The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General conducted an evaluation titled “Evaluation of Sustaining Engineering Actions for the Space Force’s Upgraded Early Warning Radar.” The objective of this evaluation was to determine the extent to which the Space Force implemented sustaining engineering actions to ensure that the Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) was capable, reliable, and available to meet mission requirements while managing risks. Specifically, we determined whether the UEWR program office took sustaining engineering actions that were effective sustainment solutions for the UEWR.
The UEWR mission is to detect and track launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, while conducting general space surveillance and satellite tracking. The UEWR can detect and track multiple targets up to 3,000 miles away and is based on two previous systems, the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System and the PAVE Phased Array Warning System. The UEWR sites are positioned at U.S. and allied nation bases to provide coverage to allow for early warning detection of an incoming ballistic missile threat.