General Ralph E.

Eberhart

General Ralph E. "Ed" Eberhart is Commander, North American Aerospace Defense

Command and U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

General Eberhart entered the Air Force in 1968 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force
Academy. His staff experience includes serving as Executive Officer to the Air Force
Chief of Staff at Headquarters U.S. Air Force; Deputy Chief of Staff for Inspection,
Safety and Security, Headquarters Tactical Air Command; Director for Programs and
Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force; Director of Force Structure, Resources and
Assessment, the Joint Staff; and Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations,
Headquarters U.S. Air Force. The general has also served as Vice Chief of Staff of the
U.S. Air Force, Commander, Air Combat Command, Commander, Air Force Space
Command, and as Commander in Chief, U.S. Space Command.

General Eberhart has commanded a flight, squadron, wing, numbered air force and two
major commands, as well as one sub-unified command, two unified commands and one
bi-national command. While Commander of the 363rd Tactical Fighter Wing during
Operation Desert Shield, the unit established the theater's initial air-to-ground combat
capability from a forward operating location. General Eberhart's international awards
include the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, presented while serving as
the Commander of U.S. Forces, Japan, by the Emperor of Japan, as well as the French
Legion of Honor. A command pilot, General Eberhart has logged more than 5,000 hours,
primarily in fighter and trainer aircraft, including 300 combat missions as a forward air
controller in Vietnam.
 General Ralph E. Eberhart, USAF

Memorandum from Commission Interview

(In Classified Binder)

Thomas H. Kean May 27, 2004
CHAIR

Lee H. Hamilton
VICE CHAIR
General Ralph E. Eberhart, USAF
Richard Ben-Veniste Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command
Commander, U.S. Northern Command
Fred F. Fielding
250 Vandenburg Street, Suite B106
Jamie S. Gorelick Peterson AFB, CO 80914-3801

Slade Gorton Dear General Eberhart:

Bob Kerrey
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States will hold a
John F. Lehman public hearing on June 17,2004, in Washington, DC on the topic of National
Crisis Management. You are invited to testify at these proceedings at
Timothy J. Roemer
11:00 - 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 17.
James R. Thompson
This session will be the seventh and last hearing in the Commission's 2004
Philip D. Zelikow investigative hearing schedule, which will collectively advance the Commission's
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR efforts to produce an authoritative account of the facts and circumstances
surrounding the September 11,2001, terrorist attacks. At this hearing, the
Commission's objective is to present the definitive account of our nation's
response to the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Aspects of the hearing will specifically
address the response of the military, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
and senior levels of the Executive branch.

We look forward to your testimony on the following topics:

• NORAD' s military response on the morning of 9/11, including actions taken

by all NORAD components and air defense assets that directly responded to
the attacks;

• Coordination and communication between NORAD, the National Military

Command Center (NMCC), and the FAA in response to the attacks;

• 9/11 "Lessons Learned" from NORAD's perspective;

• Post-9/11 changes, or reforms, made to improve the nation's air defenses; and

• Outstanding challenges that exist in maintaining and improving the nation's

air defenses, and ways in which NORAD is addressing the challenges.

301 7th Street SW, Room 5125 26 Federal Plaza

Washington, DC 20407 Suite 13-100
T 202.331.4060 F 202.296.5545 New York, NY 10278
www.9'llcommission.gov T 212.264.1505 F 212.264.1595
General Ralph E. Eberhart
May 27,2004
Page 2

We ask that you submit comprehensive written testimony and provide your
statement via e-mail to Lisa Sullivan at lsullivan@9-l lcommission.gov by
9:00 a.m. on June 9,2004. Your full statement will be made part of the record
and carefully studied by the Commission.

We would also ask that you limit your oral remarks to ten minutes so that we may
highlight what we expect will be a highly fruitful interchange with you. All
witnesses at this Commission hearing will be asked to testify under oath.

Please contact Kevin Shaeffer at (202) 401-1614 with any questions you may
have. We look forward to your participation in this important public forum.

With best regards, /^"")

/S
tt&
Thomas H. Kean Lee H. Hamilton
Chair Vice Chair

cc: Pat Downs, U.S. Department of Defense

Dan Levin, U.S. Department of Justice