Grand Forks Air Force Base

Grand Forks Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation located in northeastern North Dakota, 16 miles west of Grand Forks and north of Emerado. Established on 1 December 1955, the base was originally an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor installation. Construction began in 1955 on 5,400 acres of land purchased by local citizens, and the base was occupied for use in January 1957. Early units included the 478th Fighter Group and the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which operated F-101B Voodoos. The base also hosted a Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Data Center operated by the Grand Forks Air Defense Sector.

In 1963, jurisdiction transferred to Strategic Air Command. The 319th Bombardment Wing was organized at the base, operating B-52 heavy bombers and KC-135 tankers. From 1987 to 1994, the wing operated B-1B Lancer bombers. During the Cold War, the base also hosted the 321st Strategic Missile Wing, which managed a Minuteman II and later Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile complex. The region supported the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, an anti-ballistic missile site, in the mid-1970s. The missile mission concluded in 1998, and the associated silos were demolished by 2001.

The base is currently operated by Air Combat Command. The host unit is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, which manages remotely piloted aircraft for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The wing operates E/RQ-4B Global Hawk aircraft. Stationed units include the 319th Operations Group, the 348th Reconnaissance Squadron, and the 319th Mission Support Group. The installation also hosts a United States Customs and Border Protection National Air Security Operations Center, which operates MQ-9 Reapers and various fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Infrastructure includes a medical group, mission support facilities, and the 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The host unit was redesignated from the 319th Air Base Wing to the 319th Reconnaissance Wing in June 2019.