Cobra Dane/Missile Defense Agency

A missile-detecting radar array on the remote Aleutian island of Shemya has been spared from sequestration.

Facing half a billion dollars in budget cuts, Reuters reports the Air Force decided earlier this year to reduce operating time for the system in order to save roughly $5 million a year. But last week, General William Shelton announced a reversal of that plan, citing concerns over North Korea.

The 120-foot tall, 95-foot wide Cobra Dane radar can detect objects up to 2,000 miles away.

In a news release, the Air Force says the radar will be under the command of the 21st Space Wing, and will support “missile defense and space situational awareness missions.”

The radar will continue to be operated by civilian contractors working at Eareckson Air Force base on Shemya. The island is at the very western end of the Aleutian Chain, 1500 miles from Anchorage.