Partial timelines:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timelin...ber_11_attacks
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/2011...-events-11908/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0...9&title=759_am
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14681384
Better, more fully sourced timeline:
http://www.historycommons.org/timeli...of_9_11_events
Actually, the FAA had radar contact with the flights, just not the more detailed transponder information. I think it was NEADS who couldn't pin point radar info on their monocromatic displays...
But you say on one hand that they were over-staffed and doubly ready because of the exercises on one hand, and then that that were "completely unprepared" for events they had previously drilled for... so which is it?
Fair enough, but when notified (and let's include the Air National Guard and other agencies that were notified and quite vigilant when Payne Stewart went off course) they are usually there. Where were they four times on 9/11?
What you say sounds reasonable, but doesn't follow 9/11 Commission testimony.
Despite this highly defined chain of command, or perhaps because of it?, military response that day (and lack of availability of head contacts, absence and such, etc...) was null.
And nobody has responded or asked about Cheney changing the chain of command before 9/11...
Being "caught with their pants down" goes against their prior training and specific exercises, though... and the fact that they were in the FAA chain of notification makes them responsible for reacting to reports of errant aircraft, etc...
I mean to imply that while NORAD's particular exercises don't seem out of place that day, their occurrence at the same time as so many other drills, spontaneous, pre-scheduled and rescheduled, contributes to an environment of confusion that day that goes against proclaimed uber-readiness...
Between the first notification of a problem and the last crash an hour and a half or more later (and how could they know there weren't more at this point?), they should have been increasingly aware and ready - but weren't.
And two other hijacked planes were flying around for another hour...