NORAD and Protecting America From Nuclear Attack, With Lance Blythe
From School of War by The Free Press
May 1, 2026 · 53 min
About this episode
Lance R. Blyth discusses the evolution of NORAD and its role in protecting North America from nuclear threats.
Lance R. Blyth, command historian of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), joins School of War to discuss the evolution of North America’s air defense. How has NORAD adapted to shifting threats over the decades? Are today’s threats manageable? Are we in a new Cold War? And what can the command, with operations deep inside a Colorado mountain, teach us about defending the continent in an era of renewed great-power competition? Times: 02:04 History of NORAD 07:02 Threats of the 1950s 13:50 Sensors, effectors, and connectors 15:15 Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) 19:45 SABRE travel system 21:14 Aerospace missile warning systems 22:07 Cheyenne Mountain Complex 24:13 NORAD in films 27:56 False missile launches 31:31 Adapting to new threats 34:23 New joint surveillance system 35:19 Importance of Canada 36:21 September 11 40:21 Operation Noble Eagle 43:00 Today’s threats Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press.
People in this episode
Guest: Lance R. Blyth
Topics covered
- air defense
- nuclear threats
- NORAD history
- great-power competition
- Cold War
- military operations
Keywords
- NORAD
- nuclear attack
- air defense
- great-power competition
- September 11
- Operation Noble Eagle
- Cold War
- military history
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: North American Aerospace Defense Command, United States Northern Command
Places: Colorado
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