A huge buildup of military personnel occurred after World War II (1939–45), as the Cold War with the Soviet Union led the US to establish the Distant Early Warning (DEW) System, Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, and Joint Surveillance System in the area. Later years saw a cutback in personnel, however, from a high of 40,214 in 1962 to 15,906 in 2002, 9,136 of them in the Air Force. Anchorage is the home of both the largest Army base, Fort Richardson, and the largest Air Force base, Elmendorf. In the Aleutians are several Navy facilities and the Shemya Air Force Base. Alaska firms received defense contracts worth $836 million in 2001.
There were 71,552 veterans of US military service in Alaska as of 2000, of whom 5,288 served in World War II; 4,448 in the Korean conflict; 26,148 during the Vietnam era; and 15,320 during 1990–2000 (including the Persian Gulf War). Expenditures on veterans amounted to $196 million in 2002.
The Alaska State Troopers provide police protection throughout the state, except in the larger cities, where municipal police forces have jurisdiction. As of June 2000, the Alaska State Troopers employed 232 full-time sworn officers.