Editing Grand Forks Air Force Base (section)

==History==
Grand Forks Air Force Base was established on 1 December 1955, with construction beginning in the fall of that year. It was occupied for use on 28 January 1957, and was named after the neighboring city of [[Grand Forks, North Dakota|Grand Forks]].

===Air Defense Command===
Due to the continuance of the [[Cold War]] between the United States and the [[Soviet Union]], GFAFB was originally an [[Air Defense Command]] (ADC) fighter-interceptor air base. The site was chosen in 1954 and the land was paid for by the citizens of Grand Forks, the site was located {{convert|15|mi}} west of the city. The beginning of the {{convert|5400|acre|km2|adj=on}} air base started in 1956 with the construction of a {{convert|12300|ft|-1|adj=on}} runway.

On 18 February 1957, the [[478th Fighter Group]] (Defense) was activated at Grand Forks. The [[18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]] was moved from [[Wurtsmith Air Force Base|Wurtsmith AFB]], Michigan on 1 May 1960, and flew the [[McDonnell F-101 Voodoo|F-101B Voodoo]] until 15 April 1971, when it was inactivated and the Voodoos were retired. It was replaced by the [[460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron|460th FIS]], moved from [[Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base|Kingsley Field]] at [[Klamath Falls, Oregon]]. The 460th FIS flew [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart|F-106 Delta Dart]]s until it also was inactivated on 15 July 1974.

[[File:Grand-forks-afb-main-gate.jpg|thumb|left|Main gate at Grand Forks AFB]]

In addition to the interceptor squadrons, a [[Semi Automatic Ground Environment]] (SAGE) Data Center (DC-11) was established at Grand Forks in 1958. The SAGE system was a network linking Air Force (and later FAA) General Surveillance Radar stations into a centralized center for Air Defense, intended to provide early warning and response for a Soviet nuclear attack. DC-11 was operated by the [[Grand Forks Air Defense Sector]] (GFADS), activated on 8 December 1957 under the [[31st Air Division]] at [[Fort Snelling|Snelling AFS]], Minnesota. On 1 January 1959, GFADS was transferred to the operational control of the [[29th Air Division]] at [[Malmstrom Air Force Base|Malmstrom AFB]] at [[Great Falls, Montana]].

SAGE operations were extremely expansive and GFADS was inactivated on 1 December 1963, when it was merged with the [[Minot Air Defense Sector]] at [[Minot Air Force Base|Minot AFB]] to the west. With the inactivation of DC-11, Grand Forks AFB was reassigned from the Air Defense mission to [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC).

In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit. Although the 460th FIS won first place at the [[William Tell (aerial gunnery competition)|William Tell air-to-air competition]] at [[Tyndall Air Force Base|Tyndall AFB]], Florida, it was inactivated in 1974 due to the restructuring of the air defense system, and ended the activities of ADCOM at Grand Forks.

The DC-11 SAGE blockhouse was later the headquarters of the SAC [[321st Strategic Missile Wing]]. Following the end of [[LGM-30 Minuteman#Minuteman-III (LGM-30G)|Minuteman III]] missile operations in 1998, the large SAGE blockhouse was torn down five years later, in June 2003.

===Safeguard Anti-Ballistic Missile===
On 3 November 1967, the Department of Defense revealed that GFAFB was one of 10 initial locations to host a [[Safeguard Program|Sentinel Anti-Ballistic Missile]] (ABM) site. With president [[Richard Nixon]]'s announcement of 14 March 1969, constructing a "Safeguard" installation at Grand Forks became a top priority. Construction was stalled throughout mid-1969, as Congress debated the merits of BMD. After the Senate defeated amendments to kill Safeguard deployment, the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] proceeded under the assumption that appropriations would be forthcoming.

Survey teams selected sites in flat wheatlands close to the Canada-Minnesota border, north-northwest of Grand Forks. {{convert|25|mi|km|spell=In}} separated the {{convert|279|acre|adj=on|order=flip}} Perimeter Acquisition Radar (PAR) and the {{convert|433|acre|adj=on|order=flip}} Missile Site Radar (MSR) sites. Four remote launch sites of {{convert|36|to|45|acre}} each were to be situated in a circle with a {{convert|20|mi|adj=on}} radius surrounding the MSR. Groundbreaking occurred at the PAR and MSR sites on 6 April 1970. Excavation proceeded rapidly, and the foundation holes for the PAR and MSR were in place by mid-May.

