Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
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Source: AirNav.com[1] |
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base (
Warren AFB is the oldest continuously active military installation within the Air Force, established in 1867 (157 years ago) by the
The 90th Missile Wing is commanded by Colonel Johnny L. Galbert. Twentieth Air Force, co-located at Warren AFB, is under the command of Major General Michael Lutton. Warren AFB is a
History
The history of the base dates back to the Railroad Act of 1862, when President
United States Army
Fort Russell 1867–1927
On 4 July 1867, the Union Pacific Railroad established its mountain region headquarters at Crow Creek Crossing, later known as Cheyenne. A few weeks later, the U.S. Cavalry moved from temporary headquarters in Cheyenne to a point 3 miles (5 km) west and established Fort D. A. Russell. Thus, 1867 was the beginning of a city and a fort, and both have grown together over the years.
Detachments of the 30th Infantry formed the first garrison, under the command of Colonel John D. Stevenson. For a brief time the troops lived in tents, but during the winter of 1867–68 they moved into wood-frame quarters. The dwellings were set in the shape of a diamond, instead of a rectangle, to protect against harsh winter winds that howled across the then treeless high plains. The diamond opened to the east and measured 800 by 1,040 feet (320 m). The entrance to the original fort was at a point next to the present day Chapel 1. The first troops stationed here lived the rough frontier life, which meant coping with the rigors of the weather in winter and coping with Indians in spring and summer.
In 1876, troops from Fort Russell participated in the
In 1884, Fort Russell was made a permanent post, because of its strategic location. In 1885, the War Department ordered the post be rebuilt to serve eight infantry companies. The Army built 27 red brick buildings for $100,000 to replace the older wood-frame structures, and planted thousands of trees. Many of the early brick buildings were stables that housed nearly 20,000 horses and mules. From 1885 to 1930, more than 220 brick buildings were erected; most of them remain in use today. The last expansion of the base took place in the early 20th century when large barracks along Randall Avenue were constructed. The base maintains the historic exterior of each building with interior modifications for today's living and working environment.
In 1866, Congress formed four
In 1898, the
In 1906, Secretary of War William Howard Taft recommended Fort Russell expand to a brigade-size post. By 1910, the construction of red brick quarters, two-story barracks, offices and stables had tripled the area of the post. During this era, artillery units were assigned there, and the facility increased in size to accommodate troop training with the latest 20th century weapons.
From 1913 to 1916, during the Mexican Revolution, post artillery units were stationed along the border to prevent the struggle from coming onto American soil. During World War I, the post served as a mobilization point and training facility for field artillery and cavalry groups. As World War I began, Fort Russell had become one of the largest military posts in the United States.
What stands as quarters No. 2 today was, in 1885, the post commander's home. By tradition, the post commander always occupied the largest house on post. Hence, the commander moved into quarters No. 8 when it was built in 1903. Quarters No. 2 was then assigned to the family of
Fort Warren, 1930–1945
In 1927, the last cavalry units left the installation, ending 60 years of cavalry history at Fort Russell.
During World War II, Fort Warren was the training center for up to 20,000 of the Quartermaster Corps. More than 280 wooden buildings were constructed without insulation and interior walls to temporarily house the increased number of troops. In the harsh Wyoming winter, waking up in these barracks often meant shaking snow from one's blanket before heading for the just-as-cold communal showers. A prisoner of war camp was also constructed at that time.
United States Air Force
At the end of
Air Training Command, 1947–1958
On 1 June 1947 Air Training Command assumed jurisdiction of Fort Warren, the 463d Air Force Base Unit was activated to manage the support facilities, and the 3450th Technical Training Wing was activated for conducting training. Training began on 7 July 1947. In September 1947, Fort Warren, along with other Army Air Force facilities, was transferred into the newly established United States Air Force.
In March 1949, HQ ATC was directed to re-program, as a part of an overall restructuring to a 48-group Air Force. The statement of trained personnel requirements gave priority to radio, radar, armament, and aircraft maintenance training programs. ATC needed to find additional space for these courses. Air Force announced on 17 January (1949?) that all aviation engineering courses at Fort Warren, with the exception of "powerman", would transfer to the Army's Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The "fixed wire courses" at Scott AFB went to Fort Warren, so that Scott had room to expand its radio mechanic school.
