Air Force approves renaming of Falcon Air Force Base
Released: Mar 4, 1998
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- The Air Force has approved renaming Falcon Air Force Base, Colo. It will be named Schriever Air Force Base in honor of Gen. Bernard A. Schriever. Schriever pioneered the development of the nation's intercontinental ballistic missile programs and is recognized as "the father of the U.S. Air Force's space and missile program."
Announcing the decision, Gen. Howell M. Estes III, commander of Air Force Space Command, said, "Renaming Falcon in honor of General Schriever's pioneering work in the space field is clearly the right thing to do. He has unquestionably earned this honor and the time is right to recognize one of our space pioneers."
Ground was broken for Falcon May 17, 1983, and the base was named after the nearby community of Falcon. The base is the home to the 50th Space Wing, the Joint National Test Facility and the Space Warfare Center (including the Space Battlelab).
The 50th Space Wing is the world's premier satellite command and control wing. It includes 20 units at 24 locations around the globe and is responsible for the day-to-day on-orbit command, control, operations and maintenance of more than 66 of the nation's surveillance, weather, navigation and communications satellites.
In June 1954, then Brigadier General Schriever assumed responsibility for the ICBM program as commander of the Air Research and Development Command's Western Development Division in Inglewood, Calif. In April 1959, he was named commander of ARDC. In partnership with the NASA, he began transforming Atlas and Titan missiles into reliable launching systems for sending man into space in the Mercury and Gemini programs. Schriever retired in April 1966.
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the renaming will be announced at a later date. (Courtesy of AFSPC News Service)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
