Wong said that the structures may be equipped with machine guns, howitzers or even anti-tank weapons. The Air Force's plan to destroy HAARP has detractors. Heres the complete list of Military Bases in Alaska, including their functions and stationed units. It hosts almost 8,000 soldiers and is one of the largest training camps in the United States. Alaskas own Area 51 has been the source of much speculation and conversation over the years. For Jefferson extending out into the ocean. Please support TheClever so we can continue providing you with great content! [35] Construction of the superfund site was complete in 1998.[36]. It is located deep in the Alaskan wilderness, with only a few small communities nearby. Although its command moved, CRTC continued to operate from Fort Greely. The base is home to the US Army Law Enforcement Command, the 50th Signal Battalion [], Fort Wainwright is a complementary camp to Fairbanks, a more important and large post of Alaska. It is said that the entire area within the Area 51 is rigged with motion sensors that provide information about any intruders. Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Eielson Air Force Base has several locomotives to transport coal in winter to the base's power station. Required fields are marked *. The site was host to numerous projects over the years, including the creation of the first artificially produced aurora in 2005. Prior to its shutdown, the 343d was the oldest surviving air combat unit in Alaska with a lineage dating back to the Aleutian Campaign. [8] The F-35 program increases the number of military personnel at Eielson by approximately 50%, which is a significant change for a base once on the brink of closure.[9]. The present army of troops works out of Devils Tower Camp (the base likewise has the offices to prepare fighters in an assortment of particular controls). Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated fish were also found in the area. The concept of secret spies and secret military bases has always been an intriguing one for people. The camp was established in 1942 as Big Delta Army Air Field. Official Site: https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Director-of-Operational-Logistics-DOL/Bases/Base-Kodiak/, Your email address will not be published. The first experiment was the 2004 Sumatra earthquake. There's a fair chance that every top secret U.S. aircraft of the last four decades has been built 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles, at the mother of all secret aircraft military bases: Plant 42 in Palmdale. Others go so far as to claim that HAARP can and has been used for weather . The site's generators now require remediation to meet the environmental standards set in the Clean Air Act, an expense no one seems keen to take on. During World War II, the Alaska Highway was built to connect a road in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada with the Richardson Highway in Alaska, a distance of 1,423 miles (2290km). An official website of the United States government, 37 African nations, US kickoff AACS 2023 in Senegal, DAF hosts Black History Month STEM achievement panel, SecAF Kendall visits Maui Space Surveillance Complex fuel spill, IAAFA infuses agility into training with modern technology, simulators, Accelerating the Legacy 2023 honors Tuskegee Airmens legacy through aviator development, student outreach, Voting open now for Department of the Air Force Spark Tank 2023 finalists, Vice Chiefs Challenge calls Airmen to operationalize Agile Combat Employment, Air Force launches Energy-as-a-Service pilot program at Hanscom AFB, Air Force Battle Lab accelerates battle management for PACAF, ABMS CFT, ACC, CJTF-HOA conducts joint FARP exercise on African continent, AFGSC commander approves formal assessment to investigate missile community cancer concerns, Beale AFB Airmen launch ACC minority outreach initiative, 366th Fighter Wing approaches lead wing IOC with Raging Gunfighter 23-1, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. However, despite the controversial nature of the story, in some recently publicized FBI files, we read about surprising encounters with UFOs in the period between 1947 and 1950 in Alaska. It has hosted and continues to host numerous Air Force wings, and is expected to receive over 50 of the new F-35 fighters in the coming years. It is the only biosafety level 4 lab under the Ministry of Defense. A related trial unit, Task Force Frost, incorporated elements of the 66th Armored Regiment and underwent tests in Camp McCoy, Wisconsin at roughly the same time. Both the runway and dock have continued in service to this day serving as transportation hubs for airlines and shipping. All rights reserved. According to Alex Clark, "D uring WWII the Army Air Force built an airbase at Point Spencer on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska.". The ruins of a town wiped out by the second-largest earthquake in recorded history. Access to the sea is also blocked for nine months because of the ice. Diego Garcia was the solution and as a by-product of renting it to the U.S, the British government won a ton ofbrownie points from them and a noteworthy money related commitment to its Polaris submarine program. Everything inside and out has been broken and vandalized. Their wing motto is: "Ready to go at fifty below! Actual construction began on 25 August 1943. From 1955, Fort Greely and a huge tract of land around it (withdrawn from the Department of the Interior) were used for