Shemya Air Force Base - Eareckson Air Station, Alaska
Longitude: 174.112030
Origin of current name: Re-named in 1993 for Colonel William O. Eareckson, who commanded Aleutian air operations in World War II
Date current name was assigned to base: 1993
Previous Names: Shemya Army Air Base, c. May 1943; Shemya Air Force Base, 26 Mar 1948; Shemya Airport, 3 Nov 1954; Shemya Army Air Base, unk; Shemya Air Force Station, 1 Jan 1959
Changes in Capability: Served primarily as a bomber base during World War II; installation accommodated AFSS's cryptological unit Jun 1956-Apr 1975; Cobra Dane radar set (for ADC tenant unit) installed spring 1976, operational Jul 1977; major runway, taxiway, and ramp resurfacing completed fall 1976.
Major Changes in Status: Sub-base of Davis AFB, Adak Isl, AK, unk-20 Jul 1950; detached installation of Elmendorf AFB, AK, 21 Jul 1950; inactivated, 1 Jul 1954; activated, 30 Nov 1955; assumed primary installation status, 1 Dec 1970.
Official Base Website: jber.jb.mil
Current Role:
Eareckson Air Station is a United States military airfield and radar installation on Shemya Island in Alaska's Aleutian chain. Established in World War II, it remains strategically important for trans-Pacific aviation and missile-tracking operations under the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.
Built in 1943 as Shemya Army Air Base, the field supported long-range bomber missions against Japanese positions in the Kurile Islands and mainland Japan. Its 10,000-foot runway allowed operation of B-29 Superfortresses and later P-38 fighters. After the war, Shemya's isolation led to temporary abandonment before Cold War reactivation.
From the 1950s through the 1980s, the base served Strategic Air Command refueling flights and hosted reconnaissance RC-135 aircraft monitoring Soviet activity. In 1977 the Cobra Dane radar became operational, providing missile-tracking and arms-treaty verification capabilities. Its array faces Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and remains one of the world's most powerful radar installations.
Re-named in 1993 for Colonel William O. Eareckson, who commanded Aleutian air operations in World War II, the station was formally closed as an active Air Force station in 1994 but continues under USAF ownership. It functions as a refueling and diversion airport for trans-Pacific traffic and supports missile defense and space surveillance missions. Contractor personnel from Raytheon maintain the radar systems.
Shemya Island, nicknamed "The Black Pearl," lies about 1,500 miles southwest of Anchorage. Its 2 x 4-mile tundra landscape endures persistent fog, strong winds, and severe storms from the Bering Sea. Despite its harsh climate, the outpost remains a critical link in U.S. Arctic defense and global aviation safety.
