NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) is a joint U.S.–Canadian military command that monitors and defends the region around North America. Its core responsibilities are aerospace warning (detecting and warning of aircraft, missiles and space objects), aerospace control (monitoring and controlling North American airspace), and maritime warning (providing warning of potential threats approaching by sea).
NORAD’s Santa tracking is a holiday-themed public outreach program that uses the language and imagery of its real defense tools. The program playfully says it tracks Santa using NORAD’s radar network, infrared early‑warning satellites and even fighter jets, but this is a fictional, public-facing feature built on real systems, not an operational military mission.
Yes. The public can follow Santa in near real time on NORAD’s official tracker website (NORADSanta.org), through its free mobile apps, and by calling the NORAD Santa hotline (1‑877‑HI‑NORAD / 1‑877‑446‑6723) on Christmas Eve.
The Santa tracking is a public outreach and holiday tradition, not a formal combat or defense operation. NORAD itself describes “NORAD Tracks Santa” as one of the Defense Department’s largest community outreach programs, staffed largely by volunteers and meant to show the lighter side of its mission to the public.
The tradition dates back to 1955, when a child misdialed a phone number in a department‑store ad and accidentally called the Continental Air Defense Command; the duty officer, Col. Harry Shoup, played along and reported Santa’s location. When NORAD was created in 1958 it took over the custom, and by 2025 the “NORAD Tracks Santa” program is celebrating roughly 70 years of Santa tracking.