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Country:	USA
In Service:	2004

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Fort Greely, Alaska, nicknamed “the first line in America’s missile defense,” is a remote military base that will serve as the initial staging ground for the future U.S. missile defense shield. The Pentagon is currently in the process of deploying six Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missiles at Fort Greely as part of its Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which will become operational is September 2004.

 

Alaska has played a vital role in the strategic defense of the U.S. since the mid-twentieth century. Its location at the northwestern tip of the nation has allowed it to serve as a base of operations for U.S. military forces, most notably during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Cold War. Fort Greely, one of these Alaskan bases, was established in 1942 on a 640,000-acre expanse approximately 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks, or 350 miles northeast of Anchorage. During World War II, it became a staging area for U.S. aircraft that were being transported to the Soviet Union as part of the “Lend Lease” program.

 

In 1955, the U.S. Army turned Fort Greely into a cold weather training and testing facility, taking advantage of the base’s remote and sparsely populated surroundings. The closest town to the base, Delta Junction, has a current population of less than 900, a number that was significantly less during the 1950s. In 1962, the Army constructed a SM-1 nuclear reactor at Fort Greely and, four years later, began testing biological and chemical weapons as well as other ordinance on the site itself. Although the power plant was decommissioned in 1973, testing and training continued throughout the 1980s. In 1995, however, the Pentagon was forced to close down Fort Greely as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Act.

 

On December 13, 2001, President George W. Bush informed the Russians that he planned to withdraw from the 1972 ABM Treaty, which forbade the construction of a U.S. missile defense shield. One year later, Bush announced his intention to begin deploying ground-based anti-ballistic missile defenses by the end of 2004. The first stage involved the deployment of six Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missiles at the newly reopened Fort Greely, and an additional four at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The missiles were developed by a Boeing-led team of defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and Orbital Sciences.

 

According to the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Fort Greely was chosen as the initial site for several reasons: (1) its location at the northwestern tip of the U.S., which will allow its interceptor missiles to respond quickly to incoming ballistic missiles from Asia and the Middle East, especially from North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran; (2) its seclusion and privacy; (3) its existing facilities and infrastructure; (4) its stable geology, providing an ideal environment for underground missile launchers; and (4) its varied temperatures (80° F in the summer, -10° F in the winter with a wind-chill factor reaching as low as -88° F), which will allow for wide-ranging missile tests.

 

In June 2002, several months before President Bush’s initial announcement, preparation began for the Fort Greely’s September 2004 deployment. To date, six 80-foot-deep underground steel silos have been constructed, each of which will house one interceptor missile measuring 54 feet, weighing 25 tons, and filled with 45,000 pounds of solid propellant. In addition, new support facilities have been constructed, including a command-and-control center; missile storage and assembly buildings; electrical substations; communications structures; and an entry-control point. All buildings have been lined with reinforced steel to protect against potential enemy attacks, high-altitude nuclear blasts, and earthquakes. Over three miles of concrete tunnels have been built around the missile silos, control center, and storage facilities in order to insulate the base’s water pipes from the cold weather. The entire compound will be protected by a duel fence system.

 

In January 2004, the Alaska Army National Guard created the Missile Defense Space Battalion (the first of its kind) to man and operate Fort Greely. The battalion, which will number 110 national guardsmen at full strength, is part of the 100th Missile Defense Brigade based in Colorado Springs. Its mission will be to operate the command-and-control center and provide constant security for the GBIs, each of which is worth between $30 and $40 million. The guardsmen will be armed with a wide selection of weapons, ranging from M9 pistols to Mk. 19 grenade launchers. Once Fort Greely is operational, the guardsmen will be authorized to use deadly force against intruders. According to Brig. Gen. Craig Campbell, “the Alaska National Guard is in a unique historic position to protect the free world.”

 

If all goes according to plan, Fort Greely will be up and running by September 30, 2004. Its GBIs will be connected to a web of satellites and radars that will continuously scan the entire globe for incoming threats. In the event that an enemy missile is detected, the command-and-control center will relay its launch command, and the designated GBI will blast out of its silo and climb toward the target’s predicted location, receiving in-flight tracking updates from the satellites and radars along the way. Three minutes into its flight, the interceptor will release its payload, a small Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), which will continue on a trajectory with the incoming threat, colliding with it outside the atmosphere. The impact from a precise hit will pulverize the warhead, completely destroying any nuclear, chemical, or biological agents.

 

On June 29, 2004, the first GBI missile arrived at Fort Greely, having been flown into Eielson Air Force Base (25 miles south of Fairbanks) and driven by truck on the Richardson Highway the rest of the way. Five days later, with 35,000 cubic yards of concrete poured and nearly four miles of fence installed, the Pentagon declared major construction at Fort Greely complete. The site was officially dedicated on July 4, 2004. A monument was unveiled to mark the historic moment in U.S. strategic missile defense.

 

The Pentagon expects to expand Fort Greely in two-year increments as new technology becomes available. To speed up the GMD deployment, engineers are currently examining the feasibility of extending the Alaska Railroad to Delta Junction and Fort Greely. MDA plans to expand the shield to 20 interceptor missiles by the end of 2005. If progress continues at its current rate, Fort Greely will deploy between 25 and 30 GBIs by the end of the decade.

 

 

Sources

 

Arctic Circle, Fort Greely and National Missile Defense.
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Second Interceptor Installed at Fort Greely

September 10, 2004 :: News

The Missile Defense Agency installed the second Ground-based interceptor in an underground silo at Fort Greely this past week, according to the September 10 edition of Aerospace Daily and Defense Report. The first interceptor was “emplaced” on July 22, and the third is expected to be installed “probably within the next 10 days or so,” according to an MDA spokesman.
        Update: An MDA press release reports that a total of six interceptors will be emplaced by October, as well as two more at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by the end of the year. (Link) 

» MDA on second and future emplacements

» More stories on: Deployment, Land-Based Systems

» Missile system details for: Fort Greely, Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)

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