CFS Alert

Last updated

CFS Alert
Station des Forces canadiennes Alert
Canadian Forces Station
CFS Alert May 2016.jpg
The station from the south, May 2016
Etymology: Named for HMS Alert
Motto(s): 
Inuit Nunangata Ungata
(English: Beyond the Inuit Land) [1]
Canada Nunavut location map-lambert proj3.svg
Red pog.svg
CFS Alert
Coordinates: 82°29′57″N62°20′45″W / 82.49917°N 62.34583°W / 82.49917; -62.34583 [2]
CountryCanada
Territory Nunavut
Region Qikiqtaaluk
EstablishedSeptember 1, 1958 (1958-09-01)
Elevation
[4]
30 m (100 ft)
Population
 (2021) [5]
 • Total0
 Temporary population
Time zone UTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (EDT)

Canadian Forces Station Alert (French : Station des Forces canadiennes Alert [6] ), often shortened to CFS Alert (SFC Alert), is a signals intelligence intercept facility of the Canadian Armed Forces at Alert, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada.

Contents

Located on the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island, Alert is the northernmost continuously inhabited place in the world. [1] It takes its name from HMS Alert, which wintered 10 km (6.2 mi) east of the present station off what is now Cape Sheridan, Nunavut in 1875–1876. [7]

U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson in front of CFS Alert welcome sign Ambassador Jacobson in Alert, Nunavut.jpg
U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson in front of CFS Alert welcome sign

History

Alert Wireless Station

Alert, then in Canada's Northwest Territories, was first settled April 9, 1950, when the first staff for the Joint Arctic Weather Station (JAWS) arrived and began construction. Since the beginning of the JAWS project, the Canadian military had been interested in the establishment at Alert for several reasons: the JAWS facility extended Canadian sovereignty over a large uninhabited area which Canada claimed as its sovereign territory, and furthermore, its proximity to the Soviet Union made it of strategic importance. Alert is closer to Moscow (c. 4,000 km [2,500 mi]) than it is to the capital Ottawa (c. 4,150 km [2,580 mi]). Thus, the possibility of using the site for intercepting radio signals was deemed to warrant a military presence.

In 1956, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), which was expanding its presence throughout the high Arctic with the construction of the Distant Early Warning Line radar network, established a building uphill from the Department of Transport's JAWS station to house "High Arctic Long Range Communications Research", or signals intelligence operations.

In 1957, Alert Wireless Station was conceived as an intercept facility to be jointly staffed by personnel from the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the RCAF. Five additional buildings were constructed: a mess, three barracks, and a power house and vehicle maintenance building, in addition to the existing operations building, built in 1956. The operations building housed the radio intercept and cryptographic equipment. On 1 September 1958 control of the station was transferred from the RCAF to the Canadian Army and it officially began operations.

Canadian Forces Station Alert

The following decade saw a dramatic expansion of the station with a correspondingly greater number of personnel stationed there. The 1 February 1968 unification of the RCN, RCAF, and army to form the Canadian Armed Forces saw Alert Wireless Station change its name to Canadian Forces Station Alert (CFS Alert). Its personnel were no longer drawn from only the air force or navy, but primarily from the Canadian Forces Communications Command.

At its peak, CFS Alert had upwards of 215 personnel posted at any one time. The station became a key asset in the global ECHELON network of the US-UK-CAN-AUS-NZ intelligence sharing alliance, with Alert being privy to many secret Soviet communications regarding land-based and sea-based ICBM test launches and many operational military deployments.

The first military women to serve in Alert arrived in 1980 as part of the Canadian Forces' Women In Non-Traditional Roles study. After its completion in 1983, women were fully authorized to serve in all roles. [1] The first female commanding officer was Major Cathy Cowan, who took command in January 1996. The first female Station Warrant Officer (SWO), Master Warrant Officer Renee Hansen, was appointed in December 2017. [8]

Budget cuts to the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Forces in 1994, and modernization of communications equipment, saw CFS Alert downsized to approximately 74 personnel by 1997–1998 when most radio-intercept operations were remotely controlled by personnel at CFS Leitrim. Remaining personnel are responsible for airfield operations, construction/engineering, food service, and logistical/administrative support. As of 2024, there are about 55 people stationed at CFS Alert, and they consist of military personnel, ECCC and other civilian employees. [1] Only six persons are now responsible for actual operations, and control of the facility was passed to DND's Information Management Group following the disbanding of CF Communications Command with force restructuring and cutbacks in the mid-1990s. Several of these personnel are likely also attached to DND's Communications Security Establishment.

