Editing Grand Forks Air Force Base (section)

===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).