Global Guardian is an annual training exercise sponsored by the United States Strategic Command in conjunction with Space Command and NORAD. Its main purpose is to test the military's command and control procedures in the event of nuclear warfare. United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of nine US unified commands of the United States Department of Defense which controls the nuclear weapons assets of the United States military. ... NORAD is short for: North American Aerospace Defense Command Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Nuclear explosions have a distinctive mushroom shaped cloud. ...

Global Guardian is performed in conjunction with Vigilant Guardian, the annual training exercise conducted by NORAD in which a threat to North American airspace is simulated. The simulated scenario is varied from year to year.

Global Guardian and the September 11 Attacks

The September 11, 2001 attacks occurred during that year's Global Guardian and Vigilant Guardian joint exercises. That year, according to the 9/11 Commission Report, Vigilant Guardian 'postulated a bomber attack from the former Soviet Union' on North America. The Russian 37th Air Army was, in fact, conducting major bomber exercises across the Arctic and Atlantic at this time, amongst the largest carried out by them since 1993. Both the American and the Russian exercises were cancelled after the attack. The attack on the South Tower, which was seen on live television by many people across the world. ... The cover of the final 9/11 report, which can be purchased in bookstores across the United States and around the world The 9/11 Commission Report, formally titled The Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, is the official report on the events... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States investigated the possibility that Vigilant Guardian preparations compromised the military's response to the terrorist attacks on September 11. They concluded that the exercise may have had, in fact, the effect of expediting the response to the attacks. However, the report made no mention of Global Guardian or any other accompanying exercise. The Commissions seal The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up in late 2002 to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks including preparedness for and the immediate response... The attack on the South Tower, which was seen on live television by many people across the world. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ...

FAA and military officials reported trouble discerning the war game operations from the actual attacks. After being notified of the first hijacking, General Larry Arnold originally thought it was part of the exercise,[1] [2] as did NEADS Commander Col. Robert K. Marr Jr.[3] and his deputy Lt. Col. Dawne Deskins, who said "everybody" at NEADS first thought the attacks were part of Vigilant Guardian.[4] However General Ralph Eberhart told the 9/11 Commission “it took about 30 seconds” to make the adjustment to the real-world situation (note 116 to chapter 1). The Federal Aviation Administration is the entity of the United States government which regulates and oversees all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. // Activities Along with the European Joint Aviation Authorities, the FAA is one of the two main agencies worldwide responsible for the certification of new aircraft. ...

Several 9/11 researchers have cited the Global Guardian war games and disaster preparation drills that took place on the morning of 9/11 as a likely source of confusion over the attacks that day, including Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Michael Ruppert of From the Wilderness. The war games have fueled what some consider to be 9/11 conspiracy theories. Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955 in Atlanta, Georgia), is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgias 4th district. ... Michael Ruppert. ... From The Wilderness is a newsletter published by the media company From The Wilderness Publications, which claims to be ahead of the mainstream media by as much as one year. ... CNN broadcast of September 11 destruction when the second plane struck the south tower of the WTC. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, a conspiracy of nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial aircraft on the morning of September 11, 2001. ...

See also

• 9/11 conspiracy theories
• September 11, 2001 attacks
• War games in progress on September 11, 2001
• Wargaming

CNN broadcast of September 11 destruction when the second plane struck the south tower of the WTC. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, a conspiracy of nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial aircraft on the morning of September 11, 2001. ... The attack on the South Tower, which was seen on live television by many people across the world. ... During the September 11, 2001 attacks the US was holding multiple annual and one-time war games with at least one resembling the actual attacks. ... Wargaming is the play of simulated military operations in the form of games known as war games. ...

External links

• Global Guardian and Vigilant Guardian entries at globalsecurity.org
• Strategic Command on 9/11 at Offutt AFB, from a Major at the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency.
• Amid Crisis Simulation, `We Were Suddenly No-Kidding Under Attack' at Newshouse News Service - account of 9/11 at the Northeast Air Defense Sector headquarters near Rome, NY
• "War Games" by the U.S. Military on 9/11
• Center for Cooperative Research list of 9/11 wargames, sourced from mainstream media articles

Offutt Air Force Base (Offutt AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force and a census-designated place (CDP) located in Sarpy County, Nebraska. ... The United States Air Force Weather Agency (USAFWA or AFWA) is the lead strategic weather center of the U.S. Air Force. ... Rome is a city located in Oneida County, New York. ...

References

• The 9-11 Commission Report Final Report, see notes to Chapter 1, Note 116.
• Russia: Archived Strategic Bomber Force Developments at NTI