In an era defined by fast-evolving drone technology, low-altitude cruise missiles, and persistent state-sponsored cyberattacks, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) faces a threat landscape that shifts faster than at any point in its nearly 70-year history.
In an interview originally published by defense outlet Defence24, Dr. Aleksander Olech sat down with Tamir Waser, the U.S. Senior Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) to NORAD and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). The bilateral discussion breaks down how the joint U.S.–Canadian command structure under General Gregory M. Guillot is integrating artificial intelligence, counter-UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) doctrine, and trans-continental partnership networks to protect roughly 390 million citizens.
1. The Multi-Domain Challenge: Low, Fast, and Kinetic
Waser emphasized that prospective adversaries are no longer simply relying on traditional strategic bombers or high-altitude ballistic missiles. Instead, foreign states are aggressively fielding long-range, multi-domain weapons to limit Washington’s operational options during a geopolitical crisis.
[The Modern NORAD Threat Radar]
Traditional Tracks ──► Strategic Bombers & High-Altitude Ballistic Vectors
│
▼ [Evolving Adversary Doctrine]
Modern Blindspots ──► Low-Altitude Hypersonic Missiles (Evading Standard Radar)
──► Massed Drone/UAS Swarms & Asymmetric Proxy Spikes
──► Sub-Surface Seabed Exploitation & Transnational Sabotage
To counter these vectors, Waser underscored that domain awareness must now stretch seamlessly “from the seabed to space.” Adversaries are intentionally engineering hypersonic and low-profile cruise missiles designed to fly beneath traditional radar envelopes, forcing NORAD to systematically overhaul its tracking techniques, intercept mechanisms, and forward-deployed radar picket lines.
2. Emerging Tech: Integrating AI and Securing the Cyber Domain
To keep pace with rapid kinetic changes, NORAD and USNORTHCOM are heavily leaning into non-kinetic infrastructure upgrades, prioritizing decision-advantage platforms.
- Artificial Intelligence: The commands are actively embedding AI into their command-and-control loops. Rather than replacing human command, AI is leveraged to sift through millions of points of global sensor data in real time, rapidly isolating authentic threats from atmospheric clutter and significantly shortening the reaction window for military commanders.
- Hardening Military Networks: Waser revealed that NORAD’s communication and targeting networks are under “constant attack” from foreign cyber actors. The strategic priority is preventing adversaries from deploying pre-emptive cyber-strikes intended to degrade or blind North American retaliatory capabilities during a conventional military buildup.
3. The Grey Zone and the Hemispheric Defense Network
A significant portion of the interview focused on “Grey Zone” tactics—hybrid warfare maneuvers explicitly designed to obscure the identity of the attacking state or actor, thereby complicating or delaying a sovereign nation’s legal and military response.
To build structural resilience against these asymmetric maneuvers, USNORTHCOM is actively fortifying its intelligence-sharing networks well beyond the U.S.–Canada core.
| Partner Nation / Entity | Strategic Focus Area within Western Hemisphere |
| Canada | Full bi-national continental integration via NORAD air/missile intercept corridors. |
| Mexico & The Bahamas | Enhancing regional maritime domain awareness and disrupting transnational criminal logistics. |
| Kingdom of Denmark | Securing the strategic Arctic approaches, where melting ice opens new transit routes for adversarial naval assets. |
| Homeland Defense Institute | A joint venture between NORAD, USNORTHCOM, and the USAFA designed to harvest global security lessons. |
4. Transatlantic Connectivity: Lessons from Eastern Europe
Waser highlighted that transatlantic cooperation is a two-way street, noting that Central and Eastern European (CEE) NATO allies possess invaluable, first-hand expertise in surviving and mitigating state-level hybrid aggression.
Tamir Waser (POLAD):
“Central and Eastern European partners have important lessons to share on resilience. The cyber and hybrid attacks they have faced, and how they have responded, provide valuable insights to help other countries be better prepared in the future. Some countries have created projects to prepare their public for crises and build resilience—models that other nations can use to develop their own plans.”
Through specialized academic and military exchanges at the Homeland Defense Institute, NORAD is actively incorporating these Eastern European operational lessons to prepare the North American civilian population and industrial base for potential grey-zone disruptions to critical state infrastructure.
