Thule Air Base:NATO's Arctic Nerve Centre - plus what the US intends to do there

According to the US Air Force,Thule Air Base,Greenland,is a combined US-Canadian-Danish and Greenlandic environment of about 550 military,civilian and contractor personnel.It is supported by the US Air Force Space Command's 821st Air Base Group,which enables force projection,space superiority,and scientific research in the Arctic Region for the US and its allies through integrated base support and defence operations.The 821st operates and maintains TAB in support of its missile warning and satellite command and control operations missions.The base's missions are executed by the 12th Space Warning Squadron and Detachment 1,23rd Space Operations Squadron.*
TAB provides a 10,000 foot runway that handles more than 3,000 US and international flights annually,as well as the world's northernmost deep water port,served by the Air Force's only tugboat and a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker.*
The 12th Space Warning Squadron operates the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System for NORAD.It detects and tracks ICBMs launched against North America.Detachment 1 is part of the 50th Space Wing's global satellite control network.*
Located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle,above the aurora borealis,TAB hosts the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors,thus providing missile warning,space surveillance and space control to NORAD and Air Force Space Command.It is a critical node of space situational awareness.For its part,Detachment 1 links ground stations and their satellites.
Among TAB's tenants are scientific organisations such as the National Science Foundation;NASA;the Smithsonian Institution;the Danish Technological Institute;the Danish Meteorological Institute;and the Arctic Institute.Their research topics include wildlife migration;climate change;and astrophysics.*
On 16 September 2018,USDP (Undersecretary of Defense for Policy) John Rood signed a Statement of Intent on Defense Investments in Greenland while on a visit to TAB:
This Statement of Intent lays out principles for investing in Greenland to enhance US military operational flexibility and situational awareness in order to address the changing security environment in the Arctic.In light of this development and in an effort to strengthen US and NATO capabilities,the US Department of Defense intends to pursue potential strategic investment vigorously,including investments that may serve dual military and civilian purposes.For example,the US Department of Defense intends to analyze and,where appropriate,strategically invest in projects related to the airport infrastructure in Greenland,including projects that may have dual civilian and military benefits.These investments would seek to enhance US and NATO capabilities in the North Atlantic region and would benefit the United States,the Kingdom of Denmark,and the people of Greenland.*
TAB is also critical for the support of Canada's remote Arctic outposts,Canadian Forces Station Alert,which is reportedly a SIGINT collection platform,and Eureka Research Station.Cargo for the brutal winter months is delivered to the stations from TAB in the biannual Operation Boxtop,involving an intensive flight schedule for Canadian transport aircraft and US Air Force air traffic controllers.*
Another recent mission at TAB involved Danish F-16 aircraft flights as part of ascertaining capability for search and rescue missions over Greenland and defining logistical requirements for potential future F-16 operations.*
Air Force Security Forces execute battle drills at TAB,thus tailoring training to a hands-on and mission-specific approach.