Pituffik Space Base

Pituffik Space Base
Near Qaanaaq, Avannaata in Greenland
Aerial view of the base with Saunders Island in the background and Mount Dundas at right
Shield of Space Base Delta 1
Site information
Type	Military base
Operator	United States Space Force
Controlled by	Space Base Delta 1
Condition	Operational
Location
Pituffik Space Base Location in Greenland Show map of Greenland Pituffik Space Base Location in the Arctic Circle Show map of Arctic
Coordinates	76°31′52″N 68°42′11″W / 76.53111°N 68.70306°W / 76.53111; -68.70306 (Pituffik Space Base)
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)
In use	1943–present
Events	B-52 crash (1968)
Garrison information
Current commander	Colonel Shawn Lee[1][2]
Garrison	821st Space Base Group
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: THU, ICAO: BGTL, WMO: 042020
Elevation	76.5 metres (251 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 08T/26T 3,047 metres (9,997 ft) Asphalt
Source: Danish AIS[3]

Pituffik Space Base (/biːduːˈfiːk/ bee-doo-FEEK;^[4] Greenlandic: [pitufːik]; IATA: THU, ICAO: BGTL), formerly Thule Air Base (/ˈtuːliː/), is a United States Space Force base located on the northwest coast of Greenland in the Kingdom of Denmark under a defense agreement between Denmark and the United States. 150 United States guardians serve there, after the United States significantly reduced its presence from 6000 personnel during the Cold War.^[5] Denmark was a founding member of NATO in 1949, and the 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement allowed the United States to operate the base under a NATO framework, as long as both Denmark and the United States remain NATO members. Under the agreement, the Danish national flag must be flown at the base to recognize that the base is on Danish territory, but the United States is allowed to fly its own flag alongside the Danish flag on the facilities it operates.

It is the northernmost installation of the U.S. Armed Forces, 1,210 km (750 mi) north of the Arctic Circle and 1,524 km (947 mi) from the North Pole. Pituffik's Arctic environment includes icebergs in North Star Bay, two islands (Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Island), a polar ice sheet, and Wolstenholme Fjord. The base is home to a substantial portion of the global network of missile warning sensors of Space Delta 4, and space surveillance and space control sensors of Space Delta 2, providing space awareness and advanced missile detection capabilities to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the United States Space Force, and joint partners.

Pituffik Space Base is also home to the 821st Space Base Group and is responsible for space base support within the Pituffik Defense Area for the multinational "Team Pituffik" population. The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron (12 SWS), which operates a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) designed to detect and track ICBMs launched against North America. The base is also host to Detachment 1 of the 23rd Space Operations Squadron, part of the Space Delta 6's global satellite control network. The airfield's 3,000 m (10,000 ft) runway handles more than 3,000 US and international flights per year. The base is also home to the northernmost deep water port in the world.^[6]

Pituffik Space Base has previously served as the regional hub for nearby installations, including Cape Atholl (LORAN station), Camp Century (Ice Cap Camp), Camp TUTO (Ice Cap Approach Ramp and Airstrip), Sites 1 and 2 (Ice Cap Radar Stations), P-Mountain (radar and communications site), J-Site (BMEWS), North and South Mountains (research sites), and a research rocket firing site.^{[not verified in body]} It also was essential in the construction and resupply of High Arctic weather stations, including CFS Alert (Alert Airport) and Station Nord.^{[citation needed]}