Colorado hosts multiple military installations due to its geographic location and operational suitability.
The state supports missions across several branches, with a significant presence tied to space and air operations.
This article provides an overview of active military bases in Colorado and their general missions.
Related Article – Military Bases in Texas
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What People Get Wrong About Military Bases in Colorado
Many people assume all military bases in Colorado are combat-focused installations.
Several bases primarily support training, education, space operations, or administrative missions.
Some believe Colorado hosts only Air Force installations.
The state also includes Army facilities and joint-service locations.
There is a misconception that all bases in Colorado operate aircraft or maintain runways.
Some installations support space, command, or monitoring missions without flight operations.
Another common misunderstanding is that all bases are open to public access.
Access restrictions vary widely depending on mission and security requirements.
Some assume each base supports only one unit or mission type.
Many installations host multiple units with different operational responsibilities.
Army Bases in Colorado
Fort Carson
Location: El Paso, CO
In Use: 1942– Present
Overall Mission:
At just over 214 square miles in size, Fort Carson is actually the largest military base in Colorado.
It’s revered for its hospitality and ability to help train soldiers to a very high level.
Those who train at Fort Carson are often tested in various exercises and simulations to make sure they are ready to serve under a wide array of conditions and circumstances that are hard to replicate anywhere else.
Fort Carson has been a large center for deploying troops to the Middle Eastern conflicts for many years with its large facilities and ample space.
Units Stationed:
- 4th Infantry Division
- 4th Engineer Battalion
- 10th Special Forces Group
- 71st Ordnance Group
- 13th Air Support Operations Squadron
Official Site: https://www.carson.army.mil/
Pueblo Chemical Depot Army Base
Location: Pueblo, CO
In Use: 1942– Present
Overall Mission:
In an attempt to destroy and reduce the stockpile of chemical weapons that the US has possession of, Pueblo was established to ensure those weapons had a proper place to be stored and kept safe.
This is one of only two chemical weapons storage facilities in the country and is playing a vital role in ensuring the safe and complete disassembly of many old and dangerous chemical weapons from past wars.
As the depot is on their way to the destruction of over 2,600 tons of mustard gas agent, they are nearly complete in fulfilling the needs of what the base was set up to do.
Units Stationed:
- No Army units currently stationed
Official Site: https://www.cma.army.mil/pcd/
Related Article – Military Bases in Alaska
Air Force Bases In Colorado
United States Air Force Academy
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
In Use: 1954– Present
Overall Mission:
One of the most famous landmarks for the Air Force, the Air Force Academy AFB is unique in that it is as much of a place of education as it is an Air Force Base.
The base is where new cadets go to get their basic training and can even complete college coursework to receive a degree in science with the accompanying rank of Second Lieutenant in the Air Force.
This academy is a very prestigious location in the eyes of both the Air Force and universities as a whole as it only takes in the top candidates who have a bright future in the Air Force.
Units Stationed:
- 10th Air Base Wing
- 306th Flying Training Group
Official Site: https://www.usafa.af.mil/
Peterson Air Force Base
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
In Use: 1942– Present
Overall Mission:
Whereas most AFB’s focus in housing and operating specific aircraft for use by the Military, Peterson has the unique mission of hosting the Air Force Space Wing.
This unique base is the site where organizations like NORAD and USNORTHCOM are able to monitor various satellites and intelligence information to act as the first line of defense when missiles are launched anywhere in the world.
The base also has a traditional runway space that is shared with a local airport for when the base needs to have aircraft come in for any given reason.
Units Stationed:
- 21st Space Wing
- 721st Operations Group
- 821st Air Base Group
Official Site: https://www.peterson.af.mil/
Buckley Air Force Base
Location: Aurora, CO
In Use: 2001– Present
Overall Mission:
In a very similar way to Peterson AFB, Buckley AFB is a base that is focused on helping the Space Wing keep eyes on the skies with a network of satellites that can be monitored from Buckley.
From a tactical standpoint, it’s considered one of the most important military bases in Colorado.
The 460th Group involves a number of smaller entities that help to take care of defense issues like missile detection, operation logistics, and even advancing medical readiness for troops.
While it is a technical Air Force Base, Buckley does not really focus on any particular aircraft maintenance or combat readiness operations.
Units Stationed:
- 460th Space Wing
Official Site: https://www.buckley.af.mil/
Related Article – Military Bases in Florida
Schriever Air Force Base
Location: El Paso, CO
In Use: 1983– Present
Overall Mission:
As Colorado shows it’s true colors from a military perspective, the Air Force realized that it is the prefect place to set up operations for their space wing.
Just like it’s siter bases Buckley and Peterson, Schriever AFB is the home to the 50th space wing who is responsible for monitoring and controlling a wide array of satellites.
What makes this base unique is that it lacks any runways as the operations at the base are solely concerned with monitoring the satellite network of the space wing.
Units Stationed:
- 50th Space Wing
- 310th Space Wing
- 21st Medical Group
Official Site: https://www.schriever.af.mil/
Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base
Location: Cheyenne, CO
In Use: – Present
Overall Mission:
Fort Knox is usually the gold standard for secure installations, but anyone who knows anything about Cheyenne mountain AFB knows it can’t hold a candle to this immensely tough installation.
Built into a mountain with reinforcements added to make this base both incredibly hard to get into and one of the safest places in the result of nuclear attacks, Cheyenne Mountain is the natural home to NORAD and many secret operations.
As this base is located beneath a mountain with a number of impenetrable security checkpoints, there is no actual airfield as all operations conducted by every Military branch are conducted inside the heat of the mountain.
While it’s probably one of the most important bases in the country, Cheyenne Complex is actually the smallest military base in Colorado.
Units Stationed:
- NORAD
- 21st Space Wing
Official Site: https://www.norad.mil/About-NORAD/Cheyenne-Mountain-Air-Force-Station/
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2004 and has served over 18 years as a communications maintenance technician with three deployments to the Middle East.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and a bachelor’s degree in Information System Security with a concentration in Digital Forensics from American Military University.
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