Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station
| Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part of United States' Air Force Space Command | |
| Colorado Springs, Colorado | |
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| Coordinates | 38°44′37.57″N 104°50′48.40″W / 38.7437694°N 104.8467778°W |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | Air Force Space Command |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1961–1965 |
| Built by | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| In use | 1965–Present |
| Battles/wars | Cold War |
| Images | |
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 Cheyenne Mountain, indicating excavation sites
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closer view of excavated roads
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| Video | |
 1960s footage of road entrance (3:05 minutes) |
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1970s footage of mountain (6:50 minutes) |
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west perimeter fence near Robber's Roost summit (4:10 minutes)
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Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station (CMAFS) is located within Cheyenne Mountain on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Cheyenne Mountain Complex was first built for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Until 2006, Cheyenne Mountain was the center for the United States Space Command and NORAD which monitored the air space of Canada and the United States through a worldwide system for early warnings of missiles, space systems, and foreign aircraft. The operations center was moved from an above-ground facility, vulnerable to missile or bomber attack, to the "granite shielded security" within Cheyenne Mountain during the Cold War as the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The complex was built in the mid-1960s, began operations in 1966, and NORAD's Combat Operation Center was fully operational on February 6, 1967. Today the Air Force Station is used as a pilot training center and is skeleton crewed and maintained as an alternate command center. It has its own power plant, heating and cooling system, and water supply. It was built under 2,000 feet (610 m) of granite on five acres. Structures outside of the military complex include the parking lots and roads, a heliport, and the fire station. Outdoor facilities include Mountain Man Park, picnic areas, a raquetball facility, softball field, sand volleyball, basketball, a putting green, and horseshoes. There is a fitness center inside and outside the mountain. The portals for the blast tunnel are entered off the parking lot. A military gate limits NORAD Road usage from the State Highway 115 interchange.
The military complex has, in the past, included many units of NORAD, U.S. Space Command, Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM), Air Force Systems Command, Air Weather Service, and Federal Emergency Management (FEMA). The complex's communication center is also used by the nearby U.S. Civil Defense Warning Center. The station has an exercise, weights, and cardio gym that is open 24 hours a day.
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Wikipedia