Rushmore Air Force Station

Rushmore Air Force Station: The Silent Sentinel of South Dakota’s Nuclear Arsenal

Located in the heart of South Dakota, Rushmore Air Force Station was a secure weapons administration, storage, and handling facility for atomic and thermonuclear weapons. Operational from 1950 to 1962, the station played a crucial role in the United States’ nuclear defense strategy, positioned adjacent to Ellsworth Air Force Base on its north side. The facility was operated by Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), with Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) providing oversight and technical responsibility.

History of Rushmore Air Force Station

The construction of Rushmore Air Force Station was overseen by Sandia National Laboratories, which had also built four “Q Area” secure special weapons areas by 1950. These areas served as the main stockpiles for the 298 nuclear bombs in inventory by mid-1950. The Operational Storage Site (OSS), a physically smaller alert facility, was constructed in 1950, with Site F being located at Ellsworth AFB, near Rapid City, South Dakota. As one of the first five installations, Rushmore Air Force Station was designated as a depot, with associated Air Force personnel referenced as Aviation Depot Groups, and subsequently, Aviation Depot Squadrons. The 3081st Aviation Depot Wing was assigned to the station.

Facilities and Operations

The facilities at Rushmore Air Force Station were primarily associated with the maintenance and storage of atomic and thermonuclear weapons. Storage and maintenance activities were compartmentalized to specialized facilities for each stage of maintenance, ensuring security, safety, and quality assurance. Other facilities on the station supported administrative and security requirements, including office space, unaccompanied housing, crew readiness and dining facilities, and communications. SNL and Department of Defense (DoD) personnel performed the maintenance and storage functions required by the weapons, including transporting the weapons to the flightline and loading them into the nuclear-capable bombers assigned to Ellsworth AFB.

Transfer and Deactivation

In 1962, Rushmore Air Force Station was transferred to Ellsworth AFB. By 1992, Ellsworth AFB was included in the newly created Air Combat Command (ACC), and the assigned B-1B bombers were adapted to a conventional mission.

Current Status and Demolition Plans

By 2009, the 28th Bomb Wing, the Ellsworth AFB host unit, began steps for the removal of eight empty or underutilized structures or those not considered mission-critical. The unique construction and infrastructure included in the buildings made it difficult to rehabilitate or renovate them for another purpose. The Air Force had set a demolition goal to reduce the service-wide facility footprint by 20 percent between Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 and FY 2020. The demolition of these buildings would contribute to the overall Air Force demolition goal.

Proposed structures for removal include:

• Bldg. 88030, Warehouse, Supply and Equipment Depot, built 1952
• Bldg. 88036, Paint Shop, built 1961
• Bldg. 88315, Inert Spares Storage/Base Spares Warehouse #1, built 1952
• Bldg. 88316, Administration Office/Base Spares Office, built 1952
• Bldg. 88319, Supply and Equipment Shed/Base Spares Warehouse #2, built 1952
• Bldg. 88320, Crew Readiness/Handling Crew Building, stated as built in 1952, but does not appear on aerial photographs until 1954
• Bldg. 88323, Inert Spares Warehouse #3/Heated Auto Storage, built 1956
• Bldg. 88327, Communications, stated as built in 1952, but does not appear on aerial photographs until 1954

Both historical and environmental surveys have been conducted for this project.

References

• “Weapon Storage Sites / Q Area”
• “Demolition of Munitions Storage Area Facilities Environmental Assessment, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota”, August 2009, Section 1.2 - Background
• “Demolition of Munitions Storage Area Facilities Environmental Assessment, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota”, August 2009, Section 1.3 - Purpose and Need
• “Demolition of Munitions Storage Area Facilities Environmental Assessment, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota”, August 2009, Section 2.1 - Proposed Action, Table 2.1 - Buildings Proposed for Demolition
• “Demolition of Munitions Storage Area Facilities Environmental Assessment, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota”, August 2009, Executive Summary, page ES-1
• “Archived copy” (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-05-02. {{cite web }} : CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link )

Coordinates: 44°9′56″N 103°6′21″W / 44.16556°N 103.10583°W / 44.16556; -103.10583

Note: The original article has been rewritten and expanded to provide more detailed information about Rushmore Air Force Station, its history, facilities, and current status. All internal Wikipedia links have been preserved and additional links have been included where relevant.