedded in the 611th Air and Space Operations Center, assets without highly classified information would not be able to complete their mission with clarity.
“We are the voice that defends these borders,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Steven, Intelligence Squadron Flight Chief. “No information can come from the national level to the Air Force unless it goes through us.”
Active-duty and Air National Guard members assigned to the 11th Air Force directly support the Alaskan NORAD Region command with 24-hour surveillance, using long- and short-range radars. They provide the aerial support able to initially respond to any potential threat or interest with the F-22 Raptor.
“If anything were to go down, [11th AF] would be the first ones to launch,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Sean, NTI analyst. “Anything in and around the ANR – we are responsible for identifying and confirming something isn’t a threat, and if it is … like a hijacked airplane, a hostile aircraft or whatever the case may be, the 11th AF would be the first responders.”
The 11th AF is the NTI’s primary customer of information because they are the closest asset, but the information gathered can be distributed to other Air Force personnel around the globe. The information is distributed either orally or through a secure datalink such as Link 16.
Text messages use far fewer communications resources than interactive voice messages and are delivered more reliably in high-stress combat conditions. With up-to-date technology, the NTI unit is able to feed filtered information to pilots in the air and troops on the ground through datalink networks. Pilots in particular are able to view images via their head-up displays before launch so they know what to look for.
Without the NTI unit, JBER would lack the knowledge to identify objects of interest in and around the ANR. Take-off times would be delayed and pilots would fly blindly toward their targets, risking a missed interaction or wasting money and manpower.
“For example, if there was an unidentified aircraft in [the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone], we [could] send an F-22 blind, but we would save a lot of time and money by stepping in – and with the intelligence we’ve gathered, [being] able to identify the aircraft and knowing it is nothing to be concerned about,” Sean said.
The NTI unit provides the Air Force one of the most valuable weapons in any arsenal: knowledge. Nation-level intelligence is top secret to protect the U.S. and its allies. Information from these resources cannot be shared unless it is filtered by these trained professionals.
*Editor’s Note: for security reasons NTI Airmen are referred to by their first names only.
| Date Taken: | 12.08.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2017 19:20 |
| Story ID: | 258125 |
| Location: | JBER, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NTI is the voice that protects the ANR, by A1C Christopher Morales, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
