Okay: so NORAD has detected dozens of large, unidentified flying objects off the coast of California; and the Coast Guard and FAA are reporting attacks on airliners and ships by unidentified, hostile aircraft. The Navy has lost 2 aircraft sent to investigate, and while an AWACS plane is still on its way to the West Coast from Oklahoma, the President has upgraded the DEFCON level to 2. At this point, it seems logical to put all military installations on high alert to respond promptly and rapidly should the crisis escalate to DEFCON 1. My problem is: when the soldiers (specifically fighter pilots) are ordered on high alert, what sort of information should they be given? Should they be told that unidentified objects have been sighted out to sea, ships and planes are being attacked, and that all the usual suspects (Russia, China, North Korea, ect.) cannot possibly be to blame for various reasons? I tried Googling to see if I could find information on what happens to the pilots when they are ordered to scramble in hopes this could help me, but all I found were news stories about the North Korean attack and wayward airliners, and stuff about 9-11 and NORAD’s response (or lack of). This problem is really getting on my nerves.
I don't know what procedures the air force follows, but it seems logical to inform the pilots of what type of enemy they face. Different enemy craft have different strengths and weaknesses. If the craft are of unknown design, and potentially something the pilots have never faced before, it seems logical to warn them of that.
