Fighter jets from NORAD - the same group that helps track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve - are training this week in the skies above MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 2.
The jets are part of the Continental United States North American Aerospace Defense Command Region (CONR) which is a component of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
According to the NORAD website:
Since Sept. 11, 2001, CONR has been the lead agency for Operation Noble Eagle, an ongoing mission to protect the continental United States from further airborne aggression from inside and outside of U.S. borders.
The Associated Press reports the fighter jets will take part in an exercise in the wee hours of Wednesday morning to help them prepare for any airspace violations that could take place on Super Bowl Sunday.
Air Force Lt. Gen. William H. Etter, CONR commander, said of the security preparations:
“On Super Bowl Sunday and every other day, the men and women of the Continental U.S. NORAD Region are on watch, making sure our skies are safe."
Interestingly enough, the biggest threat to the Super Bowl may be extreme weather, according to a New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center security report obtained by The Star-Ledger.
But agencies like the FBI and New Jersey State Police are gearing up for terrorist threats nonetheless, as reported by Denver television station KDVR:
