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Falcon Air Force Base renamed to honor space pioneer

Released: Jun 5, 1998

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SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- The general who pioneered the development of the nation's ballistic missile programs and who is recognized as "the father of the United States Air Force's space and missile program" had an Air Force base renamed for him June 5. Falcon Air Force Base officially became Schriever AFB during a ceremony here to honor retired Gen. Bernard A. Schriever.

Participating in the ceremony were Schriever; F. Whitten Peters, acting secretary of the Air Force; Gen. Howell M. Estes III, commander, Air Force Space Command; and Col. Elwood C. Tircuit, commander, 50th Space Wing.

"Renaming Falcon in honor of General Schriever's pioneering work in the space field is clearly the right thing to do," said Estes. "He has unquestionably earned this honor and the time is right to recognize one of our space pioneers."

"Space is critical to our nation," Estes continued, "and without the efforts of such visionaries as General Schriever, I do not think we could have come this far or accomplished as much this fast."

Many consider Schriever's foremost contribution to the nation to be during his command of the Air Force Western Development Division from August 1954 to April 1959. During this time he directed the nation's highest priority program, the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and the Air Force's initial space program.

Schriever's challenge was formidable. He not only had to create an organization to manage extremely varied and novel science and technology, but he also had to build facilities for testing and production, integrate the missiles systems and mate the nuclear weapons they would carry, provide the launching sites and equipment, and gather the ground support elements necessary to bring the missiles to operational status. Moreover, he had to accomplish all of this before the Soviet Union could build, deploy, and target its missiles against the United States. It was a deadly serious, real-life contest of "beat the clock."

Largely due to Schriever's leadership, the United States deployed its first generation ICBMs -- Atlas and Titan -- and the intermediate range Thor. These were quickly succeeded by the more advanced Titan II and the solid-fueled Minuteman ICBMs. Today, some thirty-six years after the Minuteman was first deployed, advanced models of the missile still safeguard our nation.

As he continued with the research, development and acquisition of the long-range ballistic missiles, Schriever foresaw the potential of space and strove to secure for the Air Force the responsibility for space systems.

Since Schriever retired in 1966, he has served in many advisory roles for the U.S. government and has worked to further research in the nation's leading corporations. He has also served on the President's Advisory Council on Management Improvement, the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, the Defense Science Board, and the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization Advisory Committee.

It was in 1961 that Schriever was quoted as saying, "Several decades from now, the important battles may be ... space battles, and we should be spending a certain fraction of our national resources to ensure that we do not lag in obtaining space supremacy. The mission is to maintain the peace." (Courtesy of AFSPC News Service)