Buckley Space Force Base


Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base in Aurora, Colorado named after United States Army Air Service First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. The base is run by Space Base Delta 2, with major units including the U.S. Space Force's Space Delta 4, the Colorado Air National Guard's 140th Wing, the Denver Naval Operations Support Center, and the National Reconnaissance Office's Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado.
Buckley was established in 1938 by the United States Army Air Corps as Demolition Bombing Range–Lowry Auxiliary Field, before being renamed Buckley Field in 1941, serving as a training base. In 1947, it became Naval Air Station Denver, serving as a reserve air station for the U.S. Navy. In 1961 it became Buckley Air National Guard Base, and had its first space mission in 1969. In 2000, it became Buckley Air Force Base under Air Force Space Command, before assuming its current name of Buckley Space Force Base in 2021.

History

Buckley Field (1938–1947)

In 1938, the city of Denver purchased a 100-square mile area of land several miles east of the city and donated it to the United States War Department. The United States Army Air Corps used the Demolition Bombing Range–Lowry Auxiliary Field, or Lowry II, as a bombing range, auxiliary landing field, and ammunition depot to support operations from its training sites at Lowry Field. On 14 June 1941, the United States Army Air Forces renamed the base Buckley Field in honor of United States Army Air Service First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley, a World War I pilot from Longmont, Colorado, who flew with the 28th Aero Squadron and was killed in a mid air collision on 27 September 1918 during the Meuse–Argonne offensive.
Prior to the United States' entry into World War II, the War Department assigned Buckley Field as an Army Air Corps Technical School to train an additional 55,000 airmen per year in anticipation of its entry into the conflict on the side of the Allies. Under the command of the 336th Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, later the 3702d Army Air Force Base Unit, construction on the base began in May 1942, resulting in the construction of over 700 buildings. The Technical Training School opened on 1 July 1942, training aircraft fighter armorers, while the nearby technical training school at Lowry Field trained aircraft bomber armorers. In 1943, Buckely Field expanded to include basic training for enlisted personnel and aviation cadets, chemical warfare, and arctic survival training for Air Transport Command's Alaskan Wing. The arctic survival school conducted classroom training at Buckley and field training at Echo Lake, near the summit of Mount Blue Sky. Technical training at the base was under the jurisdiction of the Western Technical Training Command. During the war, Buckley Field graduated over 52,000 armament students, 4,500 arctic survival students, and 37,000 basic trainees.
Following the end of World War II in 1945, Buckley Field fell into disuse and in June 1946, the Army Air Forces Technical Training Command announced that the base would become inactive. In December 1946, the Colorado Air National Guard began to set up operations at the base.

Naval Air Station Denver (1947–1960)

In 1946, the Department of the Navy issued a requirement for an inland Naval Air Reserve Station that could serve as a refueling stop for its aircraft, as well as a Naval Reserve station for sailors in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and parts of North and South Dakota and Nebraska. The first sailors were assigned to Buckley Field in December 1946, and the base was transitioned to the United States Navy on 28 September 1947, becoming Naval Air Station Denver.
The Colorado Air National Guard remained at the site, with its 86th Fighter Wing continuing flying operations. The 120th Fighter Squadron first flew the North American F-51 Mustang, before transitioning to the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star in 1953. On 31 October 1950, the 86th Fighter Wing was inactivated, transitioning responsibility for Air National Guard operations to the 140th Fighter Wing. The 140th Fighter Wing was redesignated several times, becoming the 140th Fighter–Bomber Wing in 1951, 140th Fighter–Interceptor Wing in 1955, and the 140th Air Defense Wing in 1957. The 140th Fighter–Bomber Wing briefly deployed to fly in the Korean War. In November 1953, the 140th Fighter–Bomber Wing activated the Minute Men Air National Guard demonstration team, originally flying F-80 Shooting Stars, but later transitioning to the North American F-86 Sabre.
In 1957, a radar detection site administered by the 138th Air Control and Warning Squadron was established.

Buckley Air National Guard Base (1960–2000)

In June 1959, the Department of the Navy planned to close thirty Naval Air Reserve stations as part of budget cutting measures, including Naval Air Station Denver. On 18 April 1960, the base was turned over to the Department of the Air Force, becoming Buckley Air National Guard Base, the first stand-alone Air National Guard base in the United States Air Force. The United States Navy continued to maintain a Naval Air Reserve Center at the base. During the 1960s, development edged toward Buckley and the land of the air base was annexed to Aurora in 1965 and 1966.
The 140th Air Defense Wing assumed responsibilities for the base. In 1961 the 140th Air Defense Wing became the 140th Tactical Fighter Wing, transitioning from the F-86 Sabre to the North American F-100 Super Sabre. In July 1966, Lowry Air Force Base was forced to cease all flying operations, resulting in Buckley Air National Guard Base the lone military airfield in the Denver area. Starting in July 1961, Buckley Air National Guard Base provided support for the 451st Strategic Missile Wing's HGM-25A Titan I intercontinental ballistic missiles at Lowry Air Force Base. The replacement of the Titan I with the LGM-25C Titan II and LGM-30 Minuteman resulted in the deactivation of the Titan I silos in 1965. In April 1968, the 14th Tactical Fighter Wing became the first Air National Guard unit to be sent to a combat zone since World War II, deploying to Phan Rang Air Base through April 1969 as part of the Vietnam War.
In spring 1969, the United States Air Force began development on the Defense Support Program ground station, beginning Buckley's space history. The first DSP satellites were launched in November 1970 and the ground station began operations in 1971. The 140th Tactical Fighter Wing transitioned to the LTV A-7 Corsair II in 1973, and in 1992, the 140th Tactical Fighter Wing became the 140th Fighter Wing and began transitioning to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. It later became the 140th Wing in 1955. In December 2001, a new Defense Support Program and Space-Based Infrared System ground station was activated.
After the end of the Cold War, the United States Congress' Base Realignment and Closure committees directed the closure of Lowry Air Force Base in 1991 and Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in 1995. In 1996, Air Force Space Command's 21st Space Wing activated the 821st Space Group to manage support in Denver and consolidate the space warning mission.

