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Fort Lee Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part ofAir Defense Command (ADC) | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Location | |
  Fort Lee AFS Location of Fort Lee AFS, Virginia | |
| Coordinates | 37°15′08″N77°19′21″W / 37.25222°N 77.32250°W /37.25222; -77.32250 (Fort Lee AFS DC-04) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1956 |
| In use | 1956-1983 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Washington Air Defense Sector 33d Air Division 20th Air Division |
Fort Lee Air Force Station is a formerUnited States Air Force station. It is located 2.9 miles (4.7 km) northwest ofPrince George, Virginia. It was closed in 1983 due to budget cuts.
Fort Lee Air Force Station, located on theUnited States ArmyFort Lee installation, was selected in 1956 for aSemi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system direction center (DC) site, designatedDC-04. The SAGE system was a network linking Air Force (and later FAA) General Surveillance Radar stations into a centralized center for Air Defense, intended to provide early warning and response for a Soviet nuclear attack. This automated control system was used by NORAD for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft. In the later versions the system could automatically direct aircraft to an interception by sending instructions directly to the aircraft's autopilot.
The 4625th Air Defense Wing was activated at the site under the85th Air Division on 1 December 1956 to supervise the construction of the SAGE blockhouses and the installation and testing of the SAGE electronic and data processing equipment. The 4625th ADW was re-designated as theWashington Air Defense Sector (WaADS) on 8 January 1957 upon DC-04's activation, remaining under the 85th AD.
The operation of theSemi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) direction center (DC-04) was the mission the WaADS. The Sector was disestablished on 1 April 1966, the SAGE operations were reassigned to the33d Air Division, being moved to Fort Lee AFS fromRichards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri. The 33d AD was inactivated on 19 November 1969, its assets being assumed by the newly reactivated20th Air Division at Fort Lee AFS
The DC-04 and the 20th Air Division were inactivated on 1 March 1983 byAir Defense, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC). With its inactivation, Fort Lee Air Force Station was closed. After its closure, the site was taken over by other Federal Government agencies, and it now houses several such offices. Only the orderly room, mess hall and one barracks building still stand of the Air Force station.
The SAGE blockhouse also stands, now named Von Steuben Hall, it contains the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Software Engineering Center - Lee (SEC-Lee).
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
