Former North Dakota Adjutant General Mike Haugen on The Flag’s What’s On Your Mind
NORTH DAKOTA – Former Adjutant General of North Dakota, General Mike Haugen, recently shared his reflections on the events of September 11, 2001, and discussed the evolving landscape of national security.
Reflecting on the 9/11 attacks, General Haugen described the day as “both tough, rewarding, and… obviously really tough for those who have lost family members, who have still got issues with health issues, especially New York and the towers going down, but there was plenty of that in the Pentagon area too with smoke.” He expressed his ongoing sympathy for the families affected, stating, “I feel for the family… families who are still grieving.”
General Haugen recounted the specific role played by the “Happy Hooligans,” the 119th Wing of the North Dakota Air National Guard, during the crisis. He pointed out that “the Hooligans were on alert with NORAD and First Air Force… at Langley, Virginia,” serving as “the armed response for the capital region.” When the attacks unfolded, “we were right away uniquely scrambled with three airplanes, which nobody ever does that.” The pilots were dispatched to Washington D.C., instructed to “go supersonic, go as fast as you can,” and eventually “set up a CAP right over the Pentagon.”
Addressing long-standing rumors regarding Flight 93, General Haugen clarified, “the airplanes that we had were loaded with weapons, had official serial numbers… nobody launched any weapons, nobody launched any 20mm guns.” He emphasized that “the passengers took over that airplane before” military intervention could occur.
Looking to the future, General Haugen discussed the need to re-evaluate national defense strategies in light of new threats.
“We have to look to the future, what’s happening now,” he noted, expressing concern over international developments, particularly regarding Iran. He observed that “if you examine the military in Iran… the conscript army, the regular army, is going to have to go and fight inside the country… and if they do that, I think the population will rise up with them and I think they’ll have a regime change.”
On the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, General Haugen commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating, “his ego has gotten him in deep trouble and he doesn’t know how to get out of it, or he doesn’t really want to get out of it. He still thinks he can take over the country. That’s a trait from dictators.”
General Haugen concluded by emphasizing the importance of remaining vigilant and adapting to new security challenges in an ever-changing world.
