The 12th Space Warning Squadron is a United States Space Force ground-based radar used for missile warning, missile defense, and space situation awareness, stationed at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland.

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12th Space Warning Squadron
Squadron emblem
Active	1967 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Space Force
Role	Missile Detection and Warning
Part of	Space Delta 4
Headquarters	Pituffik Space Base, Greenland
Motto(s)	Top of the World
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Commanders
Current commander	Lt Col Brian Moore
Insignia
Former 12th Missile Warning Squadron emblem
Former 12th Missile Warning Squadron emblem, c. 1994
12th Missile Warning Group emblem

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The primary mission of the 12th SWS is to provide critical, real-time missile warning, defense, and space surveillance to the President of the United States, Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, NORAD, and unified commands by operating a phased-array radar—which continuously provides warning of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and intercontinental ballistic missile attacks against North America—and detect, track, and identify earth-orbiting objects in support of USSTRATCOM's space control mission, thus "knitting a blanket of freedom".

The 12th Space Warning Squadron is a unit of the Space Delta 4 which is under Air Force Space Command.

To accomplish its mission, the squadron operates the solid-state phased-array radar located at the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), Site I. The BMEWS site is located approximately 11 miles northwest of Pituffik SB 76.569°N 68.318°W / 76.569; -68.318. It provides early warning detection of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches from the Russian land mass and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launches from the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans against North America. Additionally, BMEWS keeps track of polar orbiting satellites. The operational crews report through the Missile Warning Center to the NORAD/USNORTHCOM Center.

The Operation Support Flight (DOO) provides direct operational support to the missile warning crews. The flight's Operations Training Section (DOT) provides all crew force initial, recurring, and supplemental training. Other flight responsibilities include hardware, software and maintenance support (MA), operational test and evaluation (DOV), and crew force management (DOU).

The 12th SWS was formed in January 1967 as a successor organization to the Air Defense Command 931st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, which was inactivated at the end of 1965. The 931st AC&WS operated a series of Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) radar sites in Greenland to detect intrusion of unknown aircraft. The squadron relayed information to the 64th NORAD Region Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system DC-31 Direction Center, and interceptor squadrons stationed at Thule Air Base.

With the development of ICBM and SLBM technologies, the mission to monitor aircraft coming over the horizon from the Soviet Union was transferred to other units, and the 931st AC&WS at Thule AB was inactivated.

• Constituted as the 12th Missile Warning Squadron on 1 November 1966

Activated on 1 January 1967

Redesignated 12th Missile Warning Group on 31 March 1977

Redesignated 12th Missile Warning Squadron on 15 June 1983

Redesignated 12th Missile Warning Group on 1 October 1989

Redesignated 12th Space Warning Squadron on 15 May 1992

• Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, 1 January 1967 – present

Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS)^[1]