Fort Huachuca
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fort Huachuca | |
|---|---|
| Cochise County, Arizona | |
    Insignia of units stationed at Fort Huachuca |
|
| Type | Army post |
| Built | 1877 |
| In use | 1877-present |
| Controlled by | U.S. Army |
| Garrison | United States Army Intelligence Center Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion 11th Signal Brigade |
Fort Huachuca is an United States Army installation. It is located in Cochise County, in the Southeastern part of the state of Arizona, approximately 15 miles north of the border with Mexico. The base is bordered by Sierra Vista, located south and east of the base, and Huachuca City, located to the north and west. Its major tenant is the United States Army Intelligence Center. Libby Army Airfield is located on post and shares location with Sierra Vista Municipal Airport; it is on the list of alternate landing locations for the space shuttle, though it has never been used as such.
Fort Huachuca is also the headquarters of Army Military Affiliate Radio System. Other tenant agencies include the Joint Interoperability Test Command and the Electronic Proving Ground.
The fort is also home to a radar-equipped aerostat, one of a series maintained for the Drug Enforcement Agency by Lockheed Martin. The aerostat is based northeast of Garden Canyon and, when extended, supports the DEA drug interdiction mission by detecting low-flying aircraft attempting to penetrate the United States.
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[edit] History
Following the Gadsden Purchase, prospectors and ranchers began moving to the new southern portion of the Arizona Territory in increased numbers. The Chiricahua Apache, who had battled fiercely against the Spanish and Mexicans in the area, posed a threat to Americans in the area. The Army decided a new installation was needed to counter the Chiricahua threat and to help secure the border with Mexico. On March 3, 1877, Captain Samuel Marmaduke Whitside, accompanied by two Troops (Companies) of the 6th Cavalry, chose a site at the base of the Huachuca Mountains that offered sheltering hills and a perennial stream. After the surrender of Geronimo in 1886, the Apache threat was essentially extinguished, but Fort Huachuca was kept open because of its strategic border position. The base was home to the "Buffalo Soldiers" of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment for twenty years. It was used as a forward logistics and supply base during the Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916-1917.
[edit] Military Intelligence
In addition to the US Army Intelligence Center, Fort Huachuca is the home of the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade, which conducts Military Intelligence (MI) MOS-related training for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines. The Military Intelligence Officer Basic Leadership Course Phase Three (MIBOLCIII), Military Intelligence Captain's Career Course (MICCC), and Warrant Officer Basic and Advanced Courses are also taught on the installation. The Army's MI branch also held the proponency for unmanned aerial vehicles due to their intelligence-gathering capabilities, until April 2006, when the Aviation branch took control of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion. Additional training in human intelligence (e.g. interrogation, counter-intelligence), imagery intelligence, and electronic intelligence and analysis is also conducted within the 111th.
[edit] Signal
Fort Huachuca is also home of the 11th Signal Brigade, which is one of the Army's tactical Signal Brigades. It is a major subordinate command of the Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM)/9th Army Signal Command, which is also located on Fort Huachuca. The 11th Signal Brigade has the mission of rapidly deploying worldwide to provide and protect Command, Control, Communications, and Computer support for Army Service Component Commanders and Combatant Commanders as well as, Joint Task Force and Coalition Headquarters across the full range of military operations. The "Thunderbirds" constantly train in and around the desert conditions of southeast Arizona and were deployed to provide signal operations during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
[edit] External links
- Fort Huachuca Homepage
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
