Kagnew Station
| Kagnew Station | |
|---|---|
| Asmara, Eritrea | |
 Kagnew Station
|
|
| Coordinates | 15°19′39″N 38°56′02″E / 15.3274°N 38.9338°E |
| Type | Communications and SIGINT station |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |
 United States
|
| Site history | |
| In use | 1943–1977 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison |
 United States Army
|
Kagnew Station was a United States Army installation in Asmara, Eritrea on the Horn of Africa. The installation was established in 1943 as a U.S. Army radio station, taking over and refurbishing a pre-existing Italian naval radio station, Radio Marina, after Italian forces based in Asmara surrendered to the Allies in 1941. Kagnew Station operated until April 29, 1977, when the last Americans left. The station was home to the United States Army's 4th Detachment of the Second Signal Service Battalion.
The Cold War listening station, Kagnew Station, was located fairly close to the equator and at an altitude of 7,300 feet (2,200 m) above sea level. Its altitude and close proximity to the equator made Kagnew Station an ideal site for the Cold War listening station's dishes and the 2,500-acre (10 km2) antenna farm. In all Kagnew sprawled over 3,400 acres (14 km2) containing eight fenced or walled tracts. Kagnew Station became home for over 5,000 American citizens at a time during its peak years of operation during the 1960s.
Fighting between the Ethiopian military and Eritrean resistance fighters forced the closing of military's Keren R & R Center, located in the city of Keren in 1971. The Massawa R&R Center, located on the Red Sea, was closed shortly after the Keren R & R Center. The U.S. Army's 12 million dollar cost for maintaining their soldiers at Kagnew Station faced a budget ax in 1972 and the U.S. Army withdrew from Kagnew Station in 1973 but the Navy personnel remained.
Fighting between the Eritrean resistance and the Ethiopian government forces began affecting operations at Kagnew Station in the 1970s. In March 1971, 3,500 Americans remained at Kagnew Station, 1,900 personnel (1,700 of whom were military) and 1,600 dependents. By July 18, 1972, U.S. personnel at Kagnew Station were reduced to 900 personnel. In March 1974, only 100 civilian technicians remained to operate the residual communications facility, along with their families, and eight to ten U.S. military personnel.
On the night of January 31, 1975, heavy fighting broke out in Eritrea and incoming rocket-propelled grenades landed inside the Tract E compound. This began a season of frequent nighttime firefights between the Eritrean resistance and the Soviet-backed Ethiopian forces. On 14 July 1975, gunmen abducted two Americans and four Ethiopians from Kagnew Communications Station. The Americans, Steve Campbell and Jim Harrel, worked for Collins International Service Company (CISCO), a government contractor. On Friday 12 September 1975, the Eritrean Liberation Front, ELF, raided the US facility at Asmara, kidnapping a further eight people, including two Americans.
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