# Authority of a US General **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 8, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authority-of-a-us-general/167222 "2003-04-08T02:46:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authority-of-a-us-general/167222/41 "2003-04-09T20:25:39Z")
Oh yeah and I am not sure exactly how the order was given that day but I am guessing it came from pretty high up considering the magnitude. Now there is a random patrol over certain cities (DC and New York and a few other metro areas) where fighters fly in a grid pattern over the cities. It’s based on the perceived threat and FPCON. ---
**Author:** ![nth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authority-of-a-us-general/167222/42 "2003-04-09T23:11:23Z")
don’t faa can call air force for help? for some reason, i thought they always had this type of procedures. the fbi also have procedures to call in military help. i am sure the escalations are done faster now after 911 but even before, they should already have it. i am not sure about local or state authorities. ---
**Author:** ![Eirik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b19c9b/32.png) [@Eirik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eirik)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authority-of-a-us-general/167222/43 "2003-04-09T23:27:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mipiace \* > \*\* > It was unclear if the jets actually came from Tampa though. There are no F-16s there so I think the closest base would have been further north in the panhandle. \*\* IIRC, the plane was shadowed for a short time by a Coast Guard helicoptor before it hit the building. As for 9/11, one of the things that Cheney said in an interview given a few weeks after the events of that day was that the order had gone out to shoot down airliners that were deemed a threat. By that time, however, three of the planes had crashed into targets and the last was about to crash (with interceptiors en route) Of course, in the confusion of the first few hours of that morning, I recall reports flying around that as many as 6 additional airliners were unaccounted for, and even that a USAir jet was spotted coming up the Potomac. All of that, of course, turned out to be false. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authority-of-a-us-general/167222/44 "2003-04-10T01:33:31Z")
Based on reactions Sept 11, 2001, from [here](http://www.unansweredquestions.net/timeline/main/timelineafter911.html) > [@](#): > > 8:40 a.m. – Federal Aviation Administration notifies North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Northeast Air Defense Sector about suspected hijacking of American Flight 11. > > 8:43 a.m. – FAA notifies NORAD’s Northeast Air Defense Sector about suspected hijacking of United Flight 175. > > 8:46 a.m. Two F-15 fighters are ordered to scramble from Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts to find Flight 11, approximately 190 miles from the known location of the plane and 188 miles from New York City. Fighters in nearer bases are not scrambled. This is six to fifteen minutes after NORAD has been told the plane was hijacked. > > Supposedly, the scramble order comes after only one phone call - the decision is made to act first and get clearances later. > > 8:52 a.m. Two F-15s take off from Otis ANG Base, six minutes after being ordered to go after Flight 11, which has already crashed. There was snipping in that quote. It is a fairly conspiracy-oriented site. The [BBC](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2222205.stm) says > [@](#): > > the threat of an attack from within America had been considered so small that the entire US mainland was being defended by only 14 planes. > \ > However, at the time of the attacks the US had just four fighter pilots on alert covering the north eastern United States. Which explains why fighters at nearer bases were not scrambled, maybe. So, call NORAD with the right words, and things COULD happen pretty darned fast, with the few alert planes available. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authority-of-a-us-general/167222.md?page=2)