Tracking Santa: NORAD’s Vigilant Watch Over His Sleigh

As anticipation builds among children worldwide for Santa’s Christmas arrival, the military is meticulously monitoring his every movement.

Equipped with radar systems, sensors, aircraft, and a generous dose of Christmas spirit, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado diligently tracks Santa’s sleigh, starting from its departure from the North Pole and throughout its journey to regions where Christmas celebrations commence first. Once again, NORAD is sharing these real-time details to enable children to follow Santa’s progress.

NORAD, responsible for safeguarding U.S. and Canadian airspace, reveals its festive side by launching the noradsanta.org website, as well as maintaining an active presence on social media platforms and mobile apps, all brimming with engaging games, movies, books, and music.

By late Christmas Eve in Thailand and late morning in the eastern U.S., NORAD’s tracker reported that Santa had left Bangkok and ventured on to Burma, Tibet, China, and Russia, having already distributed nearly 2 billion gifts during his travels. It’s important to note that NORAD’s findings cannot be independently verified.

U.S. Air Force Col. Elizabeth Mathias, NORAD’s chief spokesperson, remarked, “We are tracking Santa using the same technology we employ daily to ensure the safety of North America. We can even follow the luminous trail from Rudolph’s red nose.”

While NORAD possesses a thorough intelligence assessment of Santa’s sleigh capabilities, Santa himself does not file a flight plan and may have some cutting-edge secrets up his red sleeve this year, possibly involving artificial intelligence. Mathias added, “I am unsure if he is utilizing AI yet. It will be interesting to see if this year’s flight reveals advanced capabilities.”

The tradition of tracking Santa traces back to 1955 when Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the commander on duty at NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, answered a call from a child who had dialed a misprinted telephone number in a department store advertisement, believing she was reaching Santa. Quick on his feet, Shoup assumed the role of Santa and assigned a duty officer to handle subsequent calls, thus initiating the Santa-tracking tradition.

NORAD anticipates around 1,100 volunteers to assist in answering calls this year, stationed at a dedicated operations center at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, spanning from command staff to individuals worldwide. Mathias characterized the operations center as “definitely the most festive place to be on December 24th” and mentioned that it serves as a bucket-list experience for some.

The operations center remains open on Christmas Eve until midnight MST, and anyone can call 1-877 HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to connect directly with NORAD staff members who will provide real-time updates on Santa’s precise location.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Santa Tracking

More about Santa Tracking

• NORAD Tracks Santa Official Website
• NORAD – North American Aerospace Defense Command
• History of NORAD Tracking Santa
• NORAD’s Santa Tracker on Social Media