Thule Air Base
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Thule Air Base, Qaanaaq, Greenland, is the United States Air Force's northernmost base (Template:Coor dm), located 695 miles (1118 km) north of the Arctic Circle and 947 miles (1524 km) south of the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland. It is approximately 550 miles (885 km) east of the North Magnetic Pole.
The military installation at Thule was constructed during World War II, when the U.S. took protective custody over Greenland due to Nazi occupation of Denmark. It became a long-range bomber base in 1951, and today it is a major military base, home to the 821st Air Base Group, which exercises Air Base support responsibilities within the Thule Defense Area. The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning Site designed to detect and track Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) launched against North America. The 21st Space Wing operates around the world to provide missile warning and space surveillance information to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) command centers located in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. Thule is also host to Detachment 3 of the 22nd Space Operations Squadron, part of the 50th Space Wing's global satellite control network. In addition, the modern aerodrome boasts a 10,000 foot runway (3000 m) and 2,600 U.S. and international flights per year.
Thule, Greenland is also the home where the fastest surface wind speed in the world was measured when a peak speed of 333 km/h (207 mph) was recorded on March 8, 1972.
