AIM

10/12/17

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1

National Security and Interception Procedures

Section 6. National Security and Interception Procedures

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1. National Security

National security in the control of air traffic is
governed by 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Part 99, 

Security Control of Air Traffic

.

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2. National Security Requirements

a.

Pursuant to 14 CFR 99.7, 

Special Security

Instructions

, each person operating an aircraft in an

Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) or Defense
Area must, in addition to the applicable rules of
Part 99, comply with special security instructions
issued by the FAA Administrator in the interest of
national security, pursuant to agreement between the
FAA and the Department of Defense (DOD), or
between the FAA and a U.S. Federal security or
intelligence agency.

b.

In addition to the requirements prescribed in

this section, national security requirements for
aircraft operations to or from, within, or transiting
U.S. territorial airspace are in effect pursuant to
14 CFR 99.7; 49 United States Code (USC) 40103,

Sovereignty and Use of Airspace

; and 49 USC 41703,

Navigation of Foreign Civil Aircraft

. Aircraft

operations to or from, within, or transiting U.S.
territorial airspace must also comply with all other
applicable regulations published in 14 CFR.

c.

Due to increased security measures in place at

many areas and in accordance with 14 CFR 91.103,

Preflight Action

, prior to departure, pilots must

become familiar with all available information
concerning that flight. Pilots are responsible to
comply with 14 CFR 91.137 (

Temporary flight

restrictions in the vicinity of disaster/hazard areas

),

91.138 (

Temporary flight restrictions in national

disaster areas in the State of Hawaii

), 91.141 (

Flight

restrictions in the proximity of the Presidential and
other parties

), and 91.143 (

Flight limitation in the

proximity of space flight operations

) when conduct-

ing flight in an area where a temporary flight
restrictions area is in effect, and should check
appropriate NOTAMs during flight planning. In
addition, NOTAMs may be issued for National
Security Areas (NSA) that temporarily prohibit flight
operations under the provisions of 14 CFR 99.7.

REFERENCE

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AIM, Paragraph 3

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8, National Security Areas 

AIM, Paragraph 3

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3, Temporary Flight Restrictions

d.

Noncompliance with the national security

requirements for aircraft operations contained in this
section may result in denial of flight entry into U.S.
territorial airspace or ground stop of the flight at a
U.S. airport.

e.

Pilots of aircraft that do not adhere to the

procedures in the national security requirements for
aircraft operations contained in this section may be
intercepted, and/or detained and interviewed by
federal, state, or local law enforcement or other
government personnel.

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3. Definitions

a.

Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) 

means

an area of airspace over land or water, in which the
ready identification, location, and control of all
aircraft (except Department of Defense and law
enforcement aircraft) is required in the interest of
national security.

b.

Defense Area

 means any airspace of the

contiguous U.S. that is not an ADIZ in which the
control of aircraft is required for reasons of national
security.

c.

U.S. territorial airspace, 

for the purposes of this

section,

 

means the airspace over the U.S., its

territories, and possessions, and the airspace over the
territorial sea of the U.S., which extends 12 nautical
miles from the baselines of the U.S., determined in
accordance with international law. 

d.

To

 

U.S. territorial airspace

 means any flight

that enters U.S. territorial airspace after departure
from a location outside of the U.S., its territories or
possessions, for landing at a destination in the U.S.,
its territories or possessions.

e.

From U.S. territorial airspace

 means any flight

that exits U.S. territorial airspace after departure from
a location in the U.S., its territories or possessions,
and lands at a destination outside the U.S., its
territories or possessions.

f.

Within

 

U.S. territorial airspace

 means any flight

departing from a location inside of the U.S., its
territories or possessions, which operates en route to