training soldiers for cold-weather combat during the Cold War with the former Soviet Union. It is said to house exact replicas of buildings while at one point they even made some and filled them with Japanese furniture, the reasons for which remain unknown. Captain Thornbrough fought during the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June 1942, bravely attacking a Japanese aircraft carrier that was launching strike aircraft at Dutch Harbor. Expansion of its capabilities may be required to protect Alaska and the West Coast of the United States from possible North Korean attacks. Please whitelist TheClever or disable your ad blocker to continue. On 13 May 2005, The United States Department of Defense proposed a major realignment of the base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure program. It is commonly known as HAARP. The median age was 22 years. Love Alaska? World War II in Alaska Introduction American and Canadian soldiers made an amphibious landing on the island of Kiska, August 16, 1943. These exercises are conducted on the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex (JPARC) with air operations flown out of Eielson and its sister installation, Elmendorf Air Force Base. The equipment that is housed here has only one task and that is to keep a lookout for an intercontinental ballistic missile launch. Don'ts Miss These 15 Incredible Things to Do in Whittier, Alaska. Declassified files show that the United States government has used remote viewing, the ability to psychically see places from a distance, for over a decade. In July 1960, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) stationed the 4157th Combat Support Group (later Strategic Wing) at Eielson. These facilities come at a sensitive time when both Taiwan and the mainland are protesting against the ruling party. Now the service has sent F-16 fighters. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. Despite its highest mountain status in the eastern range of the state, Hayes is rarely climbed due to its remoteness and inaccessibility. Headquarters USAF General Order 2, dated 13 January 1948, redesignated Mile 26 as Eielson Air Force Base. The Air Defense Command deployed interceptors to Eielson during the 1960s. Name a natural phenomenon, and someone probably suspects HAARP of being behind it. In April 2015, wells near Moose Creek, Alaska, the community to the north, were tested and found contaminated. A village on the east coast of England that has almost completely eroded into the North Sea. This military facility covers over 7000 acres of land. On June 3 and 4, 1942, Japanese carrier aircraft made a two-day attack on Amaknak Island, the most serious air attack on North American territory during World War II. One of these structures would be located under . In December 2014, Congress approved $50 million to increase the number of interceptor missiles at Fort Greely from 26 to 40 as part of a missile-defense expansion announced in 2013. The organization moved to Alaska in July 1949 and test operations were initiated. Disguised as civilian employees of the Blair Canning and Packing Company, United States . The Northern Warfare Training Center also continued operations at Black Rapids Training Facility. Task Force Frigid and Task Force Williwaw were dispatched to Alaska during the winters of 1946 and 1947. Some even say that the American moon landing was filmed there. The 308th flew WB-29 Superfortresses. Other instruments are then used to measure the perturbations. Visit the Buckner Building. While most of these exist in the realm of fiction, the fact remains that a good number of these very secretive military bases do exist in real life and speculations of what they might be hiding come forth every once in a while, courtesy of conspiracy theorists. In March 2016, detailed pictures of one of the most mysterious air bases in Nevada were distributed, captured by means of Google Earth and released by the Las Vegas Review Journal. Crews built two parallel runways, 165 feet (50m) across and 6,625 feet (2,019m) long. Several special forces units are stationed and trained there, including the "Arctic Wolves." Units Stationed: USARAK 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division some respected researchers allege that secret electromagnetic warfare capabilities of HAARP are designed to forward the US military's stated goal of achieving full-spectrum dominance by the year 2020. The last of the aircraft arrived in April 2022. The 375th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, from the 308th Bombardment Group at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, arrived at Eielson on 5 March 1949. At the base the population was spread out, with 40.8% under the age of 18, 16.6% from 18 to 24, 41.2% from 25 to 44, 1.2% from 45 to 64, and 0.