On 7 October 1949, Fort Francis E. Warren became Francis E. Warren AFB. As a result of the Korean War, Air Training Command had to process thousands of volunteer reservists; between late July and the end of October 1950, about 20,000 reservists were brought on active duty, most of which was done at Warren AFB.
In 1957, in response to budget reductions, Air Training Command formed a base utilization board to examine all its facilities, looking at existing and future training requirements. That board concluded that two bases could be released —Francis E. Warren and
Effective 1 February 1958, the base transferred from Air Training Command to Strategic Air Command. Training continued until 24 March 1959, and on 1 May ATC discontinued its 3450th Technical Training Group.
Strategic Air Command, 1958–2005
The 389th Air Base Group was established on 1 February 1958 to take control of the former ATC facilities as part of the transfer to
706th/389th Strategic Missile Wing Atlas D and E missiles, 1958–1965
The project design for the above-ground
As work proceeded at the Warren I complex, the Army Corps of Engineers contracted for "Warren II" with three sites with three Atlas-D launchers at each in February 1959. The Warren II site was ready in the summer of 1960. The 565th Strategic Missile Squadron, activated on 1 December 1959, operated the nine launchers.
The Warren III site, designed for nine SM-65E Atlas missiles would be scattered over a 60-square-mile (160 km2) area at single "coffin" launch sites. The term "coffin" was used because the missile laid on its side underground with the coffin roof at ground level. This configuration offered limited protection for the launcher. On 1 October 1960, the 549th Strategic Missile Squadron became the last Atlas-E SMS to be activated. The 549th SMS was re-designated 566th SMS on 1 July 1961. That same date the parent 706th Strategic Missile Wing stood down. Command responsibilities at Warren AFB were assumed by the recently activated 389th Strategic Missile Wing.
In May 1964, as the 565th and 565th SMS Atlas-D missiles were being phased out, the 389th Strategic Missile Wing received SAC's last operational readiness inspection for this system. In September 1964, SAC inactivated the 564th SMS. During March 1965, the 566th SMS Atlas-Es would also be deactivated, completing the phaseout of the Atlas Missile at Warren.
90th Missile Wing Minuteman I, 1963–1974
The departure of the Atlas squadrons did not mark the end of F.E. Warren's role in the ICBM program. On 15 October 1962, Morrison-Knudsen and Associates won the contract to construct 200
LGM-118 Peacekeeper missiles, 1982–2005
Minuteman IIIs occupied the silos from 1974 to 1986. On 22 November 1982, President Ronald Reagan stated his decision in a statement for Congress, to deploy the MX missile dubbed "Peacekeeper" (later designated
In 2002, President George W. Bush set a plan in motion to reduce the country's missile forces from 6,000 to between 1,700 and 2,200. Russian president Vladimir Putin agreed to follow a similar plan, signing the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty. As part of this reduction, the "Peacekeeper" missiles were taken off alert and inactivated beginning in 2002 until 16 September 2005. The 400th Missile Squadron was inactivated on 19 September 2005.
Twentieth Air Force, 1991–present
The end of the
On 1 September 1991,
In 1995, the 90th Missile Wing was the first missile base to upgrade Minuteman III launch control centers with the Rapid Execution And Combat Targeting modification. Existing launch control centers had not been upgraded significantly since the early 1960s. REACT replaced the command and control consoles with a single, integrated, computer-processing console. Improvements in automation allow combat crews to more rapidly process message traffic and carry out execution orders.
With the ratification of the
.The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure commission (BRAC) did not recommend making any significant change to the base's current operations.[8]
On 1 July 2008, the 90th Space Wing was re-designated the
On 1 December 2009 Twentieth Air Force was placed alongside all other U.S. ICBM and bombers with similar missions under a single command, the
On 23 October 2010, communications between the base and 50 missiles were partially disrupted for a short time due to a hardware failure.[9]
The Air Force has begun construction of a new underground nuclear weapons storage and handling facility at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The new Weapons Storage and Maintenance Facility (WSMF; sometimes called Weapons Generation Facility), which will replace the current Weapons Storage Area (WSA), will be a 90,000-square-foot reinforced concrete and earth-covered facility with supporting surface structures.
