Editing CFS Alert (section)

===Canadian Forces Station Alert===
The following decade saw a dramatic expansion of the station with a correspondingly greater number of personnel stationed there. The 1 February 1968 [[Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces|unification]] of the RCN, RCAF, and army to form the [[Canadian Armed Forces]] saw Alert Wireless Station change its name to Canadian Forces Station Alert (CFS Alert). Its personnel were no longer drawn from only the air force or navy, but primarily from the [[Communications and Electronics Branch|Canadian Forces Communications Command]].

At its peak, CFS Alert had upwards of 215 personnel posted at any one time. The station became a key asset in the global [[ECHELON]] network of the [[Five Eyes|US-UK-CAN-AUS-NZ intelligence sharing alliance]], with Alert being privy to many secret Soviet communications regarding land-based and sea-based [[Intercontinental ballistic missile|ICBM]] test launches and many operational military deployments.

The first military women to serve in Alert arrived in 1980 as part of the Canadian Forces' Women In Non-Traditional Roles study. After its completion in 1983, women were fully authorized to serve in all roles.<ref name=RCAF/> The first female commanding officer was [[Canadian Armed Forces ranks and insignia|Major]] Cathy Cowan, who took command in January 1996.  The first female Station Warrant Officer (SWO), [[Master warrant officer|Master Warrant Officer]] Renee Hansen, was appointed in December 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brunet|first1=Julie|title=CFS Alert welcomes first female station warrant officer – The Maple Leaf|url=https://ml-fd.caf-fac.ca/en/2018/01/9879?WT.mc_id=20180206DTupdate_ml_eng&WT.mc_id=20180206DTupdate_ml_eng|website=The Maple Leaf|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-date=February 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209182232/https://ml-fd.caf-fac.ca/en/2018/01/9879?WT.mc_id=20180206DTupdate_ml_eng&WT.mc_id=20180206DTupdate_ml_eng|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Budget cuts to the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] (DND) and Canadian Forces in 1994, and modernization of communications equipment, saw CFS Alert downsized to approximately 74 personnel by 1997–1998 when most radio-intercept operations were remotely controlled by personnel at [[CFS Leitrim]]. Remaining personnel are responsible for airfield operations, construction/engineering, food service, and logistical/administrative support. As of 2024, there are about 55 people stationed at CFS Alert, and they consist of military personnel, ECCC and other civilian employees.<ref name=RCAF/> Only six persons are now responsible for actual operations, and control of the facility was passed to DND's Information Management Group following the disbanding of CF Communications Command with force restructuring and cutbacks in the mid-1990s. Several of these personnel are likely also attached to DND's [[Communications Security Establishment]].

With Canada's commitment to the global war on terrorism following the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks]] in New York City and Washington, D.C., CFS Alert has received renewed and increased funding to expand its [[Signals intelligence|SIGINT]] capabilities. On 1 April 2009, the RCAF officially took responsibility for CFS Alert from Canadian Forces Information Operations Group (CFIOG).