Clear Air Force Station has a new name. In a ceremony Tuesday, the installation near Healy was officially re-named Clear Space Force Station.
Installation officials say the name-change won’t affect Clear’s main mission, which is to scan the horizon for incoming enemy missiles and alerting the U.S. missile defense system, including the base at Fort Greely, to the threat.
Clear’s ability to carry out that mission will be greatly enhanced in 2023 when an advanced, $1.5 billion radar system becomes operational. Construction work on the Long Range Discrimination Radar has been completed, and the Missile Defense Agency hopes to conduct a key operational flight test for the LRDR next year.
There are about a dozen Space Force personnel at Clear. Space Force officials say for now Air Force military and civilian personnel will continue managing the operation of the installation.
The U.S. Space Force was established in December 2019, and is the newest branch of the military. The 13th Space Warning Squadron at Clear falls under the Space Force’s command. That unit is based at Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado.
Clear is the third Air Force station to be re-designated as e Space Force facility. Six Air Force bases also have been redesignated as Space Force bases; three, including Buckley, are in Colorado, two are in California, and one in Florida.
Correction: This story has been revised to correct the initial version that stated there are no Space Force personnel at Clear. There are about a dozen Space Force servicemembers assigned to the 13th Space Warning Squadron at Clear SFS.
