North Warning System: Difference between revisions

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The '''North Warning System''' (NWS, {{langx|fr|Système d'alerte du nord}}) is a joint United States and Canadian [[early-warning radar]] system for the atmospheric [[air defense]] of North America. It provides surveillance of airspace from potential incursions or attacks from across North America's polar region. It replaced the [[Distant Early Warning Line]] system in the late 1980s.

The NWS consists of both long range [[AN/FPS-117]] and short range [[AN/FPS-124]] surveillance radars, operated and maintained by [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]] (NORAD).<ref name="SOW">{{cite web |title=North Warning System (NWS) Office Statement of Work |url=https://buyandsell.gc.ca/cds/public/2021/03/31/4e8d94dff0f4235b75242f90c7650954/sow_-_edt.zip |format=Compressed PDF file |website=Buyandsell.gc.ca |publisher=Public Services and Procurement Canada |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606005827/https://buyandsell.gc.ca/cds/public/2021/03/31/4e8d94dff0f4235b75242f90c7650954/sow_-_edt.zip|archive-date=6 June 2021 |language=en, fr|date=November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|16}} There are 13 long range sites and 36 short range sites.

Each Long Range site consists of accommodation buidlingsbuildings, radar towers and [[radomes]], generator and fuel systems, satellite terminals, automated weather station, and [[UHF]] and [[VHF]] ground-air-ground radio.<ref name="SOW" />{{rp|17}} Short Range sites consist of a single [[AN/FPS-124]] radarsradar, satellite terminals, power generation and fuel systems, and a small emergency shelter that can accommodate 6six people. Some short range stations lack weather stations and UHF Tactical Radios. <ref name="SOW" />{{rp|17-1817–18, 24}}

The [[Distant Early Warning Line|Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line]], constructed in the late 1950s, was reaching obsolescence in the 1980s. With the signing of North American Air Defence Modernization agreement at the "[[Shamrock Summit]]" between Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney|Mulroney]] and President [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] in Quebec City on 18 March 1985, the DEW Line began its eventual upgrading and transition becoming the North Warning System (NWS) of today.

The NWS began limited operation in 1988 with the commissioning and acceptance of the three newly constructed east coast sites BAF-3 [[Brevoort Island]], [[Nunavut]], LAB-2 [[CFS Saglek|Saglek]] and LAB-6 [[Cartwright Long Range Radar Site |Cartwright]], both in [[Labrador]]. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, new NWS LRR radars replaced former DEW Line sites. DEW sites that weren'twere not transitioned to North Warning operation were eventually closed down. The official activation of the NWS and inactivation of the DEW Line took place on 15 July 1993.

The bi-national North Warning System Office (NWSO) is located in Ottawa, Ontario and staffed with both Canadian and American military and civilian personnel. Staffed sites are operated by the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]], but physically staffed by civilian contractors. Logistical and maintenance support for the NWS is supplied by the [[Air Force Materiel Command]] of the [[United States Air Force]], located at [[Ogden Air Logistics Center]] (OO-ALC), [[Hill Air Force Base]], Utah.

The former DEW Line sites were operated using practices and materials accepted by the environmental standards of the time. With their closure and many of them rebuilt as NWS sites, a clean-up project was undertaken to remove surplus infrastructure, treat chemically contaminated soils, and stabilize landfill sites. The clean-up was designed to keep chemical contamination from the DEW Line sites out of the [[Arctic]] food chain, and ensure that the sites are restored to an environmentally safe condition. In 1989, the Canadian [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] (DND) started investigating the environmental conditions of the DEW Line sites and commenced clean-up work at two sites in 1996. The clean-up of 21 sites was scheduled to be completed in 2013. Currently,In 14March sites2014 haveDND been cleaned up andannounced the remaining seven areremediation on-goingproject inwas Nunavutcomplete.

