12th Space Warning Squadron

June 2020 December 2012 12th Space Warning Squadron 12th Space Warning Squadron emblem (2).png Squadron emblem 1967 – present United States Missile Detection and Warning Space Delta 4 Lt Col Barry Knoblock Pituffik Space Base, Greenland Headquarters Top of the World Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 165px Former 12th Missile Warning Squadron emblem 165px Former 12th Missile Warning Squadron emblem, 1994 165px 12th Missile Warning Group emblem The 12th Space Warning Squadron is a United States Space Force ground-based radar used for missile warning, missile defense, and space situation awareness, stationed at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland. Overview The primary mission of the 12th SWS is to provide critical, real-time missile warning, defense, and space surveillance to the President of the United States, Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, NORAD, and unified commands by operating a phased-array radar—which continuously provides warning of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and intercontinental ballistic missile attacks against North America—and detect, track, and identify earth-orbiting objects in support of USSTRATCOM's space control mission, thus "knitting a blanket of freedom". The 12th Space Warning Squadron is a unit of the Space Delta 4 which is under Air Force Space Command. To accomplish its mission, the squadron operates the solid-state phased-array radar located at the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), Site I. The BMEWS site is located approximately 11 miles northwest of Pituffik SB 76.569 N 68.318 W. It provides early warning detection of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches from the Russian land mass and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launches from the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans against North America. Additionally, BMEWS keeps track of polar orbiting satellites. The operational crews report through the Missile Warning Center to the NORAD/USNORTHCOM Center. The Operation Support Flight (DOO) provides direct operational support to the missile warning crews. The flight's Operations Training Section (DOT) provides all crew force initial, recurring, and supplemental training. Other flight responsibilities include hardware, software and maintenance support (MA), operational test and evaluation (DOV), and crew force management (DOU). History The 12th SWS was formed in January 1967 as a successor organization to the Air Defense Command 931st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, which was inactivated at the end of 1965. The 931st AC&WS operated a series of Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) radar sites in Greenland to detect intrusion of unknown aircraft. The squadron relayed information to the 64th NORAD Region Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system DC-31 Direction Center, and interceptor squadrons stationed at Thule Air Base. With the development of ICBM and SLBM technologies, the mission to monitor aircraft coming over the horizon from the Soviet Union was transferred to other units, and the 931st AC&WS at Thule AB was inactivated. Lineage Constituted as the 12th Missile Warning Squadron on 1 November 1966 Activated on 1 January 1967 Redesignated 12th Missile Warning Group on 31 March 1977 Redesignated 12th Missile Warning Squadron on 15 June 1983 Redesignated 12th Missile Warning Group on 1 October 1989 Redesignated 12th Space Warning Squadron on 15 May 1992 Assignments 71st Missile Warning Wing, 1 January 1967 Fourteenth Aerospace Force, 30 April 1971 21st Air Division, 1 October 1976 Aerospace Defense Command, 1 October 1979 40th Air Division, 1 December 1979 1st Space Wing, 1 May 1993 21st Operations Group, 15 May 1992 21st Space Wing, 1 June 1995 21st Operations Group, 1 August 1999 Space Delta 4, 24 July 2020 – Present Bases stationed Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, 1 January 1967 – present Equipment operated Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS)12th Space Warning Squadron Fact Sheet https://web.archive.org/web/20090615052653/http://www.thule.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4886 15 June 2009 List of commanders October 2021 Start End Commander June 2002 June 2003 Lt Col Shawn Barnes June 2003 June 2004 Lt Col Thomas Doyne June 2004 June 2005 Lt Col Franklin "Joey" Hinson Jr June 2005 June 2006 Lt Col Scott Peel June 2006 June 2007 Lt Col Timothy Lincoln June 2007 June 2008 Lt Col James Forand June 2008 26 June 2009 Lt Col David O. Meteyer 26 June 2009 February 2010 Lt Col James Oldenburg February 2010 3 June 2010 Lt Col Kimberly Damalas (appointed) 3 June 2010 16 June 2011 Lt Col Jeffrey Van Sanford 16 June 2011 21 June 2012 Lt Col Christopher S. Putman 21 June 2012 11 July 2013 Lt Col Gregory G. Karahalis 11 July 2013 June 2014 Lt Col Kelly S. Easlerhttp://www.linkedin.com/pub/kelly-easler/56/291/150 Kelly S. Easler LinkedIn July 2022 June 2014 June 2015 Lt Col Jason Resleyhttps://www.linkedin.com/pub/jason-resley/a/22a/61 Jason Resley LinkedIn July 2022 June 2015 June 2016 Lt Col Marc A. Brockhttps://www.peterson.spaceforce.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/2658572/colonel-marc-a-brock/ Colonel Marc A. Brock June 2016 June 2017 Lt Col David L. Ransom 8 June 2017 June 2018 Lt Col Carl B. Bottolfsonhttps://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1226292/12th-space-warning-squadron-welcomes-new-commander/ https://web.archive.org/web/20190603181820/https://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1226292/12th-space-warning-squadron-welcomes-new-commander/ dead 3 June 2019 12th Space Warning Squadron welcomes new commander 7 June 2018 June 2019 Lt Col Neil A. Menziehttps://www.dvidshub.net/image/4503747/12-sws-change-command 12 SWS Change of Command ~June 2019 24 June 2020 Lt Col Jared Smithhttps://www.dvidshub.net/image/6140760/front-range-commanders-visit-thule Front Range commanders visit Thule 24 June 2020 ~June 2021 Lt Col Brandon Alfordhttps://www.peterson.spaceforce.mil/News/Article/2268624/12th-sws-changes-command-at-thule-ab/ 12th SWS changes command at Thule AB June 2021 June 2022 Lt Col Christopher R. Hillhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-r-hill-95281a1b2/ Christopher R. Hill LinkedIn July 2022 June 2022 June 2023 Lt Col April Foleyhttps://www.facebook.com/USSFSpaceDelta4/posts/pfbid02aPPJ1ZgCWmc3kRDrdjV2Hk26df7diL855qkhPVxeoxUAub2mDY1g48fQQ8cr3bGRl This past month, the 12th Space Warning Squadron, Thule AFB, Greenland, thanked Lt Col Christopher Hill for his service as Commander of 12SWS and welcome Lt Col April Foley as she officially takes command 15 July 2022 Facebook July 2022 June 2023 June 2024 Lt Col Brian Moore June 2024 June 2025 Lt Col Marcus LosinskiJune 2025PresentLt Col Barry Knoblock References A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command. External links Thule AFB: 821st Space Group Official Homepage Category:Squadrons of the United States Space Force Category:Aerospace Defense Command units Category:Military history of Greenland