Operation '' Eagle Assist '' is a military operation that began following the September 11 attacks on October 9 , 2001 , after the North Atlantic Council 's October 4 decision to operationalize Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty . In total , 830 crew members from 13 NATO nations executed 360 operational sorties , totaling nearly 4300 hours , over the skies of the United States in NATO AWACS aircraft . The decision to terminate what was NATO 's first deployment " in the defense of one of its member countries " " was made on the basis of upgrades to the U.S. air defense posture , enhanced cooperation between U.S. civil and military authorities , and on mandatory evaluations of homeland security requirements . " The operation ended on May 16 , 2002
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Operation Eagle Assist