12th Space Warning Squadron

12th Space Warning Squadron
12th Space Warning Squadron emblem
Active	1967-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Space
Part of	AFSPC/14 AF/21st Space Wing
Garrison/HQ	Thule AB, Greenland
Motto(s)	TOP OF THE WORLD
Decorations	AFOUA

The 12th Space Warning Squadron (12 SWS) is a United States Air Force ground based radar used for missile warning, missile defense and space situation awareness, stationed at Thule Air Base, Greenland.

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 missile (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, thus "knitting a blanket of freedom".

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 / 76.569; -68.318. 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 (DOUT) provides all crew force initial, recurring, and supplemental training. Other flight responsibilities include hardware and software development, operational test and evaluation (DOV), and crew force management (DOU).

Unit Commanders

Start	End	Commander
June 2016	Present	Lt Col David L. Ransom
June 2015	June 2016	Lt Col Marc A. Brock
June 2014	June 2015	Lt Col Jason Resley
11 Jul 2013	June 2014	Lt Col Kelly S. Easler
21 Jun 2012	11 Jul 2013	Lt Col Gregory G. Karahalis
16 Jun 2011	21 Jun 2012	Lt Col Christopher S. Putman
3 Jun 2010	16 Jun 2011	Lt Col Jeffrey Van Sanford
Feb 2010	3 Jun 2010	Lt Col Kimberly Damalas (Appointed)
26 Jun 2009	Feb 2010	Lt Col James Oldenburg
Jun 2008	26 Jun 2009	Lt Col David O. Meteyer
Jun 2007	Jun 2008	Lt Col James Forand
Jun 2006	Jun 2007	Lt Col Timothy Lincoln
Jun 2005	Jun 2006	Lt Col Scott Peel
Jun 2004	Jun 2005	Lt Col Franklin "Joey" Hinson, Jr
Jun 2003	Jun 2004	Lt Col Thomas Doyne
Jun 2002	Jun 2003	Lt Col Shawn Barnes

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 Environment (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 Command (ADCOM), 1 October 1979
• Strategic Air Command, 1 December 1979
• 1st Space Wing (AFSC), 1 May 1993
• 21st Operations Group, 15 May 1992 – Present

Bases stationed

• Thule AB, Greenland, 1 January 1967 – Present

Equipment operated

Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
• Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.

External links

• Thule AFB: 821st Space Group Official Homepage