North American Aerospace Defense Command logo

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD, pron-en?n?r�d RespellNORRad) is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. It was founded on May 12, 1958 (an effect of the Cold War) as a joint command between the governments of Canada and the United States, as the North American Air Defense Command. Its main technical facility has been the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate (Cheyenne Mountain), formerly Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, of the Cheyenne Mtn. Air Force Station, Colorado; and for this reason NORAD is sometimes referred to as Cheyenne Mountain. In addition, the Canada East and Canada West Sector Air Operations Control Centres are located in the underground complex at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay (CFB North Bay) in Ontario, Canada.

NORADs headquarters facilities in Colorado are administered by the U.S. Air Force (United States Air Force) under the command of the 721st Mission Support Group, part of the 21st Space Wing, headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base. NORADs forces consist of the Alaskan NORAD Region/Eleventh Air Force, Canadian NORAD Region (1 Canadian Air Division), and Continental NORAD Region.