Distant Early Warning (DEW) refers to the line of
radar bases in the
Arctic of
North America. With
cooperation from the
United States's
Canadian neighbors, the DEW Line was constructed in the
1950s. The DEW Line was to be the first indication of air or
nuclear missile attack by the
Soviet Union over the
North Pole. The Distant Early Warning Line stretches from the far
West of the US state of
Alaska to the farthest
East of
Greenland. South of the DEW line is the Mid-
Canada line. Roughly along the
United States-Canada border is the
Pinetree System. All these warning systems are connected with the combined
North American Air Defense Command (
NORAD) headquarters at
Ent Air Force Base in
Colorado.
It is the Distant Early Warning Line that detects Santa Claus every Christmas eve, and relays that information to NORAD. Also, when your Army/Air Force commanding officer threatens to assign you to some God-forsaken base deep in the Alaskan tundra... this is where he wants to send you.
Distant Early Warning has become a cultural expression in all of America. It, of course, describes a warning of a grave and serious threat. So when you hear that phrase, you know it comes from the chain of radar bases in the far North.
PS- note the DEW Line references in the Rush lyrics.