The September 11 attacks in 2001 occurred during that year 's Global Guardian and Vigilant Guardian joint exercises . That year , according to the 9/11 Commission Report , Vigilant Guardian ' postulated a bomber attack from the former Soviet Union ' on North America . The Russian 37th Air Army was , in fact , conducting major bomber exercises across the Arctic and Atlantic at this time , amongst the largest carried out by them since 1993 . Both the American and the Russian exercises were cancelled after the attack
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Global Guardian