Sep 27 2001
From The Space Library
The New York Times revealed that, in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 11 September, the U.S. government had changed the rules of engagement regarding the circumstances in which the U.S. military could shoot down civilian aircraft. The newspaper had interviewed U.S. Air Force General Ralph E. Eberhart, who had provided some cursory details of the military’s rules of engagement for civilian aircraft. Before 11 September, the DOD had no formal rules concerning military engagement of a hijacked airplane when the flight had originated within the United States. However, on an unnamed date after 11 September, White House officials and the Joint Chiefs of Staff had approved new rules, stipulating that the U.S. military could down an aircraft that presented a security threat, but that the President of the United States or one of four specified U.S. Air Force generals must authorize such an action. The new rules also detailed measures taken by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the FAA for better joint surveillance of the nation’s airspace. Those measures included NORAD’s positioning of mobile ground radars around the country and a direct telephone line between the two agencies. (Eric Schmitt, “Generals Given Power To Order Downing of Jets,” New York Times, 27 September 2001.)
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