We're 1st Lt Sean Carter and Capt. Steve Collier, members of the NORAD Tracks Santa team with NORAD, and we're ready to answer your questions on this 67-year old mission!

I just talked to my 7 year old daughter and she thought long and hard before asking this incredibly important question: How old are you?

Captain Collier here -- I'm 39. And Lt Carter just admitted to me that he's 32.

She is now asking if you help Santa take off and land

That's a job for his top-notch elves!

Ok now you've got her excited. She is now asking if you know the elves.

Your daughter is full of questions! And they are great ones too. We do not know any elves ... we just track Santa in flight.

Either of you prior enlisted?

Good question! We are both prior enlisted.

1). How do you distinguish between Santa’s sleigh and Russian ICBMs with a 100% confidence level?

2). Are you on the Naughty or Nice list?

1). The secret to that is in Rudolph's red nose! It gives off a pretty distinct signature...

2). Depends on who you ask!

What happens if Rudolph is sick an unable to fly?

We'd love to know the answer to that too! While we have experience tracking Santa and his reindeer, we have no clue what would happen in that scenario. But we can tell you -- that hasn't happen in the 67 years of us tracking Santa.

If you wanted to hide Rudolph's red nose from NORAD radar - which stealth coating material would you recommend?

Hmmm.... good question. Ginger bread spice? Powdered sugar perhaps?

Is there a protocol for if Santa goes off course or flies into restricted airspace?

The words "off course" and "restricted airspace" hold no meaning for Santa! Only Santa knows his course, which is why we see variations to his route year-to-year.

Does NORAD also track the Grinch, and are allied forces in place in the event he attempts to steal Christmas?

Here at NORAD we're all about homeland defense through aerospace control--here's to hoping any and all Grinch activity is being monitored by another department...

Is Santa aware that NORAD has been tracking him for 67 years? Does he ever pull off any evasive maneuvers in an attempt to throw off the trackers?

Santa knows, of course he knows--he's known for years now! First-hand accounts from some very star-struck interceptor pilots report that after tipping their wings as a way to say hello, the jolly old elf would give his trademark smile, and with a twinkle in his eye he'd be off again... faster than starlight.

What kind of SEAD does Santa's sleigh have so as to not get Patriot'd out of the sky?

Captain Collier here -- SEAD is a mission after my own heart. I used to be assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing in Korea and the "Wolf Pack" has a history of that mission during Vietnam under Colonel Robin Olds.

While we have no clue if Santa has air defenses, I'd like to hope in his delivery of gifts to children throughout the world he wouldn't be targeted by anti aircraft forces.

Do you think the Dept of the AF should contract Santa and his elves to design an MDS capable of replacing the C5? He seems to be able to hold a whole lot more cargo than our entire fleet combined! Seems we could learn a thing or two in terms of global reach and RGM...

Captain Collier here -- Santa definitely is the king of logistics, hands down, as far as I'm concerned. But until the USAF can harness the power of his magic, not sure it's comparable.

Hi everyone! The time has come to end our AMA this go around. We still have last-minute preparations to complete to support our ability to track Santa on December 24! Remember to visit noradsanta.org to track Santa in real time, or call us at 1-877-HI-NORAD.

What's the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

European or African?

Will Santa have any air support while delivering presents to children in Ukraine?

Maybe a good question to ask is does he even need that! Like we've mentioned before, we never know what route Santa takes, but we have historical data that shows he visits any and all nations where there are children who believe in him.

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*edited for grammar

Is it done on a volunteer basis or has it been incorporated into the job?

Lt. Carter here! The vast majority of support for this program comes in the form of volunteer support. The NORAD & USNORTHCOM Public Affairs office maintains oversight, but only myself and Capt Collier (who comes in to provide additional help during the busy season) are on the job full-time.

A few years ago I was tracking Santa with my kids and they asked when Santa was going to Grandma and Grandpa's house in North Dakota. I checked and the entire US map was filled with icons of Santa, except for North Dakota.

What does Santa have against North Dakota?

To my knowledge, hopefully nothing! That's definitely a question for him but we've tracked him over ND before.

You serious, Clark?

Very serious, Eddie.

What are your plans for adjusting to evolution in sensor defeating technologies deployed by Santa? Are reports of his radar cross section reducing each year accurate? Has there been any success in drone deployed IRST assets to determine the efficiency of Claus's propulsion system?

You have a lot of insight into Santa's propulsion systems and tracking abilities! Sounds like you've done your homework -- curious, what do you think?

What has been your favorite experience being part of this mission ?