Buckley Air Force Base (2000–2021)

Following the activation of the 821st Space Group in 1996, the space mission at Buckley grew considerably. On 1 October 2000, the Department of the Air Force renamed the base to Buckley Air Force Base and assigned it to Air Force Space Command, with the 821st Space Group responsible for operations. In 2001, the 460th Air Base Wing was activated to manage operations at the base and relieve pressure on the 21st Space Wing. The 821st Space Group was inactivated, while the operational space missions were still controlled by the 21st Space Wing. In 2004, the 460th Air Base Wing became the 460th Space Wing, assuming responsibility for the Defense Support Program and Space-Based Infrared System missions from the 21st Space Wing.

Buckley Space Force Base (2021–present)

Following the establishment of the United States Space Force, the 460th Space Wing and Buckley Air Force Base's administration transferred from Air Force Space Command to the new service. On 24 July 2020, the 460th Space Wing was inactivated. Base administration was transitioned to Buckley Garrison and the 460th Operations Group became Space Delta 4, combining the space-based missile warning satellites at Buckley and the former 21st Space Wing's network of ground-based missile warning radars. On 4 June 2021, the Buckley Air Force Base was renamed Buckley Space Force Base.

Units

United States Space Force

As a United States Space Force base, the preponderance of the units at Buckley are from the service.

Space Base Delta 2

is responsible for the administration of Buckley Space Force Base under Space Operations Command, taking over the responsibility from the inactivated 460th Space Wing in 2020. It was formerly named Buckley Garrison until being redesignated on 23 May 2022, alongside the inactivation of the 460th Mission Support Group. Space Base Delta 2 also has responsibilities for providing installation support for Cape Cod Space Force Station, Cavalier Space Force Station, and Clear Space Force Station. Space Base Delta 2 supports 3,500 active duty members from every military service, 4,000 National Guard personnel and reservists, four commonwealth international partners, 2,400 civilians, 2,500 contractors, and approximately 88,000 retirees, veterans and dependents combined. Buckley Space Force Base is estimated to contribute $1 billion annually to the local economy.
Space Base Delta 2 is responsible for providing base operating support through security, civil engineer, military/civilian personnel, base services, contracting and logistics functions to 93,000 military, civilian, contractor, retiree, veteran and family members at Buckley Space Force Base along with the bases tenant units in the Front Range area defense community. The 460th Contracting Flight is responsible for military acquisitions, and is divided into three sub-flights: Infrastructure Support, Base Operation Support, and Plans and Programs. The 460th Security Forces Squadron is responsible for providing base security, law enforcement, and force protection. The 460th Force Support Squadron is responsible for military personnel support, manpower management, professional military education support, military and family readiness support, and professional enhancement services, as well as the Buckley Space Force Base honor guard morale, welfare, and recreation programs for Buckley Space Force Base. The 460th Civil Engineer Squadron is responsible for installation engineering, military housing support, environmental engineering, and emergency services. The 460th Logistics Readiness Squadron is responsible for providing all military logistics support, including vehicles management, traffic management, cargo movement, airlift operations, support agreements, deployment planning and execution, and bulk fuels.
The 460th Medical Group is divided into two squadrons. The 460th Medical Group is responsible for providing military medicine support, including primary care, flight and operational medicine, dentistry, mental health, public health, physical therapy, optometry, bioenvironmental engineering, medical laboratory, radiology, immunizations, and pharmacy medical support. The 460th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron includes six flights: Operational Medicine Flight, Public Health Flight, Bioenvironmental Flight, Optometry Flight, Dental Flight, and Mental Health Flight. The 460th Healthcare Operations Squadron consists of seven flights: Family Health Flight, Medical Laboratory Flight, Pharmacy Flight, TRICARE Operations and Patient Administration Flight, Medical Logistics Flight, Resource Management Flight, and Medical Information Systems Flight.
Space Base Delta 2 is composed of the following units at Buckley Space Force Base:


Space Base Delta 2
  • 460th Comptroller Squadron
  • 460th Civil Engineer Squadron
  • 460th Contracting Squadron
  • 460th Force Support Squadron
  • 460th Logistics Readiness Squadron
  • 460th Security Forces Squadron
  • 460th Medical Group
  • * 460th Healthcare Operations Squadron
  • * 460th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron