COLORADO SPRINGS — In a report to Congress, the Pentagon understated the vulnerability of the air and space defense command to an attack before the command moved to Peterson Air Force Base, The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported Monday.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command moved from its longtime cave- complex home inside Cheyenne Mountain to Peterson in May. On March 3, military leaders reported that an assessment of a building at the air base that serves as the nation’s homeland-security nerve center found “several physical security problems.”
The Gazette obtained a classified document stating that the assessment found “the existing security system at Peterson AFB . . . would fail if attacked by even a low level threat.”
The assessment was contained in a draft report by the Government Accountability Office as part of an ongoing GAO review of the March 3 report to Congress. That report never informed Congress whether security measures could ensure a maximum level of security at Peterson, as required.
The Peterson command center where NORAD started operating May 28 requires a Protection Level 1, reserved for “those assets whose loss, theft, destruction, misuse or compromise would result in great harm to the strategic capability of the United States,” the Gazette reported.
A final classified GAO report to Congress is due July 3. NORAD spokesman Michael Kucharek said any statements about the assessment would be made to the GAO.
NORAD is a binational defense agency with Canada that shares its commander with the nation’s homeland-security command, Northern Command.
Officials with Air Force headquarters, Air Force Space Command, the Canadian Ministry of Defense, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ office and the House and Senate armed- services committees didn’t return Gazette calls seeking comment.