The Air Force says the new facility "will provide a safer and more secure facility for the storage of U. S. Air Force (USAF) assets", a reference to W78/Mk12A and W87/Mk21 warheads for the Minuteman III ICBMs deployed in Warren AFB's 150 missile silos. In the future, if Congress agrees to fund it, the new W87-1 warhead will replace the W78.
The $144 million contract was awarded to Fluor Corporation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2018.
Construction of the underground storage facility at F.E. Warren AFB follows the completion in 2012 of a massive underground nuclear weapons storage facility at the Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific (SWFPAC) next to the Kitsap Naval Submarine Base. Underground storage facilities are also planned at other bases.[10]
Challenge of maintenance, upgrade
Aging equipment such as analog phone lines or computer systems that still use floppy discs have become a subject of media attention; Former missileers alerted the US television program 60 Minutes, which aired a segment about Warren AFB on 27 April 2014. The USAF plans to spend $19 million on improvements of Warren AFB missile silos and launch control centers in 2014, and is asking for over $600 million in 2015.[11] The Congressional Budget Office has estimated a cost of $355 billion to upgrade the triad of the U.S. nuclear weapons systems including ICBMs, submarines and bombers.
The base is recorded on the list of Superfund sites in Wyoming because of contaminated land on the site.
Previous names
- Established as Fort D.A. Russell, 4 July 1867 (United States Army)
- Renamed Fort Francis E. Warren, 1 January 1930
- Came under USAAF control, 31 May 1947
- Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, 7 October 1949–present
Major commands to which assigned
- Air Training Command, 31 May 1947
- Strategic Air Command, 1 February 1958
- Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992
- Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993
- Air Force Global Strike Command, 7 August 2009 – present
Base operating units
- 463d AF Base Unit, 1 June 1947
- 3450th Air Base Gp, 26 August 1948
- 389th Air Base Gp, 1 February 1958 (rdsgd 389th Combat Support Gp, 1 January 1959)
- 809th Combat Support Gp, 1 July 1963
- 90th Combat Support Gp (redesignated 90th Mission Support Group), 1 August 1972 – present
Major units assigned
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Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities
- SM-65 AtlasD/E, 1960–1965
- 564th Strategic Missile Squadron(6 missiles)
- 564-A, 10.6 mi NW of Federal WY 41°22′44″N 104°58′25″W / 41.37889°N 104.97361°W
- 564-B, 10.6 mi NW of Federal WY 41°22′43″N 104°58′07″W / 41.37861°N 104.96861°W
- 565th Strategic Missile Squadron (9 missiles)
- 565-A, 15.1 mi NW of Hillsdale WY 41°23′32″N 104°38′30″W / 41.39222°N 104.64167°W
- 565-B, 8.2 mi WNW of Carpenter WY 41°05′22″N 104°30′42″W / 41.08944°N 104.51167°W
- 565-C, 4.8 mi W of Granite Canon WY 41°05′08″N 105°08′45″W / 41.08556°N 105.14583°W
- 566th Strategic Missile Squadron (9 missiles)
- 566–1, 6.5 mi SSE of Chugwater, WY 41°40′07″N 104°46′37″W / 41.66861°N 104.77694°W
- 566–2, 8.8 mi SW of LaGrange, WY 41°33′39″N 104°17′56″W / 41.56083°N 104.29889°W
- 566–3, 2.5 mi N of Pine Bluffs, WY 41°13′05″N 104°03′56″W / 41.21806°N 104.06556°W
- 566–4, 2.2 mi SW of Kimball, NE 41°12′36″N 103°41′09″W / 41.21000°N 103.68583°W
- 566–5, 5.1 mi N of Grover, CO 40°56′44″N 104°12′57″W / 40.94556°N 104.21583°W
- 566–6, 3.2 mi WNW of Briggsdale, CO 40°38′56″N 104°23′04″W / 40.64889°N 104.38444°W
- 566–7, 6.7 mi NNE of Nunn, CO 40°47′17″N 104°43′10″W / 40.78806°N 104.71944°W
- 566–8, 1.9 mi W of Greeley, CO 40°25′46″N 104°51′42″W / 40.42944°N 104.86167°W
- 566–9, 8.8 mi NW of Fort Collins, CO 40°40′43″N 105°12′13″W / 40.67861°N 105.20361°W
Due to the remoteness of the locations where they were constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Warren Atlas sites have not been redeveloped since their closure in 1965. The 564th SMS A/B Warren I site is completely abandoned. The public road "Atlas Road" ends at a fence with a "No Trespassing" sign about 2 or 3 miles (4.8 km) from the actual site, and the road past the gate appears to be well cracked and vegetation is growing out of the unmaintained surface. The site itself, which is in private ownership, when viewed from aerial images looks as if it has been abandoned for decades, The above ground launchers and support structures left as they were when inactivated nearly 50 years ago. Roofs of some structures still exist, others do not. The access roads are very deteriorated as well, with large areas of vegetation growing though the cracks in the surface.
The other Atlas-D sites for the 565th SMS are all intact, sites A and C appear to be unused although both are in private hands. Site B has large numbers of abandoned vehicles on it, although again, all of the facilities appear to be still intact. The Atlas-E sites appear to be intact, all in private hands, and other than being overgrown, appear to have been left to the elements and time since 1965.
- LGM-30B Minuteman I, 1964–1974
- LGM-30G Minuteman III, 1973–present
- Missile Alert Facilities (MAF) (each controlling 10 missiles) are as follows:
- LGM-118A Peacekeeper, 1987–2005.
- With the deployment of the LGM-118A, 50 former Minuteman III silos were converted. 400th Strategic Missile SquadronFlights P through T were reassigned to the Peacekeeper for operational duty.
- P-01, 18.0 mi N of Hillsdale WY, 41°28′20″N 104°28′04″W / 41.47222°N 104.46778°W
- Q-01, 15.4 mi SxSW of Chugwater WY 41°32′35″N 104°54′10″W / 41.54306°N 104.90278°W
- R-01, 16.4 mi NW of Meriden WY, 41°44′17″N 104°30′00″W / 41.73806°N 104.50000°W
- S-01, 4.8 mi SE of Yoder WY, 41°52′23″N 104°13′20″W / 41.87306°N 104.22222°W
- T-01, 9.1 mi ExSE of Wheatland WY, 41°59′51″N 104°47′30″W / 41.99750°N 104.79167°W
Since their closure in the early 2000s (decade), the Peacekeeper Missile Alert Facilities all have been turned over to the GSA for disposition. All appear to be intact and in government hands. The locked gates and fences surround abandoned buildings which appear in good condition. The 50 launch silos (Launch Facilities) have all been imploded, then graded. Other than a road leading to the former site, most of which are still fenced and are still government owned, nothing more than natural vegetation is there in aerial imagery.
Role and operations
LGM-30G Minuteman III operations
The
The 90 MW is organized into four groups:
90th Operations Group
The 90th Operations Group consists of more than 550 operators, facility managers, and support personnel, three missile squadrons, an operations support squadron, a helicopter squadron and a standardization and evaluation element. Each tactical missile squadron is responsible for five missile alert facilities and 50 Minuteman III ICBMs. The units of the 90th Operations Group include the 319th Missile Squadron, 320th Missile Squadron, 321st Missile Squadron and 90th Operations Support Squadron.
90th Maintenance Group
The 90th Maintenance Group provides Minuteman III ICBMs along with command and control systems required to launch those missiles. The group maintains 150 missiles and associated launch facilities, as well as 15 launch control facilities spread between a three-state, 9,600 square-mile complex.
90th Mission Support Group
The 90th Mission Support Group provides combat support to the 90th Missile Wing. The 1,000 men and women of the group provide civil engineering, transportation and logistics, communications, contracting, and personnel and services support.
90th Security Forces Group
The 90th Security Forces Group provides continuous security for the 90th Missile Wing. The mission of the 90 SFG includes the protection of F. E. Warren AFB, 15 Missile Alert Facilities (MAFs) and 150 Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) on constant 24-hour alert throughout a 9,600 square-mile area spanning three states. The 90th SFG also sustains a combat-ready force deployable worldwide in support of wartime and peacetime taskings. The 90th Security Forces Group comprises five squadrons: 790th Security Forces Squadron, 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron, 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron, 90th Security Forces Squadron, 90th Security Support Squadron.
The 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron provides security for convoys and missile maintenance operations. The 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron is located in Guernsey, Wyo., and provides security, pre-deployment, and antiterrorism/force protection training for USAF personnel. The 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron provides security for 15 missile alert facilities and 150 launch facilities. The 90th Security Forces Squadron provides installation and weapons storage area security; police services; pass and registration functions; and reports and analysis duties. The 90th Security Support Squadron provides command and control for the missile field and access control for all missile field forces as well as all security forces training and equipment support.
