General Glen VanHerck
USAF Commander, U.S. Northern Command and NORAD
Glen David VanHerck was born in October 1962 in Murray, Kentucky, and grew up in Bismarck, Missouri. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He earned an M.S. in Aviation Safety Management from the University of Central Missouri and has had considerable other education through the U.S. military. He is a command pilot with more than 3,200 flying hours.
He served as an instructor pilot and flight examiner, and also served as a U.S. Air Force Weapons School Instructor. He has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing level, and commanded the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center. He has held numerous staff positions including as the Vice Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for the Joint Staff and the Vice Director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
Since August 2020, VanHerck has been Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In the News…
The U.S. Northern Command reported last week that the military finished efforts to recover remnants of the large balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. Their initial analysis of the debris reinforces conclusions that it was a Chinese spy balloon.
The Navy, Coast Guard, and FBI personnel collected all of the balloon debris off the ocean floor, including key equipment from the balloon’s payload that could reveal what information it had monitored or collected.
The U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) stated the recovery operations concluded last week and the final bits are on their way to the FBI in Virginia for analysis. All maritime restrictions off South Carolina have now been lifted, and the Navy and Coast Guard have left the area.
