Ground Wave Emergency Network

SRI's Envirotechnical Program supported the Air Force Systems Command implementing its final operational capability (FOC) for the Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN) deployment program. SRI conducted numerous field studies and evaluations to identify suitable site alternatives and prepared National Environmental Policy Act documents tiered off the 1987 GWEN final environmental impact statement. SRI supported U.S. Air Force (USAF) project managers, engineers, and contractors in applying detailed site-selection criteria during a series of desktop map evaluations and in-depth field studies.

After preferred and alternative sites were recommended to the USAF, a detailed environmental assessment was prepared for each of approximately 30 GWEN relay node antenna sites identified during the FOC program. Numerous constraints were considered during this process, including land use compatibility, exposure to low frequency radio waves, aesthetics, copper leaching from the antenna ground plane, and avian mortality due to bird strikes with the antenna tower and guy wires.