FE Warren AFB, WY Installation Guide

Welcome to Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) located in Cheyenne, Wyoming!

The 90th Space Wing commands the largest, most modern missile base and the most powerful strategic deterrent force in the free world. Warren operates and maintains 150 Minuteman III and 50 Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles, standing on alert in a 12,600 square-mile radius in Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado. The world's most powerful, accurate and sophisticated missile, the first Peacekeeper became operational in 1986. All 50 of our nation's Peacekeeper missiles became operational at Warren in 1988.

Population assigned-served: Active Duty Officer: 575 Active Duty Enlisted: 2,795 Family Members: 11,500 Retirees: 3,800 Civilian Employees: 600

History:

The history of the base dates back to the Railroad Act of 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln and the Congress planned the transcontinental railroad, to include a military installation on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains in the Wyoming Territory to protect Union Pacific workers from hostile Indians.

July 4, 1867, the railroad established its mountain region headquarters at Crow Creek Crossing, later to be known as Cheyenne. A few weeks later, the U.S. Cavalry moved from temporary headquarters in Cheyenne to a point three miles west and established Fort D. A. Russell.

The fort was named after a Civil War hero killed in action at Chantilly, Virginia. Thus, 1867 was the beginning of a city and a fort and both have grown together over the years.

The new fort was built next to Crow Creek and was strategically located halfway between the Canadian and Mexican borders and only a few hundred miles closer to Los Angeles then to New York.

Detachments of the 30th Infantry and 2nd Cavalry formed the first garrison under command of Colonel John D. Stevenson. For a brief time the troops lived in tents, but during the winter of 1867-68 moved into wood frame quarters. The dwellings were set in the shape of a diamond to protect against the harsh winter wind that howled across treeless high plains. The diamond was open on the east and measured 800 by 1040 feet.

Fort Russell was made a permanent post in 1884 because of its strategic location. In 1885, the War Department ordered the post rebuilt to serve eight infantry companies. The Army built 27 red brick buildings for $100,000 to replace the older wood frame structures and planted thousands of trees.

In 1898, the Spanish-American War brought renewed importance to the post. Soon after, President McKinley sent a message to Congress and the 8th Infantry left Fort D. A. Russell for Cuba. Later, the Wyoming National Guard was mustered into service at the post and departed for Philippine duty.

In 1906, Secretary of War William H. Taft recommended that Fort Russell be expanded to a brigade-size post. By 1910, the construction of red brick quarters, two-story barracks, offices and stables had tripled the area of the post.

During World War I, the post served as a mobilization point and training facility for field artillery and cavalry groups. As World War I began, Fort Russell had become the largest exclusively-military post in the United States.

The post airfield was first used in 1919 by the "Western Flying Circus" led by then Major Carl "Tooey" Spatz (later promoted to general and the first Air Force Chief of Staff).

In 1927, the last cavalry units left, ending 60 years of cavalry history at Fort Russell.

In 1930, President Hoover issued a proclamation changing the name of the post to Fort Francis E. Warren, honoring the Wyoming Territorial Governor, first state governor and U.S. Senator for 37 years. Senator Warren received the Medal of Honor when he was 19 for heroism during the Civil War.

During World War II, Fort Warren again enlarged and 282 temporary buildings were added for training up to 20,000 U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps soldiers. A prisoner of war camp was constructed at the site.

In 1949, 80 years after its founding, the fort became Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. As an Air Force installation, the base was initially a training facility.

The base joined the Strategic Air Command in 1958 and organized the nation's first solely intercontinental ballistic missile wing. Atlas D and E missile sites in eastern Wyoming, western Nebraska and northern Colorado were under F. E. Warren. Soon the unit became the 90th Strategic Missile Wing. On July 1, 1963, the wing became the free world's largest ICBM unit, having 200 Minuteman I missiles in the tri-state 12,600 square mile area. The 200 Minuteman I sites were converted to Minuteman IIIs in 1975 and in 1986 F. E. Warren AFB became the only base in the nation to deploy the Peacekeeper missile. By the end of 1988, deployment was complete, with 50 Peacekeeper replacing 50 Minuteman IIIs.

After an Air Force restructure in 1991, the 90th dropped its "Strategic" and became the 90th Missile Wing. On July 1, 1992, F. E. Warren became a member of the Air Combat Command. Under the current Air Force structure, F. E. Warren became part of Space Command on July 1, 1993. As of Oct. 1, 1997, the 90th dropped it's "Missile" and became the 90th Space Wing. This change occurred because Space Command leadership wanted to more closely align the missile mission with the space mission in our command.

These strategic mission changes have positioned F. E. Warren at the forefront of our nations defense as the home of the single, most powerful combat unit in the world.

The installation DSN Number is: 481-XXXX, Operator Assistance (DSN): 481-1110, Commercial Number: (307) 773-XXXX