Cheyenne Mountain Complex
Space Force installation / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is a United States Space Force installation and defensive bunker located in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to the city of Colorado Springs,[2] at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station,[lower-alpha 1] which hosts the activities of several tenant units. Also located in Colorado Springs is Peterson Space Force Base, where the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) headquarters are located.[6]
Cheyenne Mountain Complex | |
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Part of Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station | |
Cheyenne Mountain, El Paso County, Colorado | |
Coordinates | 38°44′33″N 104°50′54″W |
Site information | |
Operator | United States Space Force |
Controlled by | Space Base Delta 1 |
Site history | |
Built | May 18, 1961 – February 8, 1966 |
In use |
Formerly the center for the United States Space Command and NORAD, the Complex monitored the air space of Canada and the United States for missiles, space systems, and foreign aircraft through its worldwide early-warning system.[8] Since 2008, NORAD and the United States Space Command have been based at Peterson Space Force Base and the complex, re-designated as an Air Force station, is used for crew training and as a back-up command center if required.[9]
The military complex has included, in the past, many units of NORAD, U.S. Space Command, Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM), Air Force Systems Command, Air Weather Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The complex's communication center is also used by the nearby U.S. Civil Defense Warning Center.[8]