Operation Amalgam Virgo is a CINCNORAD joint task counter-terrorist and field training exercise (FTX) carried out in Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida on June 1 to June 4, 2001. According to NORTHCOM, the weapons proliferation for cruise missiles and cruise missile-like contrivances is estimated to be around 75,000 in about 75 countries all over the globe. As a result, cruise missile defense projects maintain a top priority status within the U.S. and Canadian militaries.
Extensive strategic run throughs carried out by NORAD and military personnel from the 513th Air Control Group focused heavily on hostile contingencies involving hard to detect aerial attacks from low flying missiles such as cruise missiles. Key military players involved in the exercise also included personnel from the 1st Air Force battalion, the U.S. National Guard, the U.S. Reserve forces, and the U.S. Navy.
Several naval ships including the USS Yorktown and the Navy Aegis cruiser were dispatched to the Gulf of Mexico as part of the multi-service anti-cruise missile operation. Military land personnel from the 1st Air Force also engaged in gathering radar information on low-level targets by using the Joint-Based Expeditionary Connectivity Center (JBECC), a mobile shelter capable of being deployed to high-risk regions while providing early warning signals on cruise missile attacks.