Francis E. Warren Air Force Base

Francis E. Warren Air Force Base is located three miles west of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Established by the United States Army in 1867 as Fort David Allen Russell, the installation originally provided protection for transcontinental railroad workers. It was renamed in honor of Francis E. Warren in 1930 and transferred to the United States Air Force in 1947. It is the oldest continuously active military installation in the Air Force.

The base is operated by Air Force Global Strike Command and serves as the headquarters for Twentieth Air Force, which commands all United States Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) forces. The primary mission is executed by the 90th Missile Wing, which operates multiple squadrons of LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBMs. The wing is organized into operations, maintenance, mission support, and security forces groups. Specific units include the 319th, 320th, and 321st Missile Squadrons, as well as the 37th Helicopter Squadron.

The base infrastructure supports 150 Minuteman III silos and 15 launch control facilities distributed across 9,600 square miles in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado. Unlike most Air Force installations, the base has no paved runway for fixed-wing aircraft. Aerial operations are supported by two active helipads and turf short takeoff and landing (STOL) runways. The 37th Helicopter Squadron operates UH-1N Twin Huey helicopters to provide security and tactical response for the missile fields. The base also hosts the 153rd Command and Control Squadron of the Wyoming Air National Guard.

Recent developments include the construction of a 90,000-square-foot underground Weapons Storage and Maintenance Facility. This reinforced concrete and earth-covered structure is designed to replace the current Weapons Storage Area for the maintenance and storage of nuclear warheads. The base is also a designated Superfund site due to trichloroethylene contamination in the soil and groundwater resulting from historical operations, with remediation efforts ongoing. Prior to the current mission, the base operated Atlas and Peacekeeper missile systems; the Peacekeeper missiles were inactivated between 2002 and 2005.