The Big Five-O

May 13, 2008

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Canada and the US yesterday (May 12) celebrated the 50th anniversary of the signing of the NORAD agreement with a golden jubilee ball in Colorado Springs, Colo. US Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Canadian Minister of National Defence Peter Gordon MacKay were scheduled to speak at the event, which celebrated the bilateral partnership that has protected both nations from air and space threats for the past half century. Today (May 13), a time capsule ceremony is planned, along with the opening of a new command center for NORAD at Peterson AFB, Colo. NORAD has planned a series of celebratory events throughout the year, including exhibits at air shows in both nations.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

‘Here’s the Story’: How an Airman Lied to Cover Up M18 Shooting  

Northrop Ready to Start Production on New F-16 EW Suite; First Units Going to Middle East

Anduril’s CCA Makes First Flight; YFQ-44A Flies Semi-Autonomously

Air Base Defense Is Our Duty. It’s Been Ignored Too Long

Related

‘Here’s the Story’: How an Airman Lied to Cover Up M18 Shooting  

Nov. 1, 2025
Airman 1st Class Marcus White-Allen concocted a story to cover up that he fired his M18 9mm pistol into Airman Braden Lovan’s chest, killing him on July 20, two Airmen from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., testified during separate courts martial proceedings on Oct. 30-31.

Anduril’s CCA Makes First Flight; YFQ-44A Flies Semi-Autonomously

Oct. 31, 2025
Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft took to the sky Oct. 31, the Air Force announced. The service also confirmed that a production decision on the CCA program is still expected in fiscal 2026, despite the ongoing government shutdown.

Air Base Defense Is Our Duty. It’s Been Ignored Too Long

Oct. 30, 2025
The need to defend air bases was made painfully clear at Hickam Field in December 1941. Yet even now we continue to park aircraft in the open, often wingtip-to-wingtip, all over the country and have essentially no way of providing terminal defense against air attack.

Wilsbach Confirmed as Air Force Chief

Oct. 30, 2025
Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach was confirmed as the 24th Air Force Chief of Staff Oct. 30 by unanimous consent. Shortly before, his predecessor, Gen. David W. Allvin, was "clapped" out of the Pentagon, 10 weeks after he unexpectedly announced his retirement on Aug. 18, two years into his four-year term.

Colorado Sues to Stop SPACECOM Move

Oct. 30, 2025
Colorado’s attorney general is suing the Trump administration in an effort to block the President’s decision to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Ala.