| 213th Space Warning Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Clear Air Force Station Alaska | |
| Active | 1967–present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Role | Missile Warning |
| Part of | Alaska Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Clear Air Force Station,Anderson, Alaska, USA |
| Nickname | Frontier Sentinels |
| Motto | Sentinels of Space (13th Missile Warning Squadron) |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 213th Space Warning Squadron emblem[1] |  |
The213th Space Warning Squadron of theAlaska Air National Guard provides early warning ofIntercontinental ballistic missiles andSubmarine-launched ballistic missiles to the Missile Correlation Center ofNorth American Aerospace Defense Command. The squadron is a geographically separated unit assigned to the168th Wing atEielson Air Force Base.
The primary mission of the 213th Space Warning Squadron is to provide early warning ofintercontinental ballistic missile andsubmarine-launched ballistic missile launches to the Missile Warning Center atNorth American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The secondary mission of the squadron is to provide space surveillance data on orbiting objects to the NORAD Space Control Center.
TheBallistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) site atClear Air Force Station began operation in November 1961, when Detachment 1,71st Surveillance Wing took over the site fromAir Force Systems Command. The detachment was composed of civilian contractors until 1964, when active dutyUnited States Air Force personnel began to operate the site's tactical operations room. At the start of 1967, the detachment was replaced by the newly activated13th Missile Warning Squadron.[2]
In August 1967, a severe flood inundated the region surroundingFairbanks, Alaska, and the squadron provided shelter to 216 refugees. The squadron was assigned its first female officer in 1973. By 1986, the squadron would be employing all-female crews. Because of a fire that destroyed part of a similar facility atThule Air Base, Greenland, in 1981 the missile tracking radar and itsradome were disassembled and replaced.[2]
The radar at Clear was the last mechanically operated BMEWS site. In 1998 the radar began to be converted to aphased array radar by employing components of thePAVE PAWS submarine-launched ballistic missile detection site from the closed facility atEldorado Air Force Station nearGoodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. The new system, known as the Solid-State Phased-Array Radar System, achievedinitial operating capability on 31 January 2001.[2]
On 21 May 2004, the 213th activated atClear Air Force Station. In 2006, the 213th Space Warning Squadron became the majority force provider to the mission ofClear Air Force Station by providing both space operations crews for the early warning radar and security forces for the installation. The early warning radar supports ballistic missile warning for threats to North America.Clear Air Force Station consists largely ofAir National Guard members assigned to the 213th, but the smaller active duty squadron,13th Space Warning Squadron, maintains responsibility for both the installation and execution of the mission.
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 1968 – 31 May 1970 | 13th Missile Warning Squadron |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1971 – 30 June 1973 | 13th Missile Warning Squadron |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 May 1983 – 30 April 1984 | 13th Missile Warning Squadron |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 October 1995 – 30 September 1997 | 13th Space Warning Squadron |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 October 1997 – 30 September 1999 | 13th Space Warning Squadron |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 January 1998 – 31 December 1998 | 13th Space Warning Squadron |
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