Thulé (bases)

See also: Thulé

The air base of Thulé is the most septentrional base of USAF, its coordinates geographical are 76°32 ′ NR 68°50 ′ O, with 1524 kilometers of the North pole.

Thulé is a coastal region of the North-West of the Greenland, geopolitical stake crucial for Denmark, which intends to preserve the good graces of its American ally. Indeed, the government of George W. Bush would wish to make military base of Thulé one of the links of the anti-missile shield American.

It is an important link of the chain of Radar S of NORAD (envisaged to detect the possible shootings of ballistic missile coming from Eurasia) since the beginning of the Cold war, and a satellite station of monitoring of S of the Air Force Space Command.

Its track of 3000 meters accommodates approximately 2.600 military and international flights per annum.

History

All began in 1941, into full World war, when the Denmark authorized its American ally to establish air bases with the Greenland, with Thulé in particular. This agreement of military cooperation was reinforced within the framework of NATO in 1951, being given the strategic value of the Danish colony to the beginning of the Cold war. Denmark did not take the trouble to consult the local population, represented by the Council of the Hunters, to give its green light to the enlarging of American air base, and ordered in May 1953 the displacement of the autochtones of Thulé (the Inughuits), a small community inuite living traditional hunting and fishing. The 187 hearts of the most septentrional people in the world were forced to leave their thousand-year-old grounds to exile itself with Qaanaaq, with 150 kilometers in north.

To the dramatic effects of this displacement of population a strong resentment towards the Americans was added. The military base, transformed into secrecy in base for bomber S strategic, became a true enclave of the American army, accessible of the thousands of soldiers. During years which followed, the community inuite highly disputed their presence, in particular after the dramatic accident of an American B-52 which damaged in the Arctic Mer the January 21st 1968, close to Greenland. This bomber transported four nuclear bombs, of which three were pulverized on the ice-barrier and at sea, and one fished out forever. Many Inuits, requisitioned to take part in the operations of cleaning after the catastrophe, died of the continuations of their contamnination by the radioactivity.

It is there also a mast radio operator a 378 meters height, built in 1954. This mast is insulated against the ground and is used for the transmissions Télex on long waves. It is built on permanent ground heat.

Current units

  • 821st Air Bases Group
    • 821st Support Squadron
    • 821st Security Forces Squadron
  • 12th Space Warning Squadron
  • Det. 3,22nd Space Operations Squadron

See too

Related article

  • List of the nuclear accidents

External bond

  • Official site of the base

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