WEBVTT 00:00.450 --> 00:02.506 nice . And can you just tell me what 00:02.506 --> 00:04.728 you guys that know , read what you guys 00:04.728 --> 00:07.790 do ? Well what we do on a daily basis 00:07.790 --> 00:10.010 is we monitor the airspace of North 00:10.010 --> 00:12.810 America in order to make sure that any 00:12.820 --> 00:15.630 unauthorized aircraft or space body 00:15.630 --> 00:19.400 coming in gets track and identify . So 00:19.400 --> 00:22.890 we do that 365 days a year 00:22.900 --> 00:26.620 across both countries . And leveraging 00:26.620 --> 00:29.150 a number of systems actually uh , that 00:29.150 --> 00:31.317 are ground based , air based and space 00:31.317 --> 00:33.390 based , uh , help us achieving that 00:33.390 --> 00:36.110 mission . And can you tell me about 00:36.110 --> 00:38.450 what you guys do with the tracking 00:38.450 --> 00:40.672 santa when it gets around the christmas 00:40.672 --> 00:43.600 time ? That's the special mission , the 00:43.600 --> 00:45.830 mission that's currently very active 00:45.830 --> 00:48.230 right now . I just came off of our call 00:48.230 --> 00:50.750 center and you should see the quant 00:50.930 --> 00:53.380 volunteer that are out there right now 00:53.390 --> 00:55.501 active answering calls . I took a few 00:55.501 --> 00:58.000 calls before coming here actually . So 00:58.010 --> 01:01.020 what we do is we use the same systems 01:01.030 --> 01:04.190 around North America in order to 01:04.190 --> 01:07.350 actually detect and track center . But 01:07.350 --> 01:10.130 we also track him across the globe 01:10.130 --> 01:12.130 using our satellite based system as 01:12.130 --> 01:15.390 well . And uh , and uh , we do that so 01:15.390 --> 01:17.334 that the kids around the world can 01:17.334 --> 01:19.630 actually track where santa is on . His 01:19.630 --> 01:21.990 very special mission that is to 01:21.990 --> 01:24.990 actually go and deliver to the great 01:24.990 --> 01:27.212 kids around uh , the gifts that they've 01:27.212 --> 01:30.280 been expecting all year . And can you 01:30.280 --> 01:32.447 tell me a little bit about the history 01:32.447 --> 01:34.502 of santa tracking , how did you guys 01:34.502 --> 01:36.570 end up starting to do this ? So we 01:36.570 --> 01:40.560 started back in 1955 purely by , 01:40.720 --> 01:44.410 I would say uh , luck the 01:44.420 --> 01:47.940 kid back in 1955 ended up dialing a 01:47.940 --> 01:50.107 phone number that would that have been 01:50.107 --> 01:52.660 misprint and that full number rang at 01:52.660 --> 01:55.830 the command center uh here , the 01:55.840 --> 01:59.470 predecessor of NORAD and the officer on 01:59.470 --> 02:02.460 call or on duty at that time decided to 02:02.460 --> 02:05.040 play ball and just picked up the phone , 02:05.050 --> 02:07.620 started answering questions . And then 02:07.630 --> 02:11.040 from there It was history uh in 1958 02:11.040 --> 02:13.207 when NORAD was stood up , we picked up 02:13.207 --> 02:16.020 the mission and continued since then . 02:16.030 --> 02:18.420 And we've been fortunate to leverage 02:18.420 --> 02:21.490 about 1500 volunteers every year , a 02:21.500 --> 02:23.722 little less during the COVID pandemic . 02:23.722 --> 02:27.640 But now we're sitting about 750 or so 02:27.650 --> 02:30.250 volunteer this year that will be taking 02:30.250 --> 02:33.610 calls and uh and following Santa on his 02:33.620 --> 02:37.460 very merry trip around the world . So 02:37.460 --> 02:39.516 help me do the math . How many years 02:39.516 --> 02:41.760 have you guys been doing this , 67 02:41.760 --> 02:45.310 years so far ? Okay . And um 02:45.320 --> 02:47.376 just kind of what is the purpose and 02:47.376 --> 02:49.230 importance of tracking santa and 02:49.230 --> 02:51.341 getting kids this opportunity to kind 02:51.341 --> 02:55.030 of know where he is . Yeah . So you 02:55.030 --> 02:57.086 mean the system that we use to track 02:57.086 --> 02:59.990 him just like why do you all do it ? 03:00.000 --> 03:02.190 Why do you guys do it well , because 03:02.190 --> 03:05.440 it's important , it continues the med 03:05.450 --> 03:08.650 uh the magical moment of christmas . 03:08.660 --> 03:12.370 Uh and it keeps the that spice , that 03:12.370 --> 03:14.730 excitement in the air on this very 03:14.730 --> 03:18.060 special day . Uh and it's also an 03:18.060 --> 03:20.440 opportunity for us to actually connect 03:20.450 --> 03:24.170 with people around the world because 03:24.170 --> 03:26.337 we've got people not only calling from 03:26.337 --> 03:29.300 Canada and the U . S . But also calling 03:29.300 --> 03:31.410 from europe calling from Asia . 03:31.420 --> 03:33.476 Remember two years ago I took a call 03:33.476 --> 03:35.642 from the Middle East as well . So it's 03:35.642 --> 03:37.809 a great way for us to actually connect 03:37.809 --> 03:40.950 with that uh with all of the followers 03:40.950 --> 03:44.230 of on the today's santa special mission . 