The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the US Air Force and is a congressionally chartered and federally supported organization. The organization traces its origins to the earliest days of America’s entry into World War II (it served to help patrol and protect US waters from German U-boats). Not all aerial patrols need to be an Air Force combat air patrol. Even small civilian single-piston engine aircraft can assist in NORAD’s mission to provide airspace security for the United States.