It is the ability to sense, detect, and judge potential hostile action. This is usually done by monitoring a region's activities and using multiple sensors like radar, radio, telemetry, and radar-based firecontrol systems.
Many sensors are used in military warning. However, the outputs of these sensors, which are complicated and multifaceted, can be complex. These sensors include cameras, telescopes, heat-sensing and low-light-level equipment, radar, acoustic and seismic detection devices, as also computers that summarize and condense the data.
Ground-based radars have been used for military warning in the past. However, the development of airborne early warning systems has supplanted ground-based detection as the primary means of detecting hostile activity.
Airborne early warning radars are used most often to locate and track aircraft equipped with ballistic weapons. Over the years, technology has advanced significantly in these radars.
Modern airborne radars have the ability to track all types of targets: ships, missiles from ground bases and aircraft. They provide a high degree of accuracy and resolution, as well as an extended line-of-sight to the horizon.
In addition to a wide range of radars, today's military warning system is also based on a sophisticated network of communication and information-processing equipment that allows for a seamless exchange of data from the sensor to the decision maker. This is an essential component of any military alert system as it gives commanders the time they need to make decisions and take action.
A military warning system's other components include command and control systems, which allow a team of soldiers to coordinate their efforts in case of conflict. In addition, the system must be able to quickly disseminate information about potential dangers to personnel and other assets, such as ammunition and fuel depots.
A warning system can be either short-term, strategic, or tactical. In a short-term alert, hostilities are perceived as imminent and immediate action is taken. In a strategic warning, the threat of an attack is perceived and a more comprehensive plan for countering it is implemented.
The DEW Line, an early warning system that was designed to monitor Soviet bombers equipped with nuclear weapons passing over the North Pole in 1954, has been the most reliable and effective. To detect Soviet bombers heading towards the United States, the DEW Line relies on a variety of stations. It starts in Alaska and stretches across northern Canada to Greenland.
This system proved to have been a significant factor in preventing Soviet attack during the Cold War. American military planners had only eight minutes notice prior to the Soviets' nuclear-missile strikes. This 8-minute response time allowed the construction of plans for evacuation and to prevent any damage from a US nuclear strike.