A U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle from the 159th Fighter Wing, Louisiana Air National Guard, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, La., flies in formation with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.,upon completion of North American Aerospace Defense Command’s (NORAD) Operation Noble Defender (OND) over the Caribbean Sea near Puerto Rico, July 1, 2022. As a part of OND, which is a recurring operation, the Continental U.S. NORAD Region coordinated and conducted joint operations with the U.S. Navy while concurrently launching jets from different locations across the United States' gulf coast and Puerto Rico. OND, is an integrated air and missile defense operation designed to ensure the defense and security of the northern and southern approaches to North America. This particular OND allowed NORAD units to exercise maneuvers designed to defend the southern approach to the United States from simulated cruise missile threats. NORAD is a bi-national Canadian and American command that employs a network of aerial, ground-based, and space-based sensors, air-to-air refueling tankers, and fighter aircraft controlled by a sophisticated command and control network to deter, detect and defend against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace. OND, is an integrated air and missile defense operation designed to ensure the defense and security of the northern and southern approaches to North America. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lawrence Sena)