With Canada's commitment to the global war on terrorism following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., CFS Alert has received renewed and increased funding to expand its SIGINT capabilities. On 1 April 2009, the RCAF officially took responsibility for CFS Alert from Canadian Forces Information Operations Group (CFIOG).

Civilian contractor

As of 13 April 2006 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that station heating costs had risen, leading the military to cut back on support trade positions by using private contractors. [9] By 2008, maintenance operations on station (including food and housekeeping services, vehicle maintenance, power plant operation, and heating, electrical, and plumbing) had been transferred to a civilian contractor. The contract was initially awarded to Canadian Base Operators (CBO), a subsidiary of Black & McDonald. In 2012, the contract was won by Nasittuq, a subsidiary of ATCO.

Facilities and infrastructure

Main building

The main building consists of five halls; Churchill Hall contains the administrative and main amenities on the station, such as a gathering area called the "beach", a dining room called Igloo Gardens, library, barber shop, radio station, post office, and a store. Chimo, Ladner, and Whitehorse halls are the three barrack blocks, which each barrack block containing three sections. Polaris Hall contains the operations branch. All halls and barrack blocks are connected by a linkway. Because of the cold climate, the doors leading in and out of the main building are the same as those for walk-in refrigerators. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFB Shearwater</span> Airport in Shearwater, Nova Scotia

Shearwater Heliport, formerly known as Canadian Forces Base Shearwater and commonly referred to as CFB Shearwater and formerly named HMCS Shearwater, is a Canadian Forces facility located 4.5 nautical miles east southeast of Shearwater, Nova Scotia, on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Following a base rationalization program in the mid-1990s, the Canadian Forces closed CFB Shearwater as a separate Canadian Forces base and realigned the property's various facilities into CFB Halifax. These include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alert, Nunavut</span> Weather station and military facility in Nunavut, Canada

Alert, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada, is the northernmost continuously inhabited place in the world, on Ellesmere Island at latitude 82°30'05" north, 817 km (508 mi) from the North Pole. It takes its name from HMS Alert, which wintered 10 km (6.2 mi) east of the present station, off what is now Cape Sheridan, in 1875–1876.

Canadian Forces Station Debert was a Canadian Forces station located in Debert, Nova Scotia. It was most recently used during the Cold War as a communications facility and was home to a "Regional Emergency Government Headquarters" (REGH) complex, more commonly known by their nickname "Diefenbunker."

Debert is an unincorporated farming community in Nova Scotia, Canada. Located in the central-western part of Colchester County, it is approximately 20 km (12 mi) west of Truro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Forces base</span> Military installation of the Canadian Armed Forces

A Canadian Forces base or CFB is a military installation of the Canadian Armed Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces base, it must station one or more major units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boundary Bay Airport</span> Airport in Delta, British Columbia

Boundary Bay Airport or Vancouver/Boundary Bay Airport is located beside Boundary Bay and 2.5 nautical miles east of Ladner in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, 8.5 NM south southeast of Vancouver and close to the Point Roberts-Boundary Bay border crossing. The airport, which opened on July 11, 1983, serves mostly general aviation and includes facilities for aircraft maintenance, flight training and parking. In 2020 and 2021, Boundary Bay airport was ranked as the busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resolute, Nunavut</span> Place in Nunavut, Canada

Resolute or Resolute Bay is an Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is situated at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage and is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Forces Station Ladner</span> Airport in Delta, British Columbia

Canadian Forces Station Ladner is a former military airfield and communications station located beside Boundary Bay and 2.5 nautical miles east of Ladner in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, south of Vancouver and close to the U.S. border. After its closure it was reopened as Boundary Bay Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resolute Bay Airport</span> Airport in Nunavut, Canada

Resolute Bay Airport is located at Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the government of Nunavut. It is one of the northernmost airfields in Canada to receive scheduled passenger airline service.

