ANR celebrates 50 years protecting Alaskan skies

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ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region will celebrate its 50th anniversary Aug. 5. 

Established in 1958 as part of the North American Air Defense Command, ANR conducts aerospace control within its area of operations and contributes to NORAD's aerospace warning mission. 

Aerospace warnings include the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands. 

The Alaskan NORAD Region Control Center, installed in 1961, was one of many aerospace forces built in response to the Soviet long-range bomber threat during the 1950s and '60s. 

Over the next decade, forces would face drastic reductions and funding to support the ANR mission. 

During the 1960s, air defense forces experienced a significant reduction due to the Soviet Union's switch from bombers to missiles as their primary nuclear weapons delivery system. 

Demands to support the conflict in Southeast Asia reduced military spending even further, cutting the number of radar sites from 18 to 13, shutting down the Aleutian Distant Early Warning Line Sector and inactivating five of the six fighter interceptor squadrons. 

The Alaska air defense forces modernized in the 1970s and 1980s with new state-of-the-art minimally attended radars installed at remote radar sites and were turned over to a contractor to maintain. 

The modernization decreased necessary manning from nearly 120 military personnel per site to 12 or less contracted civilians. During this time, Elmendorf Air Force Base also received the first of its F-15 Eagle fleet and E-3 Sentry. 

Canadian Brig. Gen. Ronald Bell, the first Canadian deputy commander of ANR, along with several other members of the Canadian Forces began receiving assignments to support the mission in the early 1980s. Full-time Air Force manning wasn't in place until the 1990s, after the reorganization of the 11th Air Force. 

With an increase in Soviet aircraft flight activity, ANR intercepts increased significantly during the 1980s with as many as 31 intercepts in 1987. The early '90s and the fall of the Soviet Union brought an end to the Cold War and dramatically declined the number of Russian flights near Alaskan airspace. 

In 2007, Russian bomber activity picked up within the ANR area of responsibility. Due to the grounding of F-15Cs from November 2007 to January 2008, the mission was supported by Canadian CF-18 Hornets and 90th Fighter Squadron F-22A Raptors. 

Marking its first escort event in support of the NORAD mission, the F-22 escorted Russian bombers off the coast of Alaska Nov. 22, 2007. 

(Information provided by the 3rd Wing History Office)