WASHINGTON – The Air Force and Coast Guard will hold training exercises in the skies above D.C. this week.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command, better known as NORAD, will conduct the flight training beginning late Tuesday night to about 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Other agencies involved in the training include the Civil Air Patrol, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Coordination Center and the Joint Air Defense Operations. Air Force F-16s and a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter will also participate.

The exercises are intended to test a visual warning system and and to certify new staff working for NORAD’s Continental U.S. Region.

The U.S. And Canada jointly operate NORAD, which provides airspace surveillance and works with the Air Force and Army to secure the skies over the United States against air-based threats.

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