Norad Tracks Santa's Journey From North Pole
6 Video Views·Dec 29, 2023
The U.S. military says it’s keeping a close eye on Santa. The North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado, or NORAD, says it monitors Santa and his sleigh from the moment he leaves the North Pole.
As children around the world eagerly await Santa's arrival on Christmas,
the U.S. military is ready to track him and see if he's using any new technology.
So NORAD has 68 years experience tracking Santa.
And I will tell you, Santa doesn't file a flight plan with NORAD,
but the great part is that we, NORAD, are able to use the technology,
the same technology we use every single day to keep North America safe,
to track Santa on December 24th.
So it starts with our North Warning System radars.
As soon as Santa departs the North Pole, those radars pick him up.
The tracking Santa tradition began in 1955,
when an Air Force colonel fielded a call from a child who dialed a wrong number,
thinking she was calling Santa.
The fast-thinking colonel quickly assured the girl he was Santa.
As more calls came in, he assigned a duty officer to keep answering,
and the tradition began.
NORAD expects over a thousand volunteers to help answer calls this year.
The Operations Center starts up at 4 a.m. on Christmas Eve and is open until midnight.
Anyone can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to talk directly to NORAD staff members,
who will provide updates on Santa's exact location.