Ft. Greely :  Fact Sheet

Overview and History:

Fort Greely, located off the Richardson Highway about five miles south of Delta Junction in the interior of Alaska, is the primary site of the U.S. Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. GMD is part of a layered missile defense system for the U.S. and its allies. It is designed to intercept and destroy a hostile missile during the mid-course phase of its flight. Other missile defense systems are designed to destroy a hostile missile shortly after launch or at high altitudes during its terminal phase.

Fort Greely was first established in 1904 as an Army telegraph station. In 1942, it was developed as one of a series of airfields in Canada and Alaska to refuel U.S.-built fighter aircraft being flown to Russia under the Lend-Lease program. Shortly after World War II, it became the Army’s center for testing military equipment and training soldiers in arctic conditions.

In 1997, Fort Greely was listed for closure under the Department of Defense’ Base Realignment and Closure program. While in the process of being down-sized, the fort was identified as a potential missile defense site. In 2003, the White House announced that the U.S. would begin deploying a set of missile defense capabilities in 2004, including a missile complex at Fort Greely. Today, nine GMD interceptors are based at Fort Greely.

Fort Greely Mission

Fort Greely’s primary mission is to provide logistical and security support to GMD operations on the installation. It also provides support services to the Army’s Cold Regions Test Center and the Northern Warfare Training Center based at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks. Fort Greely also has a garrison mission to maintain facilities and provide services similar to a small city: roads, sewer and waste disposal, drinking water, and police and fire protection. The garrison mission also includes providing housing, dining, transportation, recreation, and education programs and facilities for personnel living and working on Fort Greely.
 

Fort Greely Statistics

Fort Greely today consists of about 7,200 acres, including the Allen Army Airfield and the GMD missile defense complex. Other Army training lands bordering Fort Greely (Donnelly Training Area) are under the control of Fort Wainwright.

Today, personnel working at Fort Greely include about two hundred military and over a thousand civilian personnel, including contractor employees. Close to two hundred military family members live in family quarters on the installation. Fort Greely’s military and federal civilian payroll was estimated at close to $20 million for the fiscal year ending in September 2005 (FY05). Military construction during FY05 has been estimated at over $45 million.

Prepared by Fort Greely Public Affairs Office, 9 Jan. 2006
 

Delta-USARAK Memorandum of Agreement for Eddy Drop Zone

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Ordinance 2006-06 Approving MOA with USARAK
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