{{kmlgeoGroup|section=Stations}}

| {{anchor|Lady Franklin Point}}Established as DEW Line Auxiliary site, 1957. Was expansive facility with airstrip and dock facility for resupplying. DEW operations ended in 1989; minimally-attended NWS Long Range Radar installed 1989. On 10 January 2000, a fire broke out at the site and burned for several days, destroying most of the site.<ref>[http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/fire_destroys_north_warning_system_radar_station/ Fire destroys North Warning System radar station]</ref> Only the warehouse, hangerhangar, garage and satellite terminals remain. As of November 2020, the site was indefinitely out of commission and without power.<ref name="SOW" />{{rp|18}} Lady Franklin Point LRRS Airport {{Airport codes||CYUJ}} is listed in the [[Canada Flight Supplement]] as abandoned.<ref name="cfs"/>

| {{anchor|Cape Dyer}}Established as DEW Main site in 1957; also known as "Site 41". Was expansive facility with airstrip and dock facility for resupplying. DEW operations ended August 1989; minimally-attended NWS Long Range Radar August1989August 1989. Appears{{where|date=March 2019}} that much of the former DEW site facilities remain in use, buildings appear in good repair. Cape Dyer Airport {{Airport codes||CYVN}} is listed in the [[Canada Flight Supplement]] as abandoned.<ref name="cfs"/>

{{kmlgeoGroup|section=Distant Early Warning Line sites not included}}

The following table lists the DEW Line sites not included in the NWS. Most of these sites not included were Intermediate sites closed in 1963 when they were declared obsolete. The stations consisted of a module train, a warehouse, a vehicle garage, an [[Inuit]] house, POL (''P''etroleum, ''O''il, ''L''ubricant) tanks and a continuous wave radar tower. Others were some Auxiliary sites that were replaced with new NWS stations. DEW Line stations in the [[Aleutian Islands]] of Alaska were inactivated due to budget reductions in 1969. The [[DYE Stations]] in [[Greenland]] and [[Iceland]] were transferred to the USAF [[85th Group|Air Forces Iceland]] in 1980.

The primary DEW line radars were the [[Raytheon]] [[AN/FPS-19]] long range L-Band search radar in Canada and Alaska at main and auxiliary sites; [[Bendix Corporation|Bendix]] [[AN/FPS-30]] at the four Greenland "DYE" radar stations. [[Motorola]] [[AN/FPS-23]] short range search radar was installed at the Intermediate sites, used as fillers to cover any Long Range Radar surveillance gaps.

| {{anchor|Tununuk Camp}}DEW Intermediate Site; closed and abandoned, 1963; site conditionappears isto undeterminedbe remediated.

| {{anchor|Atkinson Point}}DEW Intermediate Site; closed and abandoned, 1963; siteabandoned conditionbuildings isremain undeterminedon site. Replaced by NWS Site Liverpool Bay SRR (BAR-DA1)

| {{anchor|Matheson Point}}DEW Intermediate Site; closed and abandoned, 1963. Clean-up and remediation completed, site has been completely obliterated. Replaced by NWS Site Gjoa Haven SRR (CAM-CB)

| {{anchor|Durban Island}}DEW Intermediate Site; closed and abandoned, 1963. Low resolutionSatellite imagery shows high levels of site,recent conditionactivity isat undeterminedthe site.

| {{anchor|Kulusuk Island}}Parent station was Cape Dyer, NWT, Canada (DYE-Main). Closed 1988. Abandoned. Site badly deteriorated, buildings half covered in snow

{{Reflist|30em}}

* Lackenbauer, Farish, Arthur-Lackenbauer (2005). [httphttps://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/aina/DEWLineBib.pdf Lackenbauer, Farish, Arthur-Lackenbauer (2005), ''The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line: A Bibliography and Documentary Resource List,'']. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220218092017/http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/aina/DEWLineBib.pdf Archived] from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2024. The Arctic Institute of North America]. {{ISBN|1-894788-01-X}} .

* [http://www.tunngavik.com/documents/publications/2007-03-17-NTI-Contaminated-Sites-Devolution-Paper.pdf Contaminated Sites in Nunavut] [https://web.archive.org/web/20230708182512/https://www.tunngavik.com/documents/publications/2007-03-17-NTI-Contaminated-Sites-Devolution-Paper.pdf Archived] from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2024

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130509055446/http://www.norad.mil/about/index.html About NORAD] Public information.

* [http://www.pail.ca/nws.html PAIL Corp.] Public information from PAIL Corp.

* [http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/airdef/an-fps-124.htm Technical Radar Information] NWS Radar information from FAS.

[[Category:MilitaryCanada–United inStates the Arcticrelations]]