Tenant units
The 153rd Command and Control Squadron (Wyoming Air National Guard) provides command, control, communications, computers and intelligence to the commander of the United States Northern Command.[citation needed]
The 582nd Helicopter Group Headquarters includes the 37th Helicopter Squadron has dual responsibilities to Air Force Global Strike Command and United States Strategic Command. As the missile "Numbered Air Force" for AFGSC, 20th Air Force is responsible for maintaining and operating the Air Force's ICBM force. Designated as STRATCOM's Task Force 214, 20th Air Force provides ICBMs to the president.
Airfield facilities
Unlike most Air Force Bases, Warren AFB has no paved runway for fixed-wing aircraft. The only conventional airfield ever located at F. E. Warren AFB was a single dirt strip. This field, never used by modern-day pilots, was made famous by
Based units
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base.[14][15]
Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Warren, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
United States Air Force
Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC)
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Air National Guard (ANG)
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Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 5.0 square miles (13 km2), of which, 5.0 square miles (13 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it is water. The total area is 0.79% water.
Environmental contamination
Due to extensive soil and groundwater contamination, the Warren AFB has been a
A Restoration Advisory Board is established. The extent of the underground TCE plume is unknown; data analysis due to be completed 2015 will inform about its size. The Army Corps of Engineers, who built the ICBM launch site in the 1950s, has been involved in investigation and clean up since 1989; the project manager for the Corps estimated in 2014 "it will likely be a more than 100- or 200-year effort to actually remove the chemicals from the groundwater".[16] Atlas missile site No. 3 was acquired in the late '70s and used as a car salvage yard. It was not until 2001 when the Corps began investigating Cheyenne missile sites for TCE contamination, that a "1.5-mile-long contamination plume at the site, [was found] and interest in the property evaporated. The clean up is expected to cost $175 million."[17] In 2015, the Corps stated that it wants to collect more data before recommending a remedy.[18]
Demographics
At the
On the base the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 26.7% from 18 to 24, 48.4% from 25 to 44, and 1.8% from 45 to 64. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 201.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 259.4 males.
The median income for a household on the base was $32,589, and the median income for a family was $32,946. Males had a median income of $25,247 versus $20,819 for females. The per capita income for the base was $18,426. About 2.2% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under the age of 18.
See also
References
- ^ "KFEW Francis E Warren Air Force Base Heliport". Federal Aviation Administration. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ "Home". www.warren.af.mil. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Warren AFB CDP, Wyoming". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ History of F. E. Warren AFB, 27 February 2018
- ^ "Press Release: Death of Richard V. Thomas" (PDF). courts.state.wy.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
- ^ Hewlett, Frank (1 November 1959). "First ICBM base hums". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 1.
- ^ a b "F.E. Warren Air Force Base". EPA region 8 superfund sites in WY. EPA. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ "United States Department of Defense" (PDF). Dod.mil. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ Larry Shaughnessy; Chris Lawrence. "Air Force lost some communication with nuclear missiles". CNN. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ Kristensen, Hans M. "Construction of New Underground Nuclear Warhead Facility at Warren AFB". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Inside America's missile fields". 60 minutes. CBS Interactive Inc. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ Programmatic Environmental Assessment, Francis E. Warren AFB
- ^ "Francis E Warren Air Force Base Heliport". airnav.com. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ "Fact Sheet: 90th Missile Wing". F.E. Warren Air Force Base. US Air Force. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "F.E. Warren 153rd Command and Control Squadron". My Base Guide. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ a b Brown, Trevor (27 April 2014). "Investigators are studying groundwater contaminants in west Cheyenne". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ Trevor Graff (7 December 2014). "Cheyenne missile site owner lives with contaminated legacy". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ Trevor Brown (23 August 2015). "Lawmaker: Groundwater contamination could halt Belvoir plan". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
Other sources
- This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- This article incorporates public domain material from F.E. Warren Air Force Base. United States Air Force.
- Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas
- 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).
- Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
- Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
External links
- Official website
- Environmental Protection Agency – Superfund program (F.E. Warren AFB)
- F.E. Warren Force Support Squadron
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for FEW
- AirNav airport information for FEW
- ASN accident history for FEW
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for FEW