Mapping Moments: The Distant Early Warning System (Episode 1)
Channel: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Date: 2017-09-25

What do you know about one of the Cold War's coldest military outposts?

Get to know the Distant Early Warning Line with our Mapping Moment!

The DEW line (think The Wall in Game of Thrones) was a line of radar outposts initially built as the primary air defense warning line in case of an over-the-pole invasion of North America.

However, after the Soviet Union's adoption of intercontinental ballistic missile systems the radar outposts became obsolete. Throughout its short life, the DEW line demonstrated the importance of international partnerships, sharing technology and the collective effort to know the Earth.