Political India: Engaging America

Trust technology to give you some good cheer this Christmas.

If there is one system that the United States depends on to protect its skies from hostile forces it is the North American Aerospace Defence Command, or NORAD

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However, even with its unrivalled firepower and high-tech satellite systems, the secretive organisation is put to its ultimate test every year around December 25 as it scrambles to track the most elusive target ever — Santa Claus.

Yes, you heard right.

Dating back to Christmas Eve, 1955, when a young Colonel, Harry Shoup, was manning the stations at NORAD predecessor CONAD (Continental Air Defence Command), the U.S. has deployed its most sophisticated electronic surveillance technology to map out the progress of a high-speed projectile only known by its codename, “Big Red.”

On Christmas Eve, 1955, Colonel Shoup, who was manning the station at NORAD predecessor CONAD (Continental Air Defence Command), was shaken to attention when suddenly a barrage of urgent calls came to his station, all demanding information on only one subject – the current location of the Bearded One, He Who is Laden with Gifts, and the patron saint of all well-behaved children.

But why were these calls coming to NORAD? In a twist of fate a vast number of eExcited kids started dialling the U.S. military that evening due to an advertisement that Santa had placed in a Colorado newspaper, which said: “Hey, Kiddies! Call me direct and be sure and dial the correct number.” Ironically, the boss of the North Pole got the number wrong and instead gave out the hotline number of CONAD.

However honouring the tradition of Colonel Shoup, who was unfazed and acted on his rigorous training, to this day a team of thousands of volunteers staff telephones and computers to answer calls and e-mails from children and adults from around the world. Every single call is answered and Santa’s latest location, whether Durban, South Africa, or Honolulu, Hawaii, is plotted out and transmitted.

With live updates numbering in their thousands provided in seven languages, NORAD says that its “NORAD Tracks Santa” website receives nearly nine million unique visitors from more than 200 countries and territories around the world. This year is the technological firepower deployed is unprecedented. However, according to officials, the entire exercise is down to one reindeer, Rudolph. it is only because of Rudolph’s bright red nose and the infrared signature that it gives off that NORAD is able to detect Santa’s sleigh at all.