Fort Greely Garrison

The history of Fort Greely dates back to 1942 when a post was created to establish an Army Air Corps Base. There were a number of organizational changes throughout the years, and the post was given its new title in 1955. The base was designated Fort Greely on August 6, 1955, to honor Major General Adolphus Washington Greely, who was an artic explorer and the founder of the Alaska Communications System.

Major General Greely was in charge of the construction of thousands of miles of telegraph lines throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the Phillipines and Alaska. More than 45,000 miles of telegraph lines were installed in Alaska alone.

Once the United States announced that it was withdrawing from the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty, Fort Greely in Alaska was chosen as the site for the Ground Based Midcourse Defense system. Beginning in the summer of 2002, construction began on the missile defense system at Fort Greely, with the initial plan to deploy 25 to 30 Ground Based Interceptor missiles, (GBI). In December 2014, Congress approved the plan to increase the number of interceptor missiles at Fort Greely from 26 GBIs to 40 Ground Based Interceptor missiles.

Fort Greely does not just house the most current anti-ballistic missile defense system. The base is also responsible for the Cold Regions Test Center, given Fort Greely is one of the coldest areas in Alaska, which provides ideal conditions to test for cold, extreme cold and/or temperature weather tests depending on the season. The commitment and dedication these men and women exhibit being stationed at Fort Greely, and overseeing the Ground Based Midcourse Defense system in such extreme conditions, is truly admirable.

For additional information on Fort Greely, follow the link below.