Misplaced Pages

Pituffik Space Base
Near Qaanaaq, Avannaata in Greenland
Aerial view of Pituffik Space Base with Saunders Island in the background and the tombolo on the right
Shield of Space Base Delta 1
Pituffik Space BaseLocation in GreenlandShow map of GreenlandPituffik Space BaseLocation in the Arctic CircleShow map of Arctic
Coordinates	76°31′52″N 68°42′11″W / 76.53111°N 68.70306°W / 76.53111; -68.70306 (Pituffik Space Base)
Type	US Space Force base
Site information
Operator	United States Space Force
Controlled by	Space Base Delta 1
Condition	Operational
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)
In use	1943–present
Events	B-52 crash (1968)
Garrison information
Garrison	821st Space Base Group
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: THU, ICAO: BGTL, WMO: 042020
Elevation	76.5 metres (251 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 08T/26T 3,047 metres (9,997 ft) Asphalt
Source: Danish AIS

Pituffik Space Base (/biːduːˈfiːk/ bee-doo-FEEK; Greenlandic: [pitufːik]; IATA: THU, ICAO: BGTL), formerly Thule Air Base (/tuːliː/ or /tuːleɪ/), is a United States Space Force base located on the northwest coast of Greenland. It is the northernmost installation of the U.S. Armed Forces, 1,210 km (750 mi) north of the Arctic Circle and 1,524 km (947 mi) from the North Pole. Pituffik's Arctic environment includes icebergs in North Star Bay, two islands (Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Island), a polar ice sheet, and Wolstenholme Fjord. The base is home to a substantial portion of the global network of missile warning sensors of Space Delta 4, and space surveillance and space control sensors of Space Delta 2, providing space awareness and advanced missile detection capabilities to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the United States Space Force, and joint partners.

Pituffik Space Base is also home to the 821st Space Base Group and is responsible for space base support within the Pituffik Defense Area for the multinational population of "Team Pituffik". The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron (12 SWS) which operates a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) designed to detect and track ICBMs launched against North America. The base is also host to Detachment 1 of the 23rd Space Operations Squadron, part of the Space Delta 6's global satellite control network. The airfield's 3,000 m (10,000 ft) runway handles more than 3,000 US and international flights per year. The base is also home to the northernmost deep water port in the world. To assist with port operations, Pituffik is home to the only tugboat in the Department of the Air Force. In the summertime, the 71-foot tugboat escorts fuel tankers and cargo ships, aligns them with the pier, and moves icebergs out of the way as vessels enter North Star Bay. The tugboat is also used for sightseeing tours of the surrounding bays and fjords during the summer. In the winter, it is hauled onto shore. In 2020, the tugboat was used to save a sinking ship and its crew of six 50 kilometers south of base, towing the distressed ship back to the port at Pituffik.

Pituffik Space Base has served as the regional hub for nearby installations, including Cape Atholl (LORAN station), Camp Century (Ice Cap Camp), Camp TUTO (Ice Cap Approach Ramp and Airstrip), Sites 1 and 2 (Ice Cap Radar Stations), P-Mountain (radar and communications site), J-Site (BMEWS), North and South Mountains (research sites), and a research rocket firing site. It also was essential in the construction and resupply of High Arctic weather stations, including CFS Alert (Alert Airport) and Station Nord.

History

Location and original population

In 1818, Sir John Ross's expedition made first contact with nomadic Inuktun in the area. James Saunders's expedition aboard HMS North Star was marooned in North Star Bay in 1849–50 and named landmarks. Robert Peary built a support station by a protected harbor at the foot of iconic Mount Dundas in 1892. It served as a base camp for his expeditions and attracted a permanent population. In 1910 explorer Knud Rasmussen established a missionary and trading post there. He called the site "Thule" after classical ultima Thule; the Inuit called it Umanaq ("heart-shaped"), and the site is commonly called "Dundas" today. The United States abandoned its territorial claims in the area in 1917 in connection with the purchase of the Virgin Islands. Denmark assumed control of the village in 1937.

A cluster of huts known as Pituffik ("the place the dogs are tied") stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951; a main base street was named Pituffik Boulevard. The population was forcibly relocated to Thule. Later in 1953, the USAF planned to construct an air defense site near that village, and in order to limit contact with soldiers, the Danish government again relocated 130 inhabitants of "Old Thule", settling them 97 km (60 mi) north in a newly constructed village also named Thule (colloquially "New Thule", now Qaanaaq).

In a Danish Supreme Court judgment of 28 November 2003, the move was considered an expropriative intervention. During the proceedings it was recognized by the Danish government that the movement was a serious interference and an unlawful act against the local population. The Thule tribe was awarded damages of 500,000 kroner, and the individual members of the tribe who had been exposed to the transfer were granted compensation of 15,000 or 25,000 each. A Danish radio station continued to operate at Dundas, and the abandoned houses remained. The USAF only used that site for about a decade, and it has since returned to civilian use.

Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport. USAAF Colonel Bernt Balchen, who built Sondrestrom Air Base, knew Rasmussen and his idea. Balchen led a flight of two Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats to Thule on 24 August 1942 and then sent a report advocating an air base to USAAF chief Henry "Hap" Arnold. However, the 1951 air base site is a few kilometers inland from the original 1946 airstrip and across the bay from the historical Thule settlement, to which it is connected by an ice road. The joint Danish-American defense area, designated by treaty, also occupies considerable inland territory in addition to the air base itself.

World War II

After the German occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, Henrik Kauffmann, Danish Ambassador to the United States, made an agreement "In the name of the king" with the United States, authorizing the United States to defend the Danish colonies on Greenland from German aggression – this agreement faced Kauffmann with a charge of high treason by the protectorate Government. The first US-sponsored installations at Thule were established after the US Secretary of State Cordell Hull and the defected Danish Minister to the United States Henrik Kauffmann signed The Agreement relating to the Defense of Greenland in Washington, D.C., on the symbolically chosen date of 9 April 1941. The treaty, denounced by the Danish government, allowed the United States to operate military bases in Greenland "for as long as there is agreement" that the threat to North America existed. Beginning in the summer of 1941, the US Coast Guard and the War Department established weather and radio stations at Narsarsuaq Airport (Bluie West-1), Sondrestrom Air Base (Bluie West-8), Ikateq (Bluie East Two), and Gronnedal (Bluie West-9). In 1943 the Army Air Forces set up weather stations Scoresbysund (Bluie East-3) on the east coast around the southern tip of Greenland, and Thule (Bluie West-6) to be operated by Danish personnel. Many other sites were set up, but BW-6, isolated in the far North, was then of very minor importance.

Joint weather station

After liberation, Denmark ratified the Kauffmann treaty but began efforts to take over US installations. Nonetheless, in summer 1946, the radio and weather station was enhanced with a gravel airstrip and an upper-air (balloon) observatory. This was part of an American-Canadian initiative to construct joint weather stations in the High Arctic. This station was under joint US-Danish operation. The location changed from the civilian village at Thule (Dundas) to mainland Pituffik. In 1946–1951, the airstrip played an important role in Arctic resupply, aerial mapping, research, and search-and rescue.

The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag must be side by side with the US national flag on the base.

Modern air base

In 1949, Denmark joined NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases. By the outbreak of the Korean War next year, the USAF embarked on a global program of base-building in which Thule (at the time) would be considered the crown jewel owing to its location across the Pole from the USSR, as well as its merit of being the northernmost port to be reliably resupplied by ship. Thule became a key point in American nuclear retaliation strategy. Strategic Air Command (SAC) bombers flying over the Arctic presented less risk of early warning than using bases in the United Kingdom. Defensively, Thule could serve as a base for intercepting bomber attacks along the northeastern approaches to Canada and the US.

A board of Air Force officers headed by Gordon P. Saville made a recommendation to pursue a base at Thule in November 1950. It was subsequently supported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and approved by President Truman. To replace the agreement entered into during World War II between the US and Denmark, a new agreement with respect to Greenland was ratified on 27 April 1951 (effective on 8 June 1951). At the request of NATO, the agreement became a part of the NATO defense program. The pact specified that the two nations would arrange for the use of facilities in Greenland by NATO forces in defense of the NATO area known as the Greenland Defense Area.

Thule Air Base was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952. Construction for Thule Air Base began in 1951 and was completed in 1953. The construction of Thule is said to have been comparable in scale to the enormous effort required to build the Panama Canal. The United States Navy transported the bulk of men, supplies, and equipment from the naval shipyards in Norfolk, Virginia. On 6 June 1951 an armada of 120 ships sailed from Naval Station Norfolk. On board were 12,000 men and 300,000 tons of cargo. They arrived at Thule on 9 July 1951. Construction, aided by continuous daylight in summer, took place around the clock. The workers lived on board the ships until quarters were built. Once they moved into the quarters, the ships returned home.

On 16 June 1951, the base was accidentally discovered by French cultural anthropologist and geographer Jean Malaurie and his Inuit friend Kutikitsoq, on their way back from the geomagnetic North Pole.

Strategic Air Command

Originally established as a Strategic Air Command installation, Thule would periodically serve as a dispersal base for B-36 Peacemaker and B-47 Stratojet aircraft during the 1950s, as well as providing an ideal site to test the operability and maintainability of these weapon systems in extreme cold weather. Similar operations were also conducted with B-52 Stratofortress aircraft in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1954, the 378 m (1,240 ft) Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain. At the time of its completion it was the third tallest human-made structure on earth and the tallest structure north of the Arctic Circle in the Western hemisphere.

In the winter of 1956-1957, three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses. Five KC-97s prepared for flight with engines running in temperatures of −46 °C (−50 °F) in order to ensure three could achieve airborne status. After a two-hour head start, a B-47 would catch up with them at the northeast coastline of Greenland where two would offload fuel to top off the B-47's tanks (the third was an air spare). The B-47 would then fly seven hours of reconnaissance, while the tankers would return to Thule, refuel, and three would again fly to rendezvous with the returning B-47 at northeast Greenland. The B-47 averaged ten hours and 4,500 km (2,800 mi) in the air, unless unpredictable weather closed Thule. In that case the three tankers and the B-47 had to additionally fly to one of three equidistant alternates: England, Alaska, or Labrador. All of this sometimes took place in moonless, 24-hour Arctic darkness, December through February. These flights demonstrated the capabilities of the US Strategic Air Command to Soviet Anti-Air Defense.

In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 240 km (150 mi) from the base. Carved into the ice, and powered by a nuclear reactor, PM-2A Camp Century was officially a scientific research base, but in reality was the site of the top secret Project Iceworm. The camp operated from 1959 until 1967.

In the late 1950s, the DEW 1 to 4 were built as "weather stations". Thule Air Base would act as a supply station for the DYE bases.

Aerospace defense

In 1957 construction began on four Nike Missile sites around the base, and they and their radar systems were operational by the end of 1958.

In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) radar was constructed at "J-Site", 21 km (13 mi) northeast of main base. BMEWS was developed by the RCA Corporation in order to provide North America warning of a transpolar missile attack from the Russian mainland and submarine-launched missiles from the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. At this time, Thule was at its peak with a population of about 10,000. Starting in July 1965, there was a general downsizing of activities at Thule. The base host unit, the 4683d Air Defense Wing, was discontinued. By January 1968, the population of Thule was down to 3,370. On 21 January 1968, a B-52G bomber carrying four nuclear weapons crashed just outside Thule – see below.

Thule is the location where the fastest recorded sea level surface wind speed in the world was measured, when a peak speed of 333 km/h (207 mph) was recorded on 8 March 1972, immediately prior to the instrument's destruction.

Air Force Space Command from 1982 to 2019

Thule became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982. Today Thule is home to the 821st Air Base Group, which exercises air base support responsibilities within the Thule Defense Area. The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron (21st Operations Group, 21st Space Wing), a Ballistic Missile Early Warning Site designed to detect and track ICBMs launched against North America. Missile warning and space surveillance information flows to NORAD command centers located at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. Thule is also host to Detachment 1 of the 23rd Space Operations Squadron, part of the 50th Space Wing's global satellite control network, as well as operating many new weapons systems. In addition, the airfield boasts a 3,047 by 42 m (9,997 by 138 ft) asphalt runway, with 3,000 US and international flights per year.

A delegation from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly visited Thule in early September 2010 and were told by the base commander that, at that time (summer), approximately 600 personnel were serving at Thule, a mix of mostly US and Danish active duty personnel and contractors.

There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base. The US sends one heavy supply ship each summer in what is called Operation Pacer Goose.

Transfer to Space Force

In 2020, Thule Air Base was formally transferred to the United States Space Force. On 6 April 2023, Thule was renamed Pituffik Space Base, reflecting its status as a Space Force base and the native name for the region.

Major commands to which assigned

• Northeast Air Command, 1 July 1951 – 1 April 1957
• Strategic Air Command

  Eighth Air Force, 1 April 1957 – 1 July 1960

• Air Defense Command (later redesignated Aerospace Defense Command) 15 January 1968, 1 July 1960 – 1 December 1979
• Strategic Air Command, 1 December 1979 – 30 September 1992
• Air Force Space Command, 30 September 1992 – 20 December 2019
• United States Space Force, 20 December 2019 – Present

Major air and space units assigned

Sources for major commands and major units assigned:

Major Army units assigned

• 4th Battalion, 55th Artillery, 1 Sep 1958 – 20 Dec 1965. (Nike)
• 7th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, 1 July 1955 – 20 December 1965 (Redesignated 7th Artillery Group 20 March 1958)

Remote tracking station

Thule Tracking Station (TTS) is operated by Pituffik Space Base, using the callsign POGO. The station 76°30′57″N 68°36′0″W / 76.51583°N 68.60000°W / 76.51583; -68.60000) is a U.S. Space Force installation in Greenland, near the base, and has a Remote Tracking Station (callsign: Polar Orbiting Geophysical Observatory (POGO)) of the Satellite Control Network.

It was originally the classified 6594th Test Wing's Operating Location 5 designated by Air Force Systems Command on 15 October 1961: the station was operational on 30 March 1962, with "transportable antenna vans parked in an old Strategic Air Command bomb assembly building." The permanent RTS equipment was emplaced in 1964, and a communications terminal was emplaced on Pingarssuit Mountain—Thule Site N-32 (moved to Thule Site J in 1983.

Based units

Notable units based at Pituffik Space Base:

United States Space Force

Space Operations Command

• Space Base Delta 1
  • 821st Space Base Group
    • 821st Support Squadron
    • 821st Security Forces Squadron
• Space Delta 4
  • 12th Space Warning Squadron
• Space Delta 6
  • 23rd Space Operations Squadron
    • Detachment 1

Accidents

C-124 plane crash (1954)

In 1954, a Douglas C-124C Globemaster II operated by the US Air Force crashed on approach to the air base, killing ten people.

B-52 nuclear bomber crash (1968)

On 21 January 1968, a B-52G Stratofortress from the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing, Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York, on a secret airborne nuclear alert crashed and burned on the ice near Thule Air Base. The impact detonated the high explosives in the primary units of all four of the B28 nuclear bombs it carried, but nuclear and thermonuclear reactions did not take place due to the PAL and fail-safe mechanisms in the weapons, thus preventing the actual detonation of the weapons themselves. The resulting fire caused extensive radioactive contamination. More than 700 Danish civilians and US military personnel worked under hazardous conditions, the former without protective gear, to clean up the nuclear waste. In 1987, nearly 200 of the Danish workers tried unsuccessfully to sue the United States. Kaare Ulbak, chief consultant to the Danish National Institute of Radiation Hygiene, said Denmark had carefully studied the health of the Thule workers and found no evidence of increased mortality or cancer.

The Pentagon maintained that all four weapons had been destroyed. Although many of the details of the accident are still classified, some information was released by the US authorities under the Freedom of Information Act. After reviewing these files, an investigative reporter from BBC News claimed in May 2007 that the USAF was unable to account for one of the weapons. In 2009, the assertions of the BBC were refuted by a Danish report after a review of the available declassified documentation.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines

As of 2010, one airline provided commercial service to Pituffik.

Cargo shipping

Ocean transportation is provided by Schuyler Line Navigation Company, a US flag ocean carrier. Schuyler Line operates under government contract to supply sustainment and building supplies to the base.

Climate

Pituffik has a tundra climate (ET) with long, severely cold winters lasting most of the year and short and cool summers. Precipitation is very low year round, but peaks during summer. The structures of the base are built on permafrost which makes them vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

See also

• Etah, Greenland
• Annoatok
• Eastern Air Defense Force (Air Defense Command)
• Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, an American naval base in Cuba with a similar lease agreement
• Thule people
• Kee Bird
• Camp Fistclench
• Camp Century
• Gerald Gustafson

Further reading

• Maria Ackrén. 2019. "From bilateral to trilateral agreement: The case of Thule Air Base." Arctic Yearbook 2019.

References

1. Greenland AIP for BGTL – Thule Air Base Archived 31 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine from Naviair
2. ^ Dillon, Connie (6 April 2023). "Thule Air Base Gets New Name". Space Force News. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
3. "821st Air Base Group". Peterson Air Force Base. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
4. Roza, David. "Why the Air Force's Only Tugboat Lives on a Space Force Base". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
5. Swartzell, Griffin. "Thule Air Base coordinates ship rescue, saves 6". United States Space Force. United States Space Force Public Affairs. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
6. "Icy Imprisonment: The 1849 Voyage of the HMS North Star". 3 September 2014.
7. Gilberg, Rolf. "Thule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
8. Bo Lidegaard: I Kongens Navn (In the Name of the King). Copenhagen, 2013
9. "Groundhogs, Iceworms, and a New View of the North".
10. Malaurie, Jean (5 April 1996). Les derniers rois de Thulé. Plon, collection Terre Humaine. ISBN 9782259184670. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
11. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Thule Air Base/Camp Century information, verified 31 August 2008
12. "FAQ: Tornado history, climatology". USA Today. 1 November 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
13. "Two of Thule's Extreme Storms". Air Force Weather Observer. Air Force Weather Agency. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
14. NATO Parliamentary Assembly, press release 6 September 2010, 30 August – 4 September 2010, Visit to Denmark, Greenland and Iceland Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine see "full report"; accessed 26 September 2010.
15. Choi, April (9 July 2010). "Ship Heads to Greenland for Once-a-Year Supply Trip". Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
16. "Units of the 21st Space Wing | USAF | Peterson Air Force Base". www.peterson.af.mil. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007.
17. "Units of the 21st Space Wing | USAF | Peterson Air Force Base". www.peterson.af.mil.
18. Fletcher, Harry R. (1989) Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6
19. "USAFHRA Document 00460649".
20. "USAFHRA Document 00461736".
21. ^ Morgan, Mark; Berhow, Mark A. (2002). Rings of Supersonic Steel: Air Defenses of the United States Army 1950–1979: an Introductory History and Site Guide. Bodega Bay, California: Hole in the Head Press. p. 168. ISBN 9780615120126.
22. ^ Thule Air Base, Greenland (PDF) (Report). MilitaryOneSource.mil. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
23. Fletcher, Harry R. Air Force Bases (PDF) (Report). Vol. II: Air Bases Outside the United States of America. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
24. "Pituffik SB, Greenland". Space Base Delta 1. US Space Force. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
25. "Accident description" Aviation Safety Network. Accessed 13 October 2016
26. "US B-52 nuclear bomber crash in Greenland 51 years ago has ill Danes seeking compensation". Fox News. 3 June 2019. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
27. ^ Corera, Gordon (10 November 2008). "Mystery of lost US nuclear bomb". BBC News. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
28. Schwartz, Stephen (1998). "Broken Arrows: The Palomares and Thule Accidents". The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project. Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
29. Kristensen, Hans (2004). "Denmark's Thulegate: U.S. Nuclear Operations in Greenland". Nukestrat.com. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
30. Mulvey, Stephen (11 May 2007). "Denmark challenged over B52 crash". BBC News. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
31. Christensen, Svend Aage (3 August 2009). "The Marshal's Baton. There is no bomb, there was no bomb, they were not looking for a bomb". Danish Institute for International Studies. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
32. ^ "Air Greenland, Departures and Arrivals". Archived from the original on 9 March 2010.
33. "RAL tabte: Pituffik-kontrakt til USA-rederi". 21 March 2019.
34. Jensen-Petersen, Natasha (26 February 2023). "This Arctic US Air Base Has Its Eyes on Russia. But Climate is a Bigger Threat". Inside Climate News. Retrieved 27 February 2023.

Other sources

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
•  This article incorporates public domain material from 821st Air Base Group. United States Air Force.
• Balchen, Bernt. Come North With Me. EP Dutton, New York, 1958.
• Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ISBN 0-912799-02-1).
• Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History 1984. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• Fletcher, Harry R. (1989) Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6

External links

• Pituffik SB, Greenland — Space Base Delta 1
• www.thule.af.mil (original website)
• Accident history for THU at Aviation Safety Network
• The Ultimate Guide to Thule Air Base
• Joergen Dragsdahl (2005) US-Danish politics on Thule Air Base: A few dilemmas bypassed in Denmark and Greenland

Photos

• Greenland Photos and Stories from Thule Air Base
• The short film Big Picture: Arctic Night is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
• The short film Big Picture: Operation Blue Jay is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.

weather

• Current weather conditions at Thule Air Base, Greenland
• Current weather for BGTL at NOAA/NWS
• Thule weather CCTV feed

v t e United States Space Force
Leadership	Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Air Force Under Secretary of the Air Force Space Staff Chief of Space Operations Vice Chief of Space Operations Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Director of Staff Deputy Chiefs of Space Operations General Officers Generals Lieutenant Generals Oversight House Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces subcommittee Senate Committee on Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee
Structure	Field commands Space Futures Command Space Operations Command Commander Space Systems Command Commander Space Training and Readiness Command Commander Component Field Commands United States Space Forces Central United States Space Forces Europe and Africa United States Space Forces Indo-Pacific United States Space Forces Korea United States Space Forces – Space Deltas Space Delta 1 Mission Delta 2 Mission Delta 3 Mission Delta 4 Space Delta 5 Space Delta 6 Space Delta 7 Space Delta 8 Space Delta 9 Space Delta 10 Space Delta 11 Space Delta 12 Space Delta 13 Space Delta 15 Space Delta 18 Space Delta 21 Space Delta 23 Space Delta 26 Space Launch Delta 30 Mission Delta 31 Space Launch Delta 45 Space Base Delta 1 Space Base Delta 2 Space Base Delta 3 Squadrons 1st Delta Operations 319th Combat Training 328th Weapons 392d Combat Training 533rd Training 21st Operations Support 15th Space Surveillance 18th Space Defense 19th Space Defense 20th Space Surveillance 3rd Combat Training 4th EW 5th EW 16th EW 23rd EW 2nd Space Warning 3rd satellite Communications 5th Space Warning 6th Space Warning 7th Space Warning 10th Space Warning 11th Space Warning 12th Space Warning 13th Space Warning 55th Combat Training 21st Space Operations 22nd Space Operations 23rd Space Operations 62nd Cyberspace 63rd Cyberspace 64th Cyberspace 65th Cyberspace 68th Cyberspace 69th Cyberspace 645th Cyberspace 71st ISR 72nd ISR 73rd ISR 74th ISR 75th ISR 76th ISR 1st Space Operations 2nd Navigation Warfare 3rd Space Operations 4th Space Operations 10th Space Operations 53rd Space Operations 527th Space Aggressor 1st Test and Evaluation 3rd Test and Evaluation 17th Test and Evaluation 25th Space Range 2nd Space Launch 5th Space Launch 1st Range Operations NSSI Direct reporting units Space Development Agency Space Rapid Capabilities Office Space Warfighting Analysis Center
Locations	Space Force Bases Buckley Los Angeles Patrick Peterson Schriever Vandenberg Space Bases Pituffik Space Force Stations Cape Canaveral Cape Cod Cavalier Cheyenne Mountain Clear Kaena Point New Boston
Personnel and training	Astronauts Awards and decorations Badges Ranks Training Academy Reserve Officer Training Corps Officer Training School Basic Military Training Uniforms
History and traditions	Delta Flag History Seal "Semper Supra" Air & Space Forces Association Space Force Association Former wings and deltas 21st Space Wing 50th Space Wing 460th Space Wing Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional)

v t e Space Operations Command
Air Forces	Fourteenth (Strategic)
Centers	Space and Missile Systems Space Innovation and Development 614th Air and Space Operations
Bases	Buckley Los Angeles Patrick Peterson Schriever Thule Vandenberg
Stations	Cape Canaveral Cape Cod Cavalier Cheyenne Mountain Clear Eldorado (closed) Kaena Point New Boston Onizuka (closed)
Space wings	21st 30th 45th 50th 310th 460th
Air Base groups	61st 821st Air Base Group
Squadrons	Command and Control 1st 2d 3d 4th 55th Mobile 119th 153d 222d 721st Mobile Space Control 1st 4th 16th 20th 25th 76th 380th Space Launch 1st 2nd 3d Space Launch Squadron 4th 5th Space Operations 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 19th 21st 22d 23d 111th 148th AFSPC Space Warning 2nd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 137th 213th Others 26th Space Aggressor (AFRC) 527th Space Aggressor (ACC) 3d Space Communications 50th Space Communications 850th Space Communications 1st Space Development Squadron 2d Space Development Squadron 3d Space Development Squadron 3rd Space Experimentation 1st Space Surveillance 3d Space Surveillance 5th Space Surveillance 1st Air and Space Test 2d Test Operations Squadron 3d Space Test Squadron 4th Space Test Squadron 55th Space Weather

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v t e Strategic Air Command (SAC) Bases active (MAJCOM) CONUS Altus (AETC) Andersen (PACAF) Andrews (AMC) Barksdale (ACC) Beale (ACC) Bolling (AFDW) Cannon (AFSOC) Cape Cod (USSF) Columbus (AETC) Davis-Monthan (ACC) Dyess (ACC) Eielson (PACAF) Ellsworth (ACC) Eglin (AFMC) F. E. Warren (AFGSC) Fairchild (AMC) Forbes (ANG) Grand Forks (AMC) Grissom (AFRC) Homestead (AFRC) Lincoln (ANG) Little Rock (AETC) MacDill (AMC) Malmstrom (AFGSC) March (AFRC) McChord (AMC) McConnell (AMC) McGuire (AMC) Minot (ACC) Mountain Home (ACC) Nellis (ACC) Offutt (ACC) Patrick (USSF) Pease (ANG) Rickenbacker (ANG) Robins (AFMC) Seymour Johnson (ACC) Sheppard (AETC) Selfridge (ANG) Travis (AMC) Vandenberg (USSF) Westover (AFRC) Whiteman (ACC) Wright-Patterson (AFMC) overseas RAF Alconbury (USAFE) Diego Garcia (USN) Kadena (PACAF) RAF Fairford (USAFE) RAF Lakenheath (USAFE) RAF Mildenhall (USAFE) Thule (USSF) former / inactive CONUS Amarillo Bergstrom Biggs Calumet Air Force Station Carswell Castle Chennault Clinton-Sherman Dow Eaker Glasgow Grand Island (AAF) Griffiss Hunter K. I. Sawyer Kearney Kincheloe Larson Loring Lowry Mather McCoy Plattsburgh Presque Isle Ramey R.I. Bong (unbuilt) Schilling Stead Turner Walker Wurtsmith overseas Strategic Air Command in the United Kingdom RAF Bassingbourn Ben Guerir Boulhaut RAF Brize Norton RAF Bruntingthorpe RAF Burtonwood RAF Chelveston RAF Greenham Common Goose Ernest Harmon RAF High Wycombe RAF Upper Heyford Torrejón RAF Manston Morón Nouasseur Rabat-Salé RAF Scampton RAF Sculthorpe Sidi Slimane RAF South Ruislip U-Tapao RAF Waddington RAF Woodbridge RAF Wyton Zaragoza Units Air Forces Second Air Force Eighth Air Force Fifteenth Air Force Sixteenth Air Force Twentieth Air Force Divisions Air 3d 4th 5th 6th 7th 12th 14th 17th 19th 21st 36th 40th 42d 45th 47th 57th 100th 311th 801st 802d 806th 817th 822d 823d 4310th Strategic aerospace 1st 18th 22d 810th 813th 816th 818th 819th 820th 821st 825th Strategic missile 13th Wings Bombardment 2d 5th 7th 9th 17th 19th 22d 28th 39th 40th 42d 43d 68th 70th 72d 92d 93d 96th 97th 99th 303d 319th 320th 340th 379th 380th 397th 410th 416th 449th 450th 454th 456th 461st 465th 484th 494th 509th Fighter 1st 4th 12th 27th 31st 33d 56th 71st Strategic Reconnaissance (Fighter) 82d 407th 506th 508th Missile 44th 90th 91st 308th 321st 341st 351st 381st 389th 390th 392d 451st 455th 702d 703d 704th 705th 706th 4320th Strategic Wing (Missile) Reconnaissance 6th Strategic Reconnaissance 26th Strategic Reconnaissance 55th Strategic Reconnaissance 544th Aerospace Reconnaissance Technical Refueling 11th 100th 301st 305th 384th 452d 497th 499th 500th Strategic Aerospace 310th 385th 462d AFCON 95th 98th 306th 307th 376th MAJCOM 3918th 3920th 3960th 3970th 3973d 4026th 4038th 4039th 4042d 4043d 4047th 4080th 4081st 4082d 4083d 4123d 4126th 4128th 4130th 4133d 4134th 4135th 4136th 4137th 4138th 4141st 4157th 4158th 4170th 4228th 4238th 4239th 4241st 4245th 4252nd 4258th 4321st USAAF Groups *= initial assigned unit upon SAC's activation Bombardment 2d (7/47) 7th (10/46) 28th (8/46) 40th (3/46*) 43rd (10/46) 44th (3/46*) 92nd (10/46) 93d (3/46*) 97th (8/46) 98th (7/47) 301st (8/46) 307th (8/46) 444th (3/46*) 448th (3/46*) 449th (3/46*) 467th (3/46*) 485th (3/46*) 498th (3/46*) 509th Composite (3/46*) Fighter 27th (6/47) 55th (2/47) Reconnaissance 91st Strategic Reconnaissance (1/47) Major weapon systems Bombers Rockwell B-1 Lancer Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit Boeing B-29 Superfortress Convair B-36 Peacemaker North American B-45 Tornado Boeing B-47 Stratojet Boeing B-50 Superfortress Boeing B-52 Stratofortress Convair B-58 Hustler General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark Command & Control Lockheed DC-130 Boeing E-4 Boeing EC-135 Boeing RC-135 Fighters North American F-2 Mustang North American F-82 Twin Mustang Republic F-84F Thunderstreak North American F-86 Sabre Convair F-102 Delta Dagger General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark Missiles ADM-20 AGM-28 AGM-69 AGM-84 AGM-86 AGM-129 HGM-16 LGM-30A/B LGM-30F LGM-30G LGM-118A SM-62 PGM-17A PGM-19A Reconnaissance Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Lockheed TR-1 Lockheed U-2 Martin RB-57D Canberra Boeing RB-17 Boeing RB-29 Tankers Boeing KB-29 Superfortress Boeing KB-50 McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter Lockheed HC-130 Lockheed Martin KC-130 Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker Transport Beechcraft C-45 Douglas C-47 Skytrain Douglas C-54 Skymaster Fairchild C-82 Packet Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter Douglas C-118 Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar Douglas C-124 Globemaster II Convair C-131 Samaritan Boeing C-135 Stratolifter Commanders George Kenney Curtis LeMay Power Ryan Joseph J. Nazzaro Bruce K. Holloway John C. Meyer Russell E. Dougherty Richard H. Ellis Bennie L. Davis Larry D. Welch John T. Chain, Jr, George Lee Butler Emblems Strategic Air Command Emblem Gallery United States military aircraft designation systems v t e Airports in Greenland Airports Major international Nuuk Minor international Ilulissat Kangerlussuaq Kulusuk Narsarsuaq Nerlerit Inaat Domestic Aasiaat Maniitsoq Paamiut Qaanaaq Qaarsut Sisimiut Upernavik Heliports Domestic Alluitsup Paa Ittoqqortoormiit Nanortalik Narsaq Qaqortoq Qasigiannguit Qeqertarsuaq Tasiilaq Uummannaq District Aappilattoq (Kujalleq) Aappilattoq (Qaasuitsup) Akunnaaq Ammassivik Attu Iginniarfik Ikamiut Ikerasaarsuk Ikerasak Ilimanaq Illorsuit Innaarsuit Isortoq Kangaatsiaq Kangersuatsiaq Kitsissuarsuit Kullorsuaq Kuummiit Moriusaq Narsarmijit Niaqornaarsuk Niaqornat Nuugaatsiaq Nuussuaq Qeqertaq Saattut Saqqaq Savissivik Sermiligaaq Siorapaluk Tasiusaq (Kujalleq) Tasiusaq (Qaasuitsup) Tiniteqilaaq Ukkusissat Upernavik Kujalleq Military and research Kangilinnguit NEEM Camp Pituffik Space Base Summit Camp v t e Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) Bases CONUS Amarillo Beale Charleston Davis-Monthan Dobbins Dover Dow Duluth Eglin Edwards Ellington Ellsworth England Ent Ethan Allen Fairfax Fallon Fort Gregg-Adams Fort Heath Geiger George Glasgow Grand Forks Grenier Griffiss Gunter Hamilton Hancock Homestead Hurlburt Hunter Imeson Key West Kincheloe Kingsley Kirtland Lackland Laredo Larson Luke MacDill March Malmstrom McCoy McChord McClellan McGhee Tyson McGuire Minneapolis-St. Paul Minot Mitchel New Castle Niagara Falls Norton O'Hare Otis Oxnard Paine Perrin Peterson Pittsburgh Portland Presque Isle R.I. Bong Richards-Gebaur Robins K.I. Sawyer Selfridge Seymour Johnson Sioux City Stead Stewart Suffolk County Tinker Travis Truax Tyndall Vandenberg Vincent Walker Webb Westover Wright-Patterson Wurtsmith Youngstown Overseas Ernest Harmon Frobisher Bay Goose Keflavik McAndrew Pepperrell Thule Stations CONUS Adair Aiken Almaden Alpena Antigo Arlington Heights Baker Bedford Bellefontaine Belleville Benton Blaine Brookfield Brunswick Bucks Harbor Burns Calumet Cambria Cape Charles Cape Cod Carmi Caswell Chandler Charleston Cheyenne Mountain Claysburg Clear Colville Condon Continental Divide Cottonwood Cross City Crystal Springs Curlew Custer Cut Bank Dallas Center Dauphin Island Dickinson Duncanville Eldorado Empire Finland Finley Flintstone Fordland Fort Fisher Fort Lee Fortuna Gettysburg Grand Marais Grand Rapids Guthrie Hanna City Havre Highlands Houma Hutchinson Joelton Keno Killeen Kingman Kirksville Klamath Lake Charles Lake City Las Cruces Las Vegas Lewistown Lockport Lufkin Lyndonville Madera Makah Mica Peak Miles City Mill Valley Minot Montauk Moriarty Mount Hebo Mount Laguna Mount Lemmon Naselle North Bend North Charleston North Truro Oklahoma City Olathe Omaha Opheim Osceola Othello Owingsville Ozona Palermo Point Arena Port Austin Port Isabel Pyote Red Bluff Rochester Rockport Rockville (Indiana) Roslyn Rye Saint Albans San Clemente Island Santa Rosa Island Saratoga Springs Sault Ste Marie Shemya Snelling Snow Mountain Sweetwater Texarkana Tierra Amarilla Thomasville Tonopah Topsham Two Creeks Wadena Walnut Ridge Watertown Waverly West Mesa Willow Run Winnemucca Winslow Winston-Salem Woomera Yaak Zapata Overseas Armstrong Baldy Hughes Beausejour Cape Makkovik Cartwright Cut Throat Island Elliston Ridge Fox Harbour Hofn Hopedale Kamloops La Scie Langanes Latrar Melville Puntzi Mountain Ramore Red Cliff Rockville Saglek St. Anthony Saskatoon Mountain Sioux Lookout Spotted Island Stephenville Air Defense units Forces Central Air Defense Eastern Air Defense Iceland Western Air Defense First Fourth Tenth Fourteenth Air Divisions 8th 9th 20th 21st 23d 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32d 33d 34th 35th 36th 37th 58th 64th 73d 85th Sectors Albuquerque Bangor Boston Chicago Detroit Duluth Goose Grand Forks Great Falls Kansas City Los Angeles Minot Montgomery New York Oklahoma City Phoenix Portland Reno Sault Sainte Marie San Francisco Seattle Sioux City Spokane Stewart Syracuse Washington Wings Fighter 1st 4th 23d 32d 33d 50th 52d 56th 78th 81st 325th 328th 507th Detection and Control 71st 73d 551st 552d Air Defense 46th 4620th 4621st 4622d 4624th 4625th 4627th 4628th 4683d 4700th 4702d 4703d 4704th 4705th 4706th 4707th 4708th 4709th 4710th 4711th 4750th 4751st 4752d 4756th 4780th Groups Fighter 1st 4th 14th 15th 23d 32d 33d 50th 52d 53d 54th 56th 57th 78th 79th 81st 82d 84th 325th 326th 327th 328th 329th 337th 343d 355th 408th 412th 414th 473d 475th 476th 478th 507th Air Defense 10th 500th 501st 502d 503d 514th 515th 516th 517th 518th 519th 520th 521st 525th 527th 528th 529th 530th 533d 534th 564th 566th 567th 568th 575th 637th 665th 678th 692d 701st 751st 762d 765th 778th 780th 827th 858th 4606th 4620th 4676th 4700th 4721st 4722d 4727th 4728th 4729th 4730th 4731st 4732d 4733d 4734th 4735th 4750th 4756th Aircraft Control & Warning 503d 505th 540th 541st 542d 543d 544th 545th 546th 563d 564th 565th 566th Squadrons Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons Major weapon systems Electronic TB-29 EB-57 EC-121 Fighters Propeller: F-47 F-51 P-61 F-82 Subsonic Jet: P-80 F-84 F-86 F-89 F-94 Supersonic Jet: F-101 F-102 F-104 F-106 Missiles AIM-4 AIM-26 AIR-2 CIM-10 Ships Guardian Interceptor Interdictor Interpreter Investigator Locator Lookout Outpost Pickett Protector Scanner Searcher Skywatcher Tracer Watchman Vigil Texas Towers Texas Tower 2 Texas Tower 3 Texas Tower 4 Miscellaneous Air Defense Command Emblem Gallery (on Wikimedia Commons) General Surveillance Radar Stations

• Airports in the Arctic
• Installations of the United States Air Force in Greenland
• Airports in Greenland
• Baffin Bay
• Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Greenland
• Installations of Strategic Air Command
• Military airbases established in 1953
• 1953 establishments in Denmark
• 1950s establishments in Greenland