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The 6th SW flew RC135 strategic reconnaissance missions with an assigned squadron, and, with KC135 Stratotankers deployed to Eielson from SAC, Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), and the Air National Guard (ANG), conducted Alaska Tanker Task Force (ATTF) missions to support reconnaissance and numerous exercises for the USAF and U.S. It is located in Alaska, a place that hosts huge amounts of oil and natural gas underground. It was named for Carl Ben Eielson, an Alaska aviation pioneer who was killed, along with his mechanic Earl Borland, in the crash of their Hamilton H-45 aircraft in 1929. Continue onto W Camp Rd As it slowly crumbles and molds back into the mountain upon which it was set, the Buckner Building is a cracked and faded monument to an era of government (and military) ambition that may never return. The obscure handwritten document, de-classified and named Sun Streak, was under the supervision of the DoDs Defense Intelligence Agency, describes secret underground structures of extraterrestrial origin. So what exactly did the United States government find out? The program has been funded by the Air Force, the Navy, the University of Alaska and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Naval Air Facility Adak (IATA: ADK, ICAO: PADK, FAA LID: ADK), was a United States Navy airport located west of Adak, on Adak Island in the U.S. state of Alaska. After its closure in 1997, it was reopened as Adak Airport.The facility was designated a National Historic Landmark for its role in World War II, although most of its elements from that period have been demolished or lie in ruins. Specifically, the office is utilized for the advancement of counter-terrorism based operation procedures. Det. The British 'science park' is one of the most secretive and sensitive facilities in the U.K. that is currently being used for chemical and nuclear research. To add fuel to the suspicions, the fact that most of these facilities are located in far off places and are guarded heavily raises a lot of red flags. Anthrax, Ebola and Monkey virus are some of the diseases that are usually handled at the U.S. Army Medical Institute, also commonly known as USAMRIID. 3, 317th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron from Elmendorf Air Force Base deployed F-102 Delta Daggers and F-106 Delta Darts to the base between 1960 and 1969. See Tune-In Times Upcoming Airings See Full Schedule Sunday Mar 19 11am | 10c Previous Episode Next Episode For the record, the Haitian quake of 2010 was caused by the slippage of a previously unmapped fault along the border of the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates. The field became known as "Mile 26" because of its proximity to a United States Army Signal Corps telegraph station and a Richardson Highway milepost marker using the same designation. The Devils Tower Camp is a substantial army installation in the British controlled Gibraltar. The site was originallyestablished during the Cold War and it has many names including Site R and The Underground Pentagon. (In 2014, local government started cracking down on trespassers.). It is a city with plenty of natural attractions. The first USAAF operational unit assigned to Eielson was the 57th Fighter Group, equipped successively with P-38 Lightnings, P/F-51 Mustangs, F-80 Shooting Stars, and F-94 Starfire aircraft. The Dugway Proving grounds are said to be the place where next generation weapon systems, aircrafts, chemical and biological weapons are tested. And could an underground facility have anything to do with strange relationships in the area dating back decades? In addition, Price states that the. As of the census of 2000, there were 5,400 people, 1,448 households, and 1,414 families residing on the base. 2. Throughout the 570,380 square miles of Alaska, there are many military bases, abandoned projects, and remnants of the past sinking into the tundra. Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears were the furthest west U.S. Fort Greely is currently one of the two U.S. sites housing anti-ballistic missile interceptor missiles, and it is near the Great circle line from North Korea to the contiguous United States. Greenland is home to one of the most isolated military bases of the U.S. [38] As of May 2016[update], between 145 and 150 homes had well water with PFOS above the EPA health advisory concentrations. As it is protected by barbed wires, only the officials who work there know of whatever happens on the grounds of Area 51. Fort Richardson Location: Anchorage, Alaska Constructed In: 1940 This is the largest military base in Alaska, spanning over 25,000 acres and marked by rugged terrain. Possibly one of the oldest abandoned military bases is located in the middle of the ocean, just west of Key West. Nowadays, almost every room has inch-deep water flooding the floors and is laced with asbestos, mold, and mildew. Get more stories delivered right to your email. U.S. Army anti-ballistic missile launch site, This article is about the military base near Fairbanks, Alaska. The experiment was conducted on March 10, 2004. disrupting communications and the electrical grid, first artificially produced aurora in 2005, Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom. It is slowly turning out to be the most essential army installation in the area. Cold Bay, Alaska Territory, Opened March 1942. HAARP sends radio beams into the ionosphere to study the responses from it one of the few ways to accurately measure this inaccessible part of the atmosphere. Located about 1,400 air miles southwest of Anchorage, Adak Naval Base remained active until the late 1990s. Solar flares can send solar particles racing toward Earth, occasionally disrupting communications and the electrical grid. [23], A new chapter for the base began 1 October 1981 when the 343d Composite Wing replaced the 5010th as Eielson's host unit. One of these structures would be located under . The 25 TASS, at Eielson since 1971, flew O-2 Skymaster and OV-10 Bronco aircraft until its inactivation in 1989; the newly assigned 18 FS operated A-10 Thunderbolt IIs until it converted to F-16 Fighting Falcons in 1991. There