CHICAGO (CBS) — Plans to keep residents and dignitaries safe during the NATO Summit include a no-fly zone, with a shoot-to-kill warning for those who break the ban.

As CBS 2’s Susanna Song reports, the government is informing small plane pilots that if they enter the no-fly zone during the summit, they might be shot down.

This is no joke. It will be enforced for May 19 to May 21.

The flight advisory was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. The advisory bans non-commercial aircraft from flying within 10 nautical miles of downtown Chicago at altitudes below 18,000 feet.

A nautical mile is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian. It amounts to 1,852 meters, or about 1.15078 standard miles.

In addition, the restrictions include an outer ring from 10 to 30 miles around downtown Chicago. Only planes arriving or departing at local airports will be allowed within that outer ring. Flight training, seaplanes, and other types of flights will be banned from the outer ring.

Any plane violating the flight restrictions will be intercepted.

“The United States Government may use deadly force against the airborne aircraft, if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat,” the advisory says. “Be advised that noncompliance with the published (notice to airmen) may result in the use of force.”

The advisory says lesser violations by airmen might result in civil penalties and the suspension of airmen certificates, as well as criminal charges.

As CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports, what those restrictions mean is, for three days, there will be a virtual no-fly zone extending from Lake County, Indiana, to Lake County, Illinois. The zone will also stretch well into DuPage County and over Lake Michigan.

“It’s an easy three days off of work,” said Chopper 2 HD pilot Jeff Fair. He’s familiar with all the airports that will be affected by the temporary flight restrictions.

He said the restrictions will essentially shut down general aviation – which refers to all flights that are not military, scheduled airline, or scheduled cargo flights.

“There will be no (general aviation) activity within those three days,” Fair said.

The only aircraft allowed to fly within the restricted area include regularly-scheduled commercial passenger and cargo carriers, police, and military planes supporting the Secret Service.

This no-fly zone is not new. The 30-mile no-fly zone is enforced for all presidential visits. Similar flight restrictions were also in place immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks because of terrorism-related concerns.

The airports affected by the flight restrictions range from big ones like O’Hare and Midway international airports, to other multi-runway fields – like Lewis Airport in Lockport – as well as small airstrips like the one in Bolingbrook.

At least a dozen airfields fall within the restricted area.

Meantime, when President Barack Obama comes to Chicago for the summit, he’ll stay at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers along the Chicago River.

CBS 2′s Mike Parker reports NATO host committee officials held a briefing for residents of the surrounding Streeterville neighborhood on Wednesday, warning them that traffic in the area will be an unholy mess during the summit.

There will be tight security around the Sheraton and other downtown hotels where NATO dignitaries are staying, and there will be dozens of motorcades taking the delegates to and from the summit at McCormick Place.

More than 200 Streeterville residents got that word at a meeting Wednesday night with NATO summit planners.

Arnette Henintze, a former Secret Service agent who has been consulting with the NATO host committee, said the bottom line is 60 heads of state will be staying at downtown area hotels.

That means street traffic will likely be a nightmare at times, especially when NATO delegates and their motorcades are on the roads.

The tight security measures will have a negative impact on people living, working, shopping, and visiting downtown.

“You will see three- and four-car motorcades. You’ll see 12- and 15-car motorcades. And if you see the president’s – and a couple of other heads of state’s – you’re going to see 20- and 30-car motorcades,” Heintze told local residents.

Michael Jackson, the district manager of CD One Price Cleaners, works at Michigan Avenue and Cermak Road, one block outside the security perimeter that will be established around McCormick Place during the summit.

He welcomes the extra security, but hopes his customers won’t feel pressured to stay away.

“I believe that Chicago has shown a reputation of handling things correctly, and I don’t think that’s going to be any different in this particular case either,” Jackson said, adding that he was “absolutely” confident in leaders and officials in keeping everyone safe.

June 3, 1997

American foreign and defense policy is adrift. Conservatives have criticized the incoherent policies of the Clinton Administration. They have also resisted isolationist impulses from within their own ranks. But conservatives have not confidently advanced a strategic vision of America’s role in the world. They have not set forth guiding principles for American foreign policy. They have allowed differences over tactics to obscure potential agreement on strategic objectives. And they have not fought for a defense budget that would maintain American security and advance American interests in the new century.

We aim to change this. We aim to make the case and rally support for American global leadership.

As the 20th century draws to a close, the United States stands as the world’s preeminent power. Having led the West to victory in the Cold War, America faces an opportunity and a challenge: Does the United States have the vision to build upon the achievements of past decades? Does the United States have the resolve to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests?

We are in danger of squandering the opportunity and failing the challenge. We are living off the capital — both the military investments and the foreign policy achievements — built up by past administrations. Cuts in foreign affairs and defense spending, inattention to the tools of statecraft, and inconstant leadership are making it increasingly difficult to sustain American influence around the world. And the promise of short-term commercial benefits threatens to override strategic considerations. As a consequence, we are jeopardizing the nation’s ability to meet present threats and to deal with potentially greater challenges that lie ahead.

We seem to have forgotten the essential elements of the Reagan Administration’s success: a military that is strong and ready to meet both present and future challenges; a foreign policy that boldly and purposefully promotes American principles abroad; and national leadership that accepts the United States’ global responsibilities.

Of course, the United States must be prudent in how it exercises its power. But we cannot safely avoid the responsibilities of global leadership or the costs that are associated with its exercise. America has a vital role in maintaining peace and security in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. If we shirk our responsibilities, we invite challenges to our fundamental interests. The history of the 20th century should have taught us that it is important to shape circumstances before crises emerge, and to meet threats before they become dire. The history of this century should have taught us to embrace the cause of American leadership.

Our aim is to remind Americans of these lessons and to draw their consequences for today. Here are four consequences:

• we need to increase defense spending significantly if we are to carry out our global
responsibilities today and modernize our armed forces for the future;

• we need to strengthen our ties to democratic allies and to challenge regimes hostile to our interests and values;

• we need to promote the cause of political and economic freedom abroad;

• we need to accept responsibility for America’s unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles.

Such a Reaganite policy of military strength and moral clarity may not be fashionable today. But it is necessary if the United States is to build on the successes of this past century and to ensure our security and our greatness in the next.