MAXWELL
AIR FORCE BASE, AL- U.S. Air Force Lt.
Gen. Sid Clarke paid his first visit last week to Civil Air Patrol National
Headquarters since being named commander of Continental U.S. North American
Aerospace Defense Command Region - 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern), a
position that includes a seat on CAP's Board of Governors.
Clarke, the first lieutenant general to command 1st Air Force, assumed command Aug. 31 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. First Air Force is made up of four direct reporting units, 10 aligned Air National Guard units and a large number of active aerospace control alert sites - including aircraft, air defense artillery and up to 15,000 active duty, National Guard, Air Force Reserve and civilian personnel.
During his visit Jan. 30 to National Headquarters, Clarke received a briefing on CAP's three congressionally mandated missions - emergency services, cadet programs and aerospace education - and on the organization's support for 1st Air Force, which includes flying 60 percent to 80 percent of 1st Air Force's daily missions. During fiscal year 2011, CAP flew more than 75,000 hours on Air Force assigned missions which includes those tasked by 1st Air Force.
Clarke told his CAP hosts that 1st Air Force values CAP as a partner not only for the critical role it plays as a force multiplier for the Air Force, but also for the speed with which the organization and its members are able to respond to taskings.
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As the joint force air component commander for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, and the U.S. Northern Command, USNORTHCOM, Clarke is directly responsible for developing contingency plans and conducting full-spectrum Air Force air and space operations in the continental U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as over maritime approaches to the U.S. The organization is also responsible for providing defense support of civil authorities as the air component to USNORTHCOM. In addition, the 601st Air & Space Operations Center - which plans, directs and assesses air and space operations for NORAD and USNORTHCOM - falls under his direction. - Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters, FMI:ACC AF
Clarke, the first lieutenant general to command 1st Air Force, assumed command Aug. 31 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. First Air Force is made up of four direct reporting units, 10 aligned Air National Guard units and a large number of active aerospace control alert sites - including aircraft, air defense artillery and up to 15,000 active duty, National Guard, Air Force Reserve and civilian personnel.
During his visit Jan. 30 to National Headquarters, Clarke received a briefing on CAP's three congressionally mandated missions - emergency services, cadet programs and aerospace education - and on the organization's support for 1st Air Force, which includes flying 60 percent to 80 percent of 1st Air Force's daily missions. During fiscal year 2011, CAP flew more than 75,000 hours on Air Force assigned missions which includes those tasked by 1st Air Force.
Clarke told his CAP hosts that 1st Air Force values CAP as a partner not only for the critical role it plays as a force multiplier for the Air Force, but also for the speed with which the organization and its members are able to respond to taskings.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Sid Clarke, 1st Air Force commander, points out a feature on a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182's Garmin 1000 glass cockpit navigation map during a CAP flight. Clarke visited CAP's National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., Jan. 30. (Civil Air Patrol photo by Susan Schneider/Released)
The general also toured CAP's National Operations Center and received a flight
in one of the organization's Cessna 182 airplanes equipped with Garmin 1000
glass cockpit technology, which features flight instrumentation, location,
navigation, communication and identification data on a high-resolution display.
Flying with Lt. Col. Chad Grondahl, director of operations for the Alabama
Wing, Clarke was able to survey tornado damage that occurred during the past
year.
As the joint force air component commander for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, and the U.S. Northern Command, USNORTHCOM, Clarke is directly responsible for developing contingency plans and conducting full-spectrum Air Force air and space operations in the continental U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as over maritime approaches to the U.S. The organization is also responsible for providing defense support of civil authorities as the air component to USNORTHCOM. In addition, the 601st Air & Space Operations Center - which plans, directs and assesses air and space operations for NORAD and USNORTHCOM - falls under his direction. - Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters, FMI:ACC AF