TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), Mexico’s Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (DEFENSA), and additional interagency partners participated in AMALGAM EAGLE 2025, a cross-borders live-fly air defense and Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise held October 28-29 at multiple locations throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
This year marked the first iteration where NORAD exercised aerospace warning and aerospace control efforts, including its enforcement of Temporary Flight Restrictions, to enhance preparedness of air defense operations in support of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It thus also marked Canada’s inaugural participation in the exercise, as the Canadian NORAD Region (CANR) played a key role in exercising procedures and response protocols for potential air threats and emergencies in coordination with all participating security partners.
Through military-to-military training and a focus on interagency communication, Amalgam Eagle 2025 improved the operational capabilities of all participants and contributed to a more secure air domain across North America.
“AMALGAM EAGLE 2025 provided an exceptional opportunity to work with our Canadian Allies and Mexican partners and enhance integrated air defense capabilities across North America,” said Lt. Gen. Luke Ahmann, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region – First Air Force (Air Forces Northern & Air Forces Space) commander, “Homeland defense in North America is an ever-changing requirement as threats continue to evolve, which makes the U.S.-Canada-Mexico collaboration in this iteration invaluable as we prepare for World Cup 2026.”
The exercise involved more than 20 aircraft, including U.S. F-16, U.S. F-15 fighters, U.S. HH-60 helicopters, U.S. KC-135 refuelers and Canadian CF-18 fighters supporting NORAD; Mexican T-6 Texan IIs and UH-60 helicopters, along with a Canadian Learjet and a Mexican King Air acting as “Tracks of Interest” (TOIs).
An aircraft is designated as a TOI when there is an apparent discrepancy between its flight track and flight plan, potentially indicating a threat or emergency. All aircraft conducted flights along U.S. southern and northern borders, simulating various real-world scenarios to test the operational and communications capabilities of all participants involved in identifying, intercepting, and responding to TOIs.
Several scenarios were incorporated into this year’s AMALGAM EAGLE exercise: The first scenario involved an aircraft out of communication with Air Traffic Control crossing from Monterrey, Mexico, into U.S. airspace. The aircraft was designated as a TOI, intercepted by Mexican T-6 Texans, then handed off to U.S. F-16s before landing in Houston. The second scenario, conducted simultaneously, involved another TOI crossing from North Vancouver, Canada into U.S. airspace, with Canadian CF-18s handing off the intercept to U.S. F-15s.
The third scenario on day two of the exercise featured a TOI departing Toledo, Ohio, and crossing the border into Canadian airspace, with U.S. F-16s handing off the intercept to Canadian CF-18s. The fourth scenario, also on day 2 involved the TOI that crossed from Monterrey, Mexico, into Houston, retracing its path back to Mexico, with the U.S. F-16s handing off the intercept to Mexican T-6IIs. In each of these scenarios, cross-border flights initiate and end in cities chosen to host World Cup matches. However, Toledo, Ohio will not host any matches.
Scenarios five and six on day two focused on SAR operations in both Mexico and the U.S. The U.S. SAR scenario received support from Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations Center (AMOC), which assisted with locating a simulated crash site in the Arizona desert. Both scenarios involved aircraft with simulated mid-air emergencies, resulting in coordinated SAR responses. Mexican observers visited the SAR events in Arizona, along with the AMOC in Riverside, California, and the U.S. F-16 detachment at Joint Reserve Base Ellington in Houston. One representative from the U.S. visited Mexico’s flight control center in Mexico City, called the National Center for Air Space Surveillance and Protection (CE.NA.VI).
“By expanding AMALGAM EAGLE to include Canada, we’ve created a more robust and realistic training environment,” said Dan O’Boyle, an exercise planner for CONR-1AF (AFNORTH & AFSPACE). “This tri-national exercise is invaluable for enhancing compatibility and ensuring we can effectively address shared security concerns across North America. It strengthens our readiness and improves coordinated response protocols, which are critical for events like the World Cup.”
Representatives from AFNORTH, the 601st Air Operations Center, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Customs and Border Protection—Air and Marine Operations participated in the exercise, while participants from Mexico included members of their defense forces, Federal Civil Aviation Authority, and Air Traffic Control Agency.
AFNORTH is responsible for homeland defense, defense support of civil authorities and theater security cooperation. AFNORTH provides Department of War capabilities for disaster response operations in support of the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Interagency Fire Center, and state and local officials.