Military to conduct air exercises over Capital Region

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the U.S. military command tasked with defending U.S. airspace, announced it is conducting an exercise early Wednesday in the nation’s Capital Region designed to hone its ability to intercept and identify air threats. 

The exercise, named Falcon Virgo, will take place between midnight and 2:30 a.m. and involve a series of training flights involving Civil Air Patrol aircraft, a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, and Air Force F-16 aircraft. 

{mosads}Although such exercises take place periodically, this latest one comes as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) warned in a new video that it would “strike America at its center in Washington.” 

ISIS conducted a series of attacks across Paris on Friday, killing more than 120 people. Just a little over two weeks ago, ISIS claimed responsibility for downing a Russian airliner that killed more than 220.  

The military exercise will be comprised of a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Coordination center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center, Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force and the Continental NORAD Region’s Eastern Air Defense Sector. 

NORAD said the exercises would also test rapid response capability. 

“NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout the U.S. and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001,” a NORAD statement said.