This is Captain Collier ... so many years ago, in 2007, I was stationed at Peterson Air Force Base (now Space Force Base) where NORAD is based. I was a young, single Airman, and my family was back east in Florida, so no one I knew lived out here during Christmas. There was an all-call put out to see who would like to volunteer to be a Santa Tracker and I volunteered. I had an absolute BLAST! I got to speak to kids in New Zealand and Australia and it was very heart warming. I get goose bumps just thinking about it!

My kids are 21 and 29 now, so not much looking at the tracker any more for them, but I admit, I still do, and I find it chokes me up every year. Thanks for doing this.

Captain Collier here -- That's a great memory. We have so many examples that people give us like that. Warms my heart!

Thank you for doing this.

My kids asked: how long do you track Santa?

As long as he's in flight! But of all the data we have, it's all day December 24.

*edited for grammar

Any changes to Santa's route this year?

Good question ... we always like to ensure people know we track Santa, so we never know his exact route until he's airborne. However, we have 67 years worth of data that has shown he'll depart the North Pole along the International Date Line and head east to west, traveling north and south as well to deliver gifts.

What would happen today if a child called an unlisted number for NORAD looking for Santa (or info on his position)?

Because we're in the business of tracking Santa this command is always on standby to answer Santa questions. If a call did make it through on an unlisted number from a child asking for Santa's whereabouts I have no doubt it would be answered courteously and professionally ... there would be plenty of time for questions with the IT and comms teams afterwards.

Can norad please do another ama this year?

You can imagine we're going to be a bit busy going into December 24th, but thanks for the positive feedback! We're definitely going to discuss doing another one (or two) for next year.

In the past 67 years what has been the most unusual unknown contact tracked during the Santa tracking mission? Any UFOs or hostile forces trying to intercept Santa?

We always thought spotting Santa was unusual enough!

Why is Wikipedia saying that you are simulating the tracking?

Wikipedia...? Isn't that the site teachers say you can't use as a source?

Is Santa primarily tracked through radar? Or is there any satellite surveillance involved? I'm sure there must be areas where we don't have radar coverage.

Fantastic question! Because Santa flies faster than starlight, it takes the combined power of our complimentary radar (the North Warning System--a powerful radar system with 47 installations across Northern Canada and Alaska), satellites, and fighter jets--Canadian CF-18s and US F-15s, F-16s and F-22s, to ensure continuous coverage of Santa's flight. Rudolph's red nose and the infrared signature he gives off is also critical to our success!

How many people vist your site each year?

Great question! Each year, we've seen an incremental increase to visitors to noradsanta.org, and in 2021, we hit a new record of 14.1 million unique visitors, with nearly 105 million page views!

When does Santa leave? How many volunteers are there? What happens if you’re not sleeping when he’s supposed to come?

Historically speaking, Santa typically takes flight around 6 a.m. EST. On average we have around 1,000 volunteers each year who help make the magic--they really are the heart of the program! If you're not sleeping when Santa arrives he'll circle back later--but only if you're sleeping...

Are there new santa cams?

We can confirm we're expecting 4 new Santa cams to come online this year. Be sure to check in on the 24th and let us know if you can spot them!

Do kids ever accuse you of not sounding like Santa when you answer the phone?

That's because we don't! Our more than 900 NORAD Santa Trackers that work shifts throughout the day are definitely not trying to replace the Big Guy. Our special mission on Dec. 24 of tracking his worldwide travels allows our volunteer Santa Trackers to relay the real-time data of his route to callers.

Why did norad get rid of using twitter?

Great question! We use the social media platforms that best reach our priority audiences--namely children and families around the world. In addition to our website, noradsanta.org, and our call center (1 (877) Hi-NORAD), Santa Trackers can download our mobile app on Android and iOS devices and follow Santa using OnStar, Facebook, and Instagram.

Why is HP working with you guys? Joe Alber

HP is one of many corporate and military contributors that make the NORAD Tracks Santa mission possible. HP is gracious enough to provide our operation center with laptops, monitors, keyboards, mice and other computer equipment to ensure our robust mission is executed.

How do you get such a cool job?

Captain Collier here - 19 years as a Public Affairs professional, sometimes you just luck out :)

How hot is the job? Like, how many people apply for it every year?

Captain Collier here - do you mean people volunteering to be Santa Trackers?

Why dose Santa follow the Easter Bunny's route?

Does he?

When will this AMA end? Will there be more AMA this year?

The AMA was scheduled for 90 minutes, so we should go for another 30 minutes. We are not slated for another AMA this year.

Does the tracker look different this year?

No specific changes have been adopted for our tracker this year, but we definitely encourage people to visit the website for some of the newer materials, including new games and other info: https://www.noradsanta.org/en/