After the terrorist attacks in September 2001 all civil aircraft in the U.S. and Canada were grounded, with devastating effects on commerce and travel. The media said this was the first time in history that civil aircraft were grounded.  But in fact, it was not.

Follow along with retired Smithsonian researcher Roger Mola as he tells the forgotten story of how, during the height of the Cold War, a series of National Defense exercises were held each fall from 1960 to 1962 by the North American Air Defense Command and U.S. Air Force to test our national defense against a simulated aerial attack like 9-11.  During “Operation Skyshield” all airlines and private aircraft in the continental U.S. and Canada were grounded during a simulation of an aerial attack. “Operation Skyshield” became front-page news as it affected nearly all facets of travel, commerce, and civil defense in North America.  To this day, it remains the largest such exercise ever held with live assets and personnel rather than computer simulation. Yet its results and lessons were censored and eventually forgotten, and its procedures and methods largely reinvented on the fly during the actual air attacks of 2001. 

Did “Operation Skyshield” work, and why was it forgotten in history?  

What to Expect:  Roger will discuss the military, civil, and political aspects of “Operation Skyshield” and its parallels to today’s defense and aviation industry.  Under Roger’s tutelage, we will consider U.S. civil and military preparedness during the Cold War and its legacy. What is the appropriate level of coordination and cooperation between private industry and our federal government? How about the delicate balance between U.S. national security needs and the public’s right to know?  Are we prepared today?

HYBRID course at the Easton Family YMCA (choose to participate in person, through Zoom, or recording) | 1 session | Thursday | April 18 | 10 – 11:30 am | $20