8:30 a.m. September 11, 2001: Many Trainees Are in the Battle Cab at NEADS to Observe a Russian Military Exercise

A number of trainees are in the battle cab at NORAD’s Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS) in order to observe a Russian military training exercise. [9/11 Commission, 10/30/2003 ] The Russian Air Force is conducting a major exercise this week over the North Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. The exercise began yesterday and is scheduled to continue until Friday, September 14 (see September 10, 2001). [BBC, 2001, pp. 161; North American Aerospace Defense Command, 9/9/2001; Washington Times, 9/11/2001] At NEADS, “a lot of trainees” are in “the battle cab positions” this morning because they have the opportunity to observe this exercise, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Stuart, an intelligence officer at NEADS, will later say. Stuart is among those on duty in the battle cab because of the ongoing Russian exercise. Whether the presence of these trainees has any impact on the ability of NEADS to respond to the terrorist attacks later on today is unknown. [9/11 Commission, 10/30/2003 ] The battle cab is a glass-walled command area that overlooks the NEADS operations floor. [Filson, 2003, pp. 55; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 460] It is already staffed this morning due to NEADS’s participation in the NORAD exercise, Vigilant Guardian (see 8:30 a.m. September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 10/28/2003 ; 9/11 Commission, 10/30/2003 ; Jones, 2011, pp. 24]