Behind the Scenes with Santa (and NORAD General Glen VanHerck)
In today’s very special episode, Sandy and Sandra are joined for the first segment by the one and only Santa Claus to discuss his annual toy delivery and the risks associated with it. Santa explains the logistics of North Pole operations and the challenges they have faced due to labor shortages and supply chain issues. While so many details of Santa’s operation are understandably considered classified, he is able to shed some light on the incredible work he, Mrs.Claus, and the elves perform each year, while also stressing the importance of maintaining PPI to protect children’s personal data.
Our hosts then have the opportunity to speak with General Glen VanHerck, Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), as well as US Northern Command, who shares details on the role his team plays in tracking Santa on his journey each year. The General also goes on to explain how this mission started, how it has evolved over the years, and how listeners can access the NORAD Tracks Santa program.
The Finer Details of this Episode:
Quotes:
"We have to come up with about 2 billion toys a year, maybe a little bit fewer because of the little naughty ones, but that's not such a big number."
"I mean, ever since the great elf resignation, it's been tougher than blazes to get elves."
"If we were down there, we'd be up to our butts in elves, but we can't do that because the FAA won't let us fly over the 48 states. You know, they won't give us the permission. And then there's the whole labor thing.”
“We are a risk manager's nightmare here. I'll tell you; we have a risk oversight committee, and we've got representatives from all the various health departments, and, you know, we’ve got air traffic control risks, we have risks of all those little reindeer hooves damaging roof tiles-- oh, the insurance company is all over us for that - we're working through that. We've got technology risks, you know, the sleigh is a very sophisticated piece of equipment,
"I'm up here in North Pole Operations Center, and as you can imagine, we track the world's population very closely—precisely, in fact."
“If it emanates from space, it's a threat to North America, we identify that threat - or, it may not be a threat - both military and civilian. If it is a threat, then we do aerospace control as the Commander of NORAD, and we have fighters on alert each and every day to respond.”
“Once Rudolph's nose is visible, we have a series of satellites - not only the radars but satellites - that detect the infrared signature of Rudolph's nose.”
“We have multiple ways to track and follow NORAD Tracks Santa, even in the days leading up to NORAD Tracks Santa on Christmas Eve.”
“It takes a large amount of people to execute this - we have on order of 1,500 volunteers that answer about 150,000 calls. We have 2 million followers, and about 14 million people check into our social media platforms to do this.”
“Those are the ones that make it truly special - the ones that it's clear they're firm believers, they understand the power of Santa Claus, and they're expecting to get that message delivered. So, it's really an honor to have those conversations.”
“I get up every day, very humbled to have the job to defend our homelands, knowing that this is the most noble job that anybody could have when you serve.”
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NORAD Tracks Santa
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