The growth of Soviet long-range aviation in the late s, and the test of a Soviet atomic bomb in , brought Canada and the US for the first time under direct threat of nuclear attack, and hastened closer cooperation in continental defense. In the early s Canada and the US agreed to construct a series of radar stations across North America.
The Pinetree Line provided continuous warning and intercept control from coast to coast. However, low altitude gaps in the line and its shallow coverage remained major system defects. To correct these deficiencies, a joint Canada-US Military Study Group recommended in that two more radar networks be built.
The Mid-Canada Line consisted mainly of Doppler radars which created a microwave radar fence for detection, but not tracking, of low-flying aircraft. The third and most challenging joint air defense undertaking of the s was the construction of a transcontinental line along the 70th parallel about miles north of the Arctic Circle.
Completion of the three-tiered radar defense line gave the population centers of the US and Canada two to three hours warning of bomber attack, sufficient time to identify and intercept the enemy aircraft. Should the enemy have attempted to circumvent the three lines and approach from either the Pacific or Atlantic oceans, they would have encountered offshore barriers composed of airborne early warning aircraft, Navy picket ships, and offshore radar platforms called "Texas Towers.
Joint planning had already been put into practice by the two air defense establishments. In , the Canada-US Military Cooperation Committee prepared an outline plan for emergency defense that included provisions for more detailed plans by the air defense commands in the two countries. Working cooperatively, they produced a detailed air defense plan in and updated it every year thereafter.
However, it became increasingly obvious that the most effective air defense required common operating procedures, deployment according to a single plan, the means for quick decision, and authoritative control of all weapons and actions.
On the basis of these talks, their staffs prepared a plan which called for a combined air defense organization under a single commander. In late , General Earle E. The results again pointed to the establishment of a combined air defense organization. Over the next two years, there were consultations between the military leaders of both countries. On 1 August these talks culminated in an announcement by US and Canada of the establishment of an integrated command that would centralize operational control of all air defense.
The next several years saw a dramatic growth in air defenses. By the early s, a quarter of a million Canadians and US personnel operated a multi-layered and interlocking complex of sites, control centers, manned interceptors, and surface- to-air missiles which constituted a formidable defense against a potential bomber attack.
During the s and s the character of the threat changed as the Soviets focused on creating intercontinental and sea-launched ballistic missiles, and developing an anti-satellite capability. The northern radar warning networks could, as one commentator put it, " The evolving threat broadened NORAD's mission over the years to include tactical warning and assessment of a possible air, missile, or space attack on North America.
Twelve of these buildings are three stories tall; the others are one and two stories. Metal walls and tunnels serve to attenuate electromagnetic pulse EMP. Metal doors at each building entrance serve as fire doors to help contain fire and smoke. Emphasis on the design of the structure is predicated on the effects of nuclear weapons; however, building design also makes it possible for the complex to absorb the shock of earthquakes.
During a nuclear explosion, powerful springs that support the complex can absorb much of the energy. North Portal. Sensors at the North and South Portal entrances will detect overpressure waves from a nuclear explosion, causing the valves to close and protect the complex. The buildings in the complex are mounted on 1, steel springs, each weighing about 1, pounds kg.
The springs allow the complex to move 12 inches 30 cm in any one direction. To make the complex self-sufficient, adequate space in the complex is devoted to support functions. At first Norad was to focus on the dangers posed by bombs dropped by aircraft. But just after the Norad agreement was signed, the Soviets announced they had successfully tested a multi-stage ballistic missile. Then on Oct. The entire concept of tracking and intercepting bombers had become outdated.
American officials give Canada full control over the nearly obsolete radar chain. Major Donald Holts explains the problem of thousands of objects that may one day plummet into the atmosphere. The page you are looking at will not be updated.
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