will also be a new building to house a flight simulator and a new maintenance hangar", "Ladd Field, Fort Wainwright, Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK", "Amber Hall's past provides answers for the future", "Key Issues: Nuclear Weapons: Issues: Accidents: 20 Mishaps that Might Have Caused Nuclear War", "The following story was reprinted from the June 30, 1930 edition of Farthest North Collegian", "Eielson AFB reactivates 356th Fighter Squadron", "355th Fighter Squadron reactivates, Alaska's second F-35A squadron", NPL Site Narrative for Eielson Air Force Base, "EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, EPA ID# AK1570028646, Last Update: April, 2002", "Superfund Site Progress Profile EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE (EPA ID: AK1570028646)", "Air Force to test Moose Creek wells for groundwater contamination", "Air Force to hold meeting about Moose Creek water contamination", "More homes affected by foam pollution at Eielson", Strategic Air Command in the United Kingdom, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eielson_Air_Force_Base&oldid=1134385884, Installations of the United States Air Force in Alaska, Airports in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, Census-designated places in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, Installations of the United States Air National Guard, Articles with dead external links from March 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles containing potentially dated statements from August 2015, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from May 2016, Articles needing additional references from August 2015, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Established as Mile 26 Satellite Field (of, Eielson Air Force Base, 13 January 1948present, Army Air Forces Transport Command (June 1943 November 1945), Stn No. The indefatigable Mutschler was transferred from Alaska to Fort Meade (the ultra-secret home of the National Security Agency), where he availed himself of classified archives seemingly confirming the pyramid story. The uprooted Chagossians got nothing. Advertisement. The 180-antenna HAARP array is spread across a 40-acre site at Gakona, Alaska. 3. This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 15:17. It is located within Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. Ladd Field served as the debarkation point for the Alaska-Siberia Ferry Route of the Lend-Lease program and was the hub of activity. It was controlled by the 5024th Air Base Squadron, Alaskan Air Command (AAC). USGC is considered by most to be the hub of the 17th District and Coast Guard []. Overall Mission: Fort Richardson is the Army portion of the Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base in Anchorage. The two merged in 2010. The Coast Guard assumed control of the base in 1972. [5], With the continued development of an intercontinental ballistic missile program by North Korea, Fort Greely may be slated for an expansion. Males had a median income of $24,961 versus $21,432 for females. Later in the 70s mid 80s the 172nd Infantry Brigade (the 171st Infantry Brigade was inactivated on 13 November 1972), followed by the 6th Infantry Division when the 172nd Infantry Brigade itself was deactivated on 15 April 1986 (it was reactivated in Alaska on 17 April 1998, and inactivated in Iraq on 14 December 2006). Apparently, some really high-level work goes on at Area 6, which comprises of a single runway, a major hangar, and a bunch of sheds. The governmentis reluctant toadmit the exact use of the structures, however, military expert Wong Dong said that these structures may have been built to prevent a landing assault. In 1976, the U.S. Army Arctic Test Center was renamed the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center. AK is home to 7 major US Military installations. Fort Wainwright, Elmendorf AFB, and Fort Richardson are the largest bases in Alaska, each averaging about 6,000 military personnel. The expense of moving in and out was taken into consideration when the final reports were filed. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. Thornbrough Air Force Base is a former facility of the United States Air Force in Cold Bay, Alaska. Official Site: https://www.eielson.af.mil/, Related Article Military Bases in Florida, In Use: 1940-Present (Operating as part of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson since 2010). Where Is the Military Base in Alaska? There was an earlier Fort Greely on Kodiak Island.[1]. Completed on 17 October 1944, the 14-month project cost about eight-million dollars.[11]. These incorporate passage in an exceptionally constructed underground system, parachuting, jumping and even a model town to give urban fighting experience. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). It is also the home of the Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC), as Fort Greely is one of the coldest areas in Alaska, and can accommodate cold, extreme-cold, and temperate-weather tests depending on the season. The wreckage of Captain Thornbrough's aircraft was found 50 miles (80km) from Cold Bay on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula the following month. Abandoned Air Force base that has fallen into disrepair. In his book written in 1997, Remote Viewers: The Secret History of Americas Psychic Spies, the author Jim Schnabel describes in detail the involvement of US Intelligence in the controversial issue of psychic espionage that began in the 1970s.