ABSTRACT
The Cold War (1946-89) was a global conflict that prompted the construction of increasingly complex military technological systems spanning large geographic areas. In the early 1950s, the United States constructed an aircraft early-warning radar network across Alaska that extended east along the arctic perimeter of Canada and Iceland. By the end of the decade, when the threat of aircraft carrying nuclear bombs was replaced by the threat of missiles armed with thermonuclear warheads, the United States began constructing a ballistic missile early-warning network to detect inter-continental ballistic missiles launched from the polar regions. In the 1970s, in response to the threat of sea-based ballistic missiles, the United States constructed another radar warning system with coverage for the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf and Caribbean coasts. The design, construction and operation of all of these radar systems represented important technical accomplishments for the United States and contributed significantly to the strategies and outcomes of the Cold War.
