Buckley Space Force Base

Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force installation located in Aurora, Colorado. It was established in 1938 by the United States Army Air Corps as the Demolition Bombing Range–Lowry Auxiliary Field. In 1941, the site was renamed Buckley Field. During World War II, it functioned as an Army Air Corps Technical School, providing armament, basic, and arctic survival training. The Department of the Navy assumed control in 1947, redesignating the installation as Naval Air Station Denver. In 1960, the base transitioned to the Department of the Air Force as Buckley Air National Guard Base. The mission expanded to include space operations in 1969. The installation was renamed Buckley Air Force Base in 2000 and assumed its current designation in 2021.

The base is operated by the United States Space Force under Space Operations Command. Space Base Delta 2 serves as the host unit, providing installation support for the base and several remote Space Force stations. Major units include Space Delta 4, which operates the Defense Support Program and Space-Based Infrared System constellations to provide missile warning, missile defense, and technical intelligence. The Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th Wing is stationed at the base and operates squadrons of F-16C Fighting Falcons.

Other tenant units include the National Reconnaissance Office’s Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado, which functions as a multi-mission ground station for intelligence dissemination. The base also hosts the Air Reserve Personnel Center, the 710th Operations Group, and the 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group. Infrastructure includes radomes for satellite communication and space operations equipment. The Colorado Army National Guard operates an Army Aviation Support Facility on-site, housing squadrons of rotary-wing aircraft. Additional occupants include the Navy Operational Support Center–Denver, the 743rd Military Intelligence Battalion, and reserve units from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard.