Coastal erosion is threatening Alaska's radar sites, which have played a critical role in national defense since the Cold War. The US Air Force is creating new models to better predict erosion threats to the sites, and has awarded a $1.1m contract to the University of Alaska Anchorage research center to improve estimates for anticipated shoreline loss at two radar sites in northeast Alaska. The stations at Oliktok Point and Barter Island are two of 15 long-range radar sites in the state, originally built in the 1950s to scan the skies for unwanted Soviet aircraft. The erosion has accelerated, and poses increased risk to some of the Air Force's valuable facilities.