Canadian Forces Col. Todd Balfe, deputy commander Alaska NORAD Region, and Russian Air Force Col. Alexander Vasilyev on board Fencing 1220 Aug. 8, discussing the handover of the track of interest from the NORAD E3 Sentry, an airborne warning and control platform, to its Russian counterpart, the A50 Mainstay somewhere over the north Pacific Ocean. Vigilant Eagle is a cooperative exercise involving the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Russian Air Force. The exercise scenario creates a situation that requires both the Russian Air Force and NORAD to launch or divert fighter aircraft to investigate and follow a "hijacked" airliner. The exercise focuses on shadowing and the cooperative hand-off of the monitored aircraft between fighters of the participating nations.