What is "Operation Clear Skies"?

My friend's wife is a nurse in the national guard. She is being called up to active duty for nearly a year starting in September as a part of "Operation Clear Skies". She will be deployed to Washington, D.C.

A deployment to D.C. in September? Sounds sketchy to me.

Anyone familar with "Operation Clear Skies"? I thought I remembered reading some hookey B.S. in an Aussie Bloke thread that used that term.

Or is this about protecting D.C. from the imminent terrorist attack that will postpone the elections?

I would lean towards the latter, probably an air defense op to protect against attack.

It sounds like it referes to a NORAD / FAA plan to rapidly ground all flying planes in the event of another terrorist attacks. If I recall a AWST article basically said they winged it on 911 and it still worked. Conspiracy theroies aside it was quite an impressive feat to get all those planes grounded.

operation Clear skies took place in 2003.

curious she was just called up? I must be missing something?

airdefense.bliss.army.mil...

Originally posted by Perfect stranger
operation Clear skies took place in 2003.

curious she was just called up? I must be missing something?

airdefense.bliss.army.mil...

Maybe the operation is ongoing, and being reinforced for the elections.

what I read of the doc you linked to stranger was that it was an ongoing mission.

Why do they need national guard nurses?

maybe your friends wife can answer that

I would be surprised if they actually told her what they needed nurses for. I hope it's just to treat itchy trigger fingers, and not radiation burns.

Support, intel, and medical staff in the armed services are largley now delegated to the reserves and guard units.

Im sure anytime a terrorist attack is possible they would deploy medical staff to the area.

Well, my friend's wife shipped out Saturday. Her unit went to Ft. Bliss. They will be there until November and then head off.

Interesting thing is, when he asked her what they were doing, she told him she could say anything, "for operational security."

She had let slip earlier the Op Clear Skies bit, but she couldn't tell him what it was. I filled him in on it tonight based on the info Perfect Stranger linked here.

He's going to tell her what it is based on what he read on the doc from Ft. Bliss, see if that get's a rise out of her.

Originally posted by FredT
If I recall a AWST article basically said they winged it on 911 and it still worked. Conspiracy theroies aside it was quite an impressive feat to get all those planes grounded.

Yeah, and they also diverted hundreds of planes bound for the US to Canada... (actually all inbound flights over the mid to north Atlantic were diverted to Canada if they had already passed their 1/2 way point - otherwise they were told to turn around). Over 33,000 passengers were landed here in the moments after the attacks.

A small Halifax Airport with thousands of unexpected tourists... Halifax airport


Canadians never expected a "thanks" from the US, and were ready to do anything to help without question. But, not surprisingly, the US didn't even mention Canada when Bush went on TV to thank all of America's friends on 9/12/2001... Such is the relationship between the world's two largest trading partners (over $1.4 billion a day) with the world's longest undefended border.

By the way: here's a link to Operation Clear Skies II, however, since last year's Operation Clear Skies II (and all following similar operations have since been designated "Operation Noble Eagle" - the Operation Clear Skies your friend is participating in might be related to antidrug operations (that's what the original Operation Clear Skies was for).

Thanks catherder. I will pass the info along to him.
He was pretty ticked when she said she couldn't tell him anything, even after she gave up the Op name.