…when Russia, not Mexico, was the enemy, the United States and Canada agreed to construct the Distant Early Warning Line (and, unknowingly, inspire one of Canada’s classic rock anthems that would be released thirty years later).

Thus began a system of radar systems in the far northern Arctic region of Canada with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, as well as placements on, or near, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. There was no way Soviet Bombers were going to sneak up on us over the pole or send a land and/or sea invasion using the arctic route!

And while the application was defence, it spurred a lot of investment in radar technology, that our modern control towers rely on, as the project was given a priority rush status and completed in less than 3 years, at a latitude that could only be reached by ships during the summer months, which also resulted in advancements in cross-border and joint logistical operations.