On 26 May 1972, President Nixon and Soviet general secretary [[Leonid Brezhnev]] signed the [[ABM Treaty]], which limited each nation to one site to protect strategic forces and one site to protect the "[[National Command Authority (United States)|National Command Authority]]." With work about 85% complete at Grand Forks, the US chose to finish construction at the North Dakota site. On 21 August 1972, the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] turned over the PAR to the Safeguard Systems Command (SAFSCOM) Site Activation Team. The transfer of the MSR occurred on 3 January 1973. Work on the four remote launch sites fell behind schedule, with the last completed on 5 November 1972. Testing of the PAR commenced during the summer of 1973.

On 3 September 1974, the SAFSCOM Site Activation Team was relieved by the U.S. Army Safeguard Command. Named the "[[Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex]]" {{Coord|48|35|21|N|098|21|24|W|display=inline|name=Stanley R. Mickelson Complex}} ({{convert|62.3|mi|0}} northwest of the base), the North Dakota ABM site received its complement of nuclear-tipped [[LIM-49 Spartan]] and [[Sprint (missile)|Sprint Missile]]s during the following spring. The site was declared operational on 1 April 1975. Due to Congressional action, the Army operated the site for less than a year. With the exception of the PAR, the complex was abandoned in February 1976.

In October 1977, the PAR came under operational control of the [[United States Air Force|USAF]], which operated it as part of its early warning system. It was designated as '''Cavalier AFS''' {{Coord|48|43|29|N|097|53|58|W|display=inline|name=Cavalier AFS}} ({{convert|57.8|mi|0}} north-northwest of the base), and remains active. It is operated by the [[Air Force Space Command]] [[10th Space Warning Squadron]] (10th SWS).

===Strategic Air Command===
[[File:GFAFBMissile.jpg|thumb|130px|[[LGM-30 Minuteman#Minuteman-III .28LGM-30G.29: the current model|Minuteman III]] missile at GFAFB entrance]]
On 1 September 1958, the [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) established the 4133d Strategic Wing at Grand Forks as part of its plan to disperse its [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the [[Soviet Union]] to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. Many of these bases were near the U.S. border with Canada; those close to GFAFB in the north central U.S. were [[Minot Air Force Base|Minot]] and [[Glasgow Air Force Base|Glasgow]] to the west, and three in [[Michigan]] to the east ([[K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base|Sawyer]], [[Kincheloe Air Force Base|Kinchloe]], and [[Wurtsmith Air Force Base|Wurtsmith]]).

The 4133d SW was redesignated as the 319th Bombardment Wing (319th BW) on 1 February 1963 in a name-only redesignation and was assigned to SAC's [[Second Air Force]], [[810th Strategic Aerospace Division]]. Upon redesignation, the wing placed aircraft on peacetime quick reaction alert duty, and conducted global bombardment training for [[Emergency War Order]] operations and air refueling operations to meet SAC commitments. The aircraft in the 1960s at GFAFB were the latest models: B-52H bombers and [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135A]] tankers.<ref name=hofgf07/>

In 1973, the 319th Bomb Wing acquired the [[AGM-69 SRAM|AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile]] (SRAM), replacing the older [[AGM-28 Hound Dog]] air-to-ground missile aboard its B-52H aircraft. As the activities in [[Vietnam War|Southeast Asia]] decreased, the 319th BW focused its full efforts on training crews to fly strategic strike missions.

On 1 November 1964, 321st [[Strategic Missile Wing]] was organized as the [[LGM-30 Minuteman#Minuteman-II .28LGM-30F.29|Minuteman II]] intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) wing at GFAFB, the first in SAC.

During 1965, the wing's three missile squadrons were activated and crew training and certification began at [[Vandenberg Air Force Base|Vandenberg AFB]] in [[southern California]]. In August 1965, the base received its first Minuteman II missile, shipped by train from Assembly Plant 77 at [[Hill Air Force Base|Hill AFB]] at [[Ogden, Utah]]. During the following March, the base received the first Minuteman II to be shipped via aircraft, an Air Force first. The [[LGM-30 Minuteman#Minuteman-III .28LGM-30G.29: the current model|Minuteman III]] replaced the former in the 1970s.

The 319th transitioned from B-52H to B-52G aircraft in 1983 adding the [[AGM-86 ALCM|AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile]] (ALCM) in 1984.<ref name=hofgf07/><ref name=cjreftobl>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1916&dat=19840306&id=2iBJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WAYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2980,738215 |newspaper=The Hour |location=Norwalk, CT |title=Canadian judge refuses to block test flight of U.S. cruise missiles |date=6 March 1984 |page=2 }}</ref> In December 1986, the last B-52G permanently departed GFAFB, replaced by the [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer|B-1B Lancer]] in 1987. The tanker aircraft were also changed, from KC-135A to KC-135R. A change in the host unit occurred again in 1988, when the 42d Air Division was assigned for base support in place of the 321st SMW.<ref name=hofgf07/>

====Cold War aircraft incidents====
*On 2 November 1967, a Grand Forks B-52H (61-0030)<ref name=61ser>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1961.html |publisher=Joseph F. Baugher |title=1961 USAF serial numbers |access-date=11 May 2014}}</ref> crashed near [[Griffiss Air Force Base|Griffiss AFB]] in central [[New York (state)|New York]], killing six of the eight aboard.<ref name=ser610030>{{cite web |url=http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=48280 |publisher=Aviation Safety |title=61-0030 |agency=ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 48280 |date=2 November 1967 |access-date=11 May 2014}}</ref> It had engine difficulties and was attempting an emergency landing.<ref name=scrmngr>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QmEtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VogFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2940%2C522945 |newspaper=Schenectady Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=B52 crashes at Griffiss, 6 crewman dead, 2 hurt |date=3 November 1967 |page=1 }}</ref>
*On 15 September 1980, a B-52H on alert status experienced a wing fire that burned for three hours, fanned by evening winds of {{convert|26|mph|abbr=on}}. The wind direction was parallel to the fuselage, which likely had [[AGM-69 SRAM|SRAM]]s in the main bay. Eight years later, a weapons expert testified to a closed [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] hearing that a change of wind direction could have led to a conventional explosion and a widespread scattering of radioactive [[plutonium]].<ref name=abrwnuccat>{{cite news|url=http://articles.philly.com/1991-08-13/news/25804807_1_nuclear-weapons-nuclear-arsenal-roger-batzel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512215032/http://articles.philly.com/1991-08-13/news/25804807_1_nuclear-weapons-nuclear-arsenal-roger-batzel |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 May 2014 |newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer |last=Karaim |first=Reed |title=A Brush With Nuclear Catastrophe |date=13 August 1991 |access-date=11 May 2014}}</ref>
* Mid-morning on 27 January 1983, a B-52G (57-6507)<ref name=57ser>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1957.html |publisher=Joseph F. Baugher |title=1957 USAF serial numbers |access-date=11 May 2014}}</ref> exploded on the maintenance ramp, killing five maintenance personnel and injuring eight.<ref name=fkabeabx>{{cite news
|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_gNMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vPkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2329%2C3001771 |newspaper=Spokane Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |title=Five killed as bomber explodes at air base; $38 million damage |date=27 January 1983 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=cfsfpr >{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bAoQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SIsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5193%2C3642466
|newspaper=Free Lance-Star |location=Fredericksburg, VA |agency=Associated Press |title=B-52 fire brings call for safety probe |date=28 January 1983 |page=3 }}</ref><ref name=exfrafbr>{{cite news
|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s_hLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=o-4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5154%2C5885789 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |agency=Associated Press |title=Explosion, fire rip AF bomber; kill 5 injure 8 |date=28 September 1983 |page=1 }}</ref> A faulty fuel pump in a wing tank was being attended to prior to the accident.<ref name=ser576507>{{cite web |url=http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=48377 |publisher=Aviation Safety |title=57-6507 |agency=ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 48377 |date=27 January 1983 |access-date=11 May 2014}}</ref>

===The 1990s===
With the restructuring of the Air Force and the disestablishment of SAC in 1992, the wing transferred to [[Air Combat Command]] (ACC), then came under [[Air Force Space Command]] (AFSPC) in 1993.

On 1 February 1993, ACC dropped the 319th Bomb Wing's primary nuclear mission and gave the wing the primary mission of B-1B conventional bombardment operations. The 319th BW began planning and training to support such a mission to counter worldwide regional threats.

Following the departure of the last B-1B aircraft in 1994, the base transferred to the new [[Air Mobility Command]] (AMC) and the 319th Bomb Wing was redesignated as the [[319th Air Refueling Wing]] (319 ARW). The KC-135R aircraft assets were transferred to AMC, and the strategic ICBM assets went to [[Air Force Space Command]] (AFSPC).