03:45.030 --> 03:48.170 Nice . And approximately if you had to 03:48.180 --> 03:50.630 estimate how many calls would you say 03:50.630 --> 03:54.030 that you guys get ? Well I would 03:54.030 --> 03:56.860 say if I compare it to the amount of 03:56.870 --> 04:00.540 present currently delivered by Santa , 04:00.540 --> 04:02.596 which we estimate right now . And at 04:02.596 --> 04:05.560 1.2 billion at this time gift 04:05.570 --> 04:08.730 distributed . We we have over 04:08.740 --> 04:12.540 53 about 53,000 calls last 04:12.540 --> 04:15.320 year that were answered in person . A 04:15.320 --> 04:17.850 total of out of a total of 100 and 50 04:17.850 --> 04:20.300 or so 1000 calls that we had received . 04:20.310 --> 04:23.580 But that's not the only way that people 04:23.580 --> 04:25.580 can connect with us and can connect 04:25.580 --> 04:28.570 with santa as well . We had last year 04:28.570 --> 04:31.800 over two millions of social media 04:31.800 --> 04:35.690 followers . Uh a number of them on our 04:35.700 --> 04:38.390 regular website platform because people 04:38.390 --> 04:40.450 can actually follow us on the scent 04:40.460 --> 04:44.050 NORAD santa dot org . And we had 04:44.050 --> 04:47.280 people following us on facebook on the 04:47.290 --> 04:49.700 sorry facebook youtube as well as the 04:49.700 --> 04:52.680 instagram . So multiple ways to 04:52.680 --> 04:54.740 actually find out where santa is 04:54.740 --> 04:56.490 through our NORAD tracks santa 04:56.490 --> 04:59.960 activities Nice . And do you guys know 04:59.960 --> 05:03.140 how fast santa travels ? That's 05:03.140 --> 05:06.520 classified like he's got systems that 05:06.530 --> 05:09.610 only we could dream of at times . We 05:09.610 --> 05:12.320 understand the star speed . Uh , could 05:12.320 --> 05:14.830 be for star trek fans , warp speed . 05:14.840 --> 05:18.490 But I know that what he asked to do 05:18.490 --> 05:21.750 though , is to slow down uh , whenever 05:21.760 --> 05:24.010 we have a fighter aircraft that 05:24.010 --> 05:25.954 actually rejoined with him when he 05:25.954 --> 05:28.460 enters the skies of North America and 05:28.460 --> 05:30.516 we do that just so that to make sure 05:30.516 --> 05:33.520 that santa is fine , that he doesn't 05:33.520 --> 05:36.610 need any assistance . And to also uh , 05:36.620 --> 05:39.500 welcome him into our airspace . 05:41.420 --> 05:44.450 Yeah , yeah . Not the entire time . But 05:44.450 --> 05:47.790 we try to actually uh , meet him as he 05:47.790 --> 05:50.430 enters North America through Canada 05:50.440 --> 05:53.320 through the U . S . Depending on where 05:53.320 --> 05:56.520 he is . In relation to our alert basis . 05:57.220 --> 06:00.120 Nice . And I guess are there any last 06:00.120 --> 06:02.380 comments , thoughts or opinions about 06:02.380 --> 06:04.547 what you guys do or the santa tracking 06:04.547 --> 06:06.824 that you think our viewers should know ? 06:06.824 --> 06:08.658 Well , I think it's important to 06:08.658 --> 06:10.602 understand that none of this would 06:10.602 --> 06:12.324 happen without . Obviously the 06:12.324 --> 06:14.480 professionalism of our team here , we 06:14.480 --> 06:16.702 have a public affair team that actually 06:16.702 --> 06:18.869 spools us up during the year . Getting 06:18.869 --> 06:21.010 us ready for this very magic moment . 06:21.020 --> 06:23.870 And without the number of volunteers , 06:23.870 --> 06:27.420 like I said , about 750 or so this 06:27.420 --> 06:29.930 year that actually come starting at 06:29.930 --> 06:32.152 four o'clock in the morning in colorado 06:32.152 --> 06:34.374 all the way up until midnight the night 06:34.374 --> 06:36.960 taking calls . So we're heavily 06:36.960 --> 06:39.127 dependent on those volunteers at their 06:39.127 --> 06:41.620 energy to keep that magic moment that 06:41.630 --> 06:44.430 happened . And the last point is I want 06:44.430 --> 06:47.450 to just for your readers and viewers 06:47.450 --> 06:50.140 and listeners , I just want to say 06:50.150 --> 06:52.372 merry christmas on behalf of the Nora . 06:52.372 --> 06:55.610 T . Thank you guys and thank you so 06:55.610 --> 06:57.777 much for taking out some time to speak 06:57.777 --> 06:59.999 with us . We really , really appreciate 06:59.999 --> 07:02.221 it . Super . I appreciate your time and 07:02.221 --> 07:04.550 have yourself a merry christmas . Oh , 07:04.550 --> 07:08.200 I will . You . Thank you . Thank you . 07:09.570 --> 07:12.390 Okay . I should have it recorded and I 07:12.390 --> 07:14.501 just want to thank you guys again for 07:14.501 --> 07:16.740 taking time out and helping us set this 07:16.740 --> 07:20.230 up . Super . Thank you . And if you 07:20.230 --> 07:22.397 need a back up , let me know we have a 07:22.397 --> 07:24.730 backup recording as well . Oh , perfect . 07:24.730 --> 07:26.952 Perfect . Okay . I'll reach out if I do 07:26.952 --> 07:29.063 and think . And you guys have a merry 07:29.063 --> 07:32.290 christmas . Alright , I bye . Bye .