12th Space Warning Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 12th Space Warning Squadron (12 SWS) is a United States Air Force
missile
warning squadron, stationed at Thule Air Base
, Greenland
.
(SLBM) and Intercontinental ballistic missile
attacks against North America—and detect, track, and identify earth-orbiting objects in support of
USSTRATCOM’s space control mission
The 12th Space Warning Squadron is a unit of the 21st Operations Group
, which is part of the 21st Space Wing
under Air Force Space Command
.
To accomplish its mission, the squadron operates the solid-state phased-array radar located at the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System
(BMEWS), Site I. The BMEWS site is located approximately 11 miles northwest of Thule AB 76.569°N 68.318°W. It provides early warning detection of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches from the Russian land mass and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launches from the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans against North America. Additionally, BMEWS keeps track of polar orbiting satellites. The operational crews report through the Missile Warning Center to the NORAD/USNORTHCOM Center.
The Operation Support Flight provides direct operational support to the missile warning crews. The flight's Operations Training Section provides all crew force initial, recurring, and supplemental training. Other flight responsibilities include hardware and
software development, operational test and evaluation, and crew force management.
(SAGE) system DC-31 Direction Center, and interceptor squadrons stationed at Thule Air Base.
With the development of ICBM and SLBM technologies, the mission to monitor aircraft coming over the horizon from the Soviet Union was transferred to other units, and the 931st AC&WS at Thule AB was inactivated.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
warning squadron, stationed at Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located north of the Arctic Circle and from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland. It is approximately east of the North Magnetic Pole.-Overview:Thule Air Base is the...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
Overview
The primary mission of the 12th SWS is to provide critical, real-time missile warning, defense and space surveillance to the President of the United States, Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, NORAD, and unified commands by operating a phased-array radar—which continuously provides warning of Submarine-launched ballistic missileSubmarine-launched ballistic missile
A submarine-launched ballistic missile is a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead that can be launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles each of which carries a warhead and allows a single launched missile to...
(SLBM) and Intercontinental ballistic missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
attacks against North America—and detect, track, and identify earth-orbiting objects in support of
USSTRATCOM’s space control mission
The 12th Space Warning Squadron is a unit of the 21st Operations Group
21st Operations Group
The 21st Operations Group is an operational component of the 21st Space Wing, stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.The mission of the 21st OG is to provide overall management and guidance to 21 geographically separated units assigned to the wing, which provide attack warning and space...
, which is part of the 21st Space Wing
21st Space Wing
The 21st Space Wing is a unit of the Air Force Space Command based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The unit is tasked with the operation of early missile warning and space object detection equipment around the world in support of NORAD and USSTRATCOM through a network of command and control...
under Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
.
To accomplish its mission, the squadron operates the solid-state phased-array radar located at the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System
Ballistic Missile Early Warning System
The United States Air Force Ballistic Missile Early Warning System was the first operational ballistic missile detection radar. The original system was built in 1959 and could provide long-range warning of a ballistic missile attack over the polar region of the Northern Hemisphere. They also...
(BMEWS), Site I. The BMEWS site is located approximately 11 miles northwest of Thule AB 76.569°N 68.318°W. It provides early warning detection of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches from the Russian land mass and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launches from the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans against North America. Additionally, BMEWS keeps track of polar orbiting satellites. The operational crews report through the Missile Warning Center to the NORAD/USNORTHCOM Center.
The Operation Support Flight provides direct operational support to the missile warning crews. The flight's Operations Training Section provides all crew force initial, recurring, and supplemental training. Other flight responsibilities include hardware and
software development, operational test and evaluation, and crew force management.
History
The 12th SWS was formed in January 1967 as a successor organization to the Air Defense Command 931st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, which was inactivated at the end of 1965. The 931st AC&WS operated a series of Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) radar sites in Greenland to detect intrusion of unknown aircraft. The squadron relayed information to the 64th NORAD Region Semi Automatic Ground EnvironmentSemi Automatic Ground Environment
The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment was an automated control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by NORAD from the late 1950s into the 1980s...
(SAGE) system DC-31 Direction Center, and interceptor squadrons stationed at Thule Air Base.
With the development of ICBM and SLBM technologies, the mission to monitor aircraft coming over the horizon from the Soviet Union was transferred to other units, and the 931st AC&WS at Thule AB was inactivated.
Lineage
- Activated as 12th Missile Warning Squadron, 1 January 1967
- Re-designated 12th Missile Warning Group, 31 March 1977
- Re-designated 12th Missile Warning Squadron, 15 June 1983
- Re-designated 12th Missile Warning Group, 1 October 1989
- Re-designated 12th Missile Warning Squadron, 15 May 1992-Present
Assignments
- 71st Missile Warning Wing, 1 January 1967
- Fourteenth Aerospace Force, 30 April 1971
- 21st Air Division, 1 October 1975
- Aerospace Defense CommandAerospace Defense CommandAerospace Defense Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. Established in 1946 under the United States Army Air Forces, its mission was to organize and administer the integrated air defense system of the Continental United States , exercise direct control of all active...
(ADCOM), 1 October 1979 - Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, 1 December 1979 - 1st Space Wing1st Space WingThe 1st Space Wing was a wing of the United States Air Force active from 1983 to 1992 at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado as part of Air Force Space Command.-History:...
(AFSC), 1 May 1993 - 21st Operations Group21st Operations GroupThe 21st Operations Group is an operational component of the 21st Space Wing, stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.The mission of the 21st OG is to provide overall management and guidance to 21 geographically separated units assigned to the wing, which provide attack warning and space...
, 15 May 1992-Present