Cavalier AFS opens doors to the public

Members of the North Dakota National Guard explain the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to attendees of the Cavalier Air Force Station open house July 10. The UH-60 Black Hawk is capable of holding 15 passengers and carrying a maximum weight of 22,000 pounds. The open was held as a way for people within the local community to learn about the mission and capabilities of Cavalier AFS as well as the Air Force and military in general. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Anastasia Wasem)

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Cavalier AFS opens doors to the public

Tech. Sgt. Daniel McKnight, 5th Civil Engineer Squadron, shows a Percussion Actuator Neutralizer Disrupter to attendees of the Cavalier Air Force Station open house July 10. A PAN Disrupter is used to disarm improvised explosive devises. This instrument is used to shoot an object at an IED in order to disrupt the electronic components of the IED. The open was held as a way for people within the local community to learn about the mission and capabilities of Cavalier AFS as well as the Air Force and military in general. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Anastasia Wasem)

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Cavalier AFS opens doors to the public

A tour group is briefed on the capabilities of the Phased Array Radar by 2nd Lt. Francisco Vazquez, 10th Space Warning Squadron, at an open house July 10 at Cavalier Air Force Station. This Radar is capable of detecting sea launched ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles over the United States and Canada. The open was held as a way for people within the local community to learn about the mission and capabilities of Cavalier AFS as well as the Air Force and military in general. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Anastasia Wasem)

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Cavalier AFS opens doors to the public

Attendees of the Cavalier Air Force Station open house July 10 had a chance to tour the operations building, shown here, which is the heart of the Radar and spacetrack mission. The building is 121 feet tall with outside walls that are eight and a half feet thick. The building is designed to withstand a near-miss nuclear missile. The open was held as a way for people within the local community to learn about the mission and capabilities of Cavalier AFS as well as the Air Force and military in general. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Anastasia Wasem)

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Cavalier AFS opens doors to the public

Published July 19, 2010
By 1st Lt. Anastasia Wasem
319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

Cavalier Air Force Station, N.D. -- Cavalier Air Force Station, home of the 10th Space Warning Squadron, held an open house July 10.

Attendees were able to tour the Radar and Power Plant, see Air Force Security Forces working dog demonstrations, climb inside and learn about the UH-60 Black Hawk and the UH-1N Iroquois helicopters and much more.

"It was a great opportunity to give something back to the local community and to show what their Air Force is doing in their backyard," said Lt. Col. John R. Thomas, 10th Space Warning Squadron commander, about the open house.

The open house was held as a way for people within the local community to learn about the mission and capabilities of Cavalier AFS as well as the Air Force and military in general.

"We consider this a highly successful event with over 400 people in attendance," said Colonel Thomas. "I am extremely proud of how a small team of military, DoD civilians and site contractors came together to put on such a successful event."

At the heart of Cavalier AFS, and the highlight of the open house, is the operations building, which houses the station's Phased Array Radar. Construction on this building began in 1970 and was completed in 1973 as part of the United States Army Safeguard system, which is an anti-ballistic missile system. In 1977, the Air Force took control of the operations at Cavalier from the Army and in 2007, the Air Force took control of the site from the Army.

The building itself is 121 feet tall and was designed to withstand a near-miss attack by a nuclear missile. It took more than 350,000 cubic feet of concrete and more than 13 million pounds of reinforcing steel to build and the outside walls are eight and a half feet thick.

The primary mission for the men and women of Cavalier AFS is to watch the skies for missile attacks against the United States and Canada. The Radar is capable of detecting sea launched ballistic missiles as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles. In addition, the station also tracks objects in space, keeping track of the nearly 22,000 objects currently orbiting the earth.