& while we are on your OT(?)
BUT I thought "they" said there was no more danger of nuclear war(bottom 1/2 of page):
Weld County's new Guard base will have missile alert role
by Kevin M. McCarthy
Daily Times-Call
GREELEY ? With F-16s flying overhead and military brass all around, Weld County welcomed a new $4.5 million state-of-the-art maintenance complex.
The Colorado Air National Guard's 137th Space Warning Squadron in Greeley hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday to unveil its complex near the Greeley-Weld County airport.
The new maintenance facility will help the Colorado Air National Guard and Air Force Space Command in providing worldwide missile warnings, in the event that an attack occurred somewhere in the world.
It's a maintenance facility for a "mobile satellite communications ground system" that takes signals from defense satellites.
In the event of a nuclear war, the units would be deployed somewhere around the world to detect missiles that have been launched and report that data to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, which is located inside Cheyenne Mountain near Colorado Springs.
The units, which looked like four large trucks, were on display for tours Friday, after state and local dignitaries had their welcome ceremony.
It was attended by a number of generals, colonels, and federal, state and local officials.
Four F-16 Fighting Falcons flew over following the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner," and then again later during the ceremony.
The commander of the 137th squadron, Lt. Col. Gerald W. Kuchinsky, said the kick-off of the complex is a "new era" for the squadron.
The 137th Space Warning Squadron began Oct. 1, 1995, and is the nation's only mobile missile warning system.
The system gets early warning data from Defense Support Program satellites that orbit at 22,000 miles above Earth.
These are the same satellites used to detect the launch of Iraqi Scud missiles during the Gulf War.
"It's a powerful and important message that we send," U.S. Rep. Bob Schaffer said, referring to the seriousness with which the country takes its defense systems.
Those in attendance also made note of the role that the facility plays in the community.
"This is something all of Weld County can be proud of. This is important to the world," said Weld County Commissioner George Baxter.
It is the first Air National Guard squadron to have a space operations mission.
"It makes us sleep better knowing this is here," Baxter said.
The 137th squadron is made up of about 300 people. It has about 74 active guard reservists, 94 air technicians, 133 traditional guard members and eight civilian employees.
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