The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) guards the skies over three-quarters of the continental United States.

Headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord's McChord Field, WADS is the larger of two sectors responsible to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the Continental NORAD region for peacetime air sovereignty, strategic air defense and airborne counter-drug operations.

It is a 24/7 job.

The sector works for both the president and the governor.  In fact, the sector commander is the only full-time Washington Air National Guardsman under Title 10 orders, which provides specific Congressional authority to his role and responsibilities.

Its federal mission is to guard America's skies through the use of radar and communications systems and to monitor air traffic from the Mississippi River west to the Pacific Ocean and from the Canadian border south to the Mexican border.

As to its state mission, WADS reports to the governor through the Washington National Guard offices on Camp Murray.  

The sector works with state agencies to provide rapid response in the event of natural or manmade disasters.  WADS personnel also take part in disaster preparedness exercises.

The Servicemembers of the WADS detect, identify, track and can call into action fighters to intercept unknown or threatening airborne objects.

In other words, WADS has a God's eye view of the western half of the United States.  The information gathered from that view allows officials the ability to make clear and decisive decisions.

WADS receives radar data feeds from joint use Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ground-based radars, mobile radars, Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft and the Navy.

The WADS team is a bi-national and joint service unit.  Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Canadian Forces personnel, Department of Defense civilians and government contractors comprise the team. Approximately 20 percent of the Servicemembers in WADS are Washington Air National Guardsmen.

"I'm walking into a high-class organization, and my charge is to make sure we don't get off the tracks," Col. Peter Stavros recently said when he took command of the Sector.

Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, Washington National Guard Adjutant General, agreed.

"There's no doubt he is leading a superior organization in the mission of air sovereignty, command and control and homeland defense."