Well, I tried to find a source such as the Constitution, which would clearly define the Vice Presidential responsibilities. Even though NORAD and the like were not around way back then. I could find very little, much of the power shifts are buried in laws, military operating procedures or worse Executive Orders of various administrations.
Somehow I think the question of how many aircraft we had on exercise that day (including at the Arctic Circle), and how many of the exercises were just electronic will be a mystery. The role of the secret service to coordinate will even more veiled for security one must assume.
I did read on one of the sites that Russia did have some planes fooling around at the Arctic Circle that day to make things more exciting I suppose. Can't have hundreds of US fighters moving about with out drawing some curiosity, right?
I did find this, again weigh as you will:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/011805_simplify_case.shtml
Quote:
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Dick Cheney was placed directly in charge of managing the seamless integration of all training exercises throughout the entire federal government and all military agencies. On 9/11 Cheney oversaw multiple war games and terror drills, including several exercises of NORAD, the Air Force agency whose mandate is to "watch the sky."
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The fine line between "ordering", "signing off" and "managing" can be debated - I can't find the documentation to make my own determination, and that is frustrating. And it's frustrating that the mass media has not covered this topic very well.