Operation Hurricane is an annual month-long technical maintenance mission conducted by Canadian Forces personnel in the Canadian Arctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFB Trenton</span> Canadian Forces base

Canadian Forces Base Trenton, formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hub for air transport operations in Canada and abroad. Its primary RCAF lodger unit is 8 Wing, commonly referred to as 8 Wing Trenton. CFB Trenton is Canada's largest Air Force base and most southerly air base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFS Leitrim</span>

Canadian Forces Station Leitrim, also referred to as CFS Leitrim, is a Canadian Forces Station located in the neighbourhood of Leitrim in Ottawa, Ontario. It is concerned with the interception, decrypting and processing of communication for the Communications Security Establishment and the Canadian Forces, and forms part of the ECHELON system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFB Gander</span> Canadian Forces base in Newfoundland and Labrador

Canadian Forces Base Gander, is a Canadian Forces base located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is home to search and rescue operations that cover a vast swath of the western North Atlantic and southern Arctic and a Canadian Coastal Radar station amongst other things. It is home to 9 Wing Gander.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFS Saglek</span> Canadian Forces Air Command radar base

Canadian Forces Station Saglek is a Royal Canadian Air Force radar base in the former Pinetree Line and currently part of the North Warning System, located near Saglek Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador, 367.7 miles (591.8 km) north-northwest of CFB Goose Bay.

Canadian Forces Base Uplands was a Canadian Forces Base located in Ottawa, Ontario. Most of the land which formed the base was transferred to the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport after the base was closed in the 1990s. Several military units continue to exist at the former base and the Canadian Forces continues to maintain military housing at the site. The former base is now known formally as "Canadian Forces Support Unit (Ottawa) - Uplands Site."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanisivik Naval Facility</span> Proposed naval base in Nunavut

The Nanisivik Naval Facility is a Canadian Forces naval facility on Baffin Island, Nunavut. The station is built at the former lead-zinc mine site near the former company town of Nanisivik. The facility was undergoing final testing in mid-2019. Full operational capability had been expected to be achieved by mid-2020 with the first refuelling of a Royal Canadian Navy ship. However, in July 2020 it was confirmed that work on the facility would not be completed until 2022. On 30 March 2022, it was reported that the completion of the facility would be further delayed to 2023. Then in November 2022, the Auditor General of Canada reported that the facility would start to be used by the navy regularly beginning in 2025.

Canadian Forces Station Sydney, also known as CFS Sydney, is a former Canadian Forces Station located in the community of Lingan Road, Nova Scotia.

RCAF Station St. Margarets is a former Royal Canadian Air Force station and later a Canadian Forces detachment located in the community of St. Margarets, New Brunswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFS Ramore</span> US radar station in Ontario, Canada 1953–1974

Canadian Forces Station Ramore is a closed General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Ramore, Ontario. It was closed in 1974. It was operated as part of the Pinetree Line network controlled by NORAD. It has since been sold and is now private property.

Canadian Forces Station Moisie, also known as CFS Moisie, is a former Canadian Forces Station located in the community of Moisie, Quebec.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Canadian Forces Station Alert". Royal Canadian Air Force. February 27, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  2. ↑ "CFS Alert". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
  3. "CFS Alert". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
  4. ↑ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  5. ↑ "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table - Qikiqtaaluk, Unorganized, Unorganized (NO) Nunavut [Census subdivision]". February 1, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  6. ↑ Station des Forces canadiennes Alert
  7. ↑ "A History of the Canadian Coast Guard and Marine Services". Archived from the original on September 28, 2009.
  8. ↑ Brunet, Julie. "CFS Alert welcomes first female station warrant officer – The Maple Leaf". The Maple Leaf. Government of Canada. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Costly fuel prompts cuts at northern military station". CBC News . April 13, 2006. Archived from the original on April 14, 2006. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  10. ↑ "CFS Alert HAPs Tour 1996", YouTube , retrieved July 13, 2022
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.