In March 1995, the [[1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission]] (BRAC) selected the 321st Strategic Missile Wing for inactivation; it was first downgraded to group status, then inactivated on 30 September 1998. GFAFB's Minuteman ICBM silos were imploded in accordance with the [[START II|Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty]] (START II), commencing in 1999 and completed in 2001.<ref>[[321st Air Expeditionary Wing]]</ref> The Minuteman III missiles were transferred to [[Malmstrom Air Force Base|Malmstrom AFB]] in at [[Great Falls, Montana]], to replace retired Minuteman II models. Minuteman III ICBMs remain at three USAF bases: Malmstrom, [[Minot Air Force Base|Minot]], and [[Francis E. Warren Air Force Base|F.E. Warren]] at [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]].

===Twenty-first century===
In May 2005, DoD's [[2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission]] recommended that Grand Forks be [[Base Realignment and Closure|realigned]]. The base's KC-135 tanker mission was lost, with a significant reduction of personnel, but it was not closed.

The [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|unmanned]] [[Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk|RQ-4 Global Hawk]] was assigned to Grand Forks, and on 1 March 2011, the wing was redesignated as the [[319th Air Base Wing]] (319 ABW). The first RQ-4 arrived in May 2011 and were assigned to the [[69th Reconnaissance Group]], Air Combat Command. Starting in 2012, the base received several new Block 40 Global Hawks.<ref>[[Associated Press]], "[http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/06/ap-global-hawk-arrives-grand-forks-base-060111/ First Global Hawk arrives at Grand Forks base]", ''[[Military Times]]'', 1 June 2011.</ref> On 13 June 2017, the 319 ABW transferred from the Air Mobility Command to the Air Combat Command.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1213134/air-force-realigns-grand-forks-afb-under-acc/|title=Air Force realigns Grand Forks AFB under ACC|work=U.S. Air Force|access-date=12 December 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

On 11 May 2019 Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson announced that the 319th Air Base Wing would be re-designated the 319th Reconnaissance Wing in a ceremony on 28 June 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grandforksherald.com/4611608-its-official-air-force-intends-redesignate-grand-forks-air-force-base-giving-it-leadership|title=It's official: Air Force intends to redesignate Grand Forks Air...|last=Allen|first=Emily|date=2019-05-11|website=www.grandforksherald.com|language=en|access-date=2019-05-11}}</ref>

On 28 June 2019 the 319th Air Base Wing was re-designated the 319th Reconnaissance Wing and the 69th Reconnaissance Group inactivated transferring the RQ-4 mission.

===Major commands to which assigned===
*[[Air Defense Command]], 25 July 1956
*[[Strategic Air Command]], 1 July 1963
*[[Air Combat Command]], 1 June 1992
*[[Air Mobility Command]], 1 October 1993 
* Air Combat Command, 13 June 2017 – present<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1213134/air-force-realigns-grand-forks-afb-under-acc/ |author=No byline, staff author|title=Air Force realigns Grand Forks AFB under ACC|date=13 June 2017|publisher=Air Combat Command Public Affairs|access-date=14 June 2017}}</ref>

===Major units assigned===
{{Col-begin}}69th Reconnaissance Group – September 2011 – Current (RQ-4)
{{Col-break|width=50%}}
*[[4133d Strategic Wing]], 1 September 1958 – 1 February 1963
*[[905th Air Refueling Squadron]], 1 February 1960 – 1 December 2010
*319th Bombardment Wing (Heavy), 1 February 1963
: Redesignated [[319th Air Refueling Wing]], 1 October 1993
: Redesignated [[319th Air Base Wing]], 1 March 2011 – 28 June 2019
: Redesignated 319th Reconnaissance Wing, 28 June 2019 - Present
*[[4th Air Division]], 1 September 1964 – 30 June 1971
*[[321st Air Expeditionary Wing|321st Strategic Missile Wing (later Missile Wing, Missile Group)]], 1 November 1964 – 30 September 1998
*804th Combat Support Group, 18 August 1964 – 31 July 1972
{{Col-break|width=50%}}
*[[Grand Forks Air Defense Sector]], 8 December 1957 – 1 December 1963
*478th Air Base Squadron, 8 February 1957 – 1 February 1961
* 478th Air Base Group, 1 February 1961 – 1 July 1963
*478th Fighter Group, 8 February 1957 – 1 February 1961
: [[478th Fighter Wing]] (Air Defense), 1 February 1961 – 1 July 1963
*[[18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]], 1 May 1960 – 15 April 1971 (F-101B)
*[[460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]], 16 April 1971 – 15 July 1974 (F-106)
{{col-end}}

<small>References for history introduction, major commands and major units</small><ref name="mul2">Mueller, Robert (1989). Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. USAF Reference Series, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C. {{ISBN|0-912799-53-6}}, {{ISBN|0-16-002261-4}}</ref>