The Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex (SRMSC) was a cluster of military facilities near
Langdon, North Dakota, that supported the United States Army's
Safeguard anti-ballistic missile program.[1] The complex provided launch and control for 30
LIM-49 Spartan anti-ballistic missiles, and 70 shorter-range
Sprint anti-ballistic missiles.
The site achieved initial operating capability on 1 April 1975, and full operational capability on 1 October 1975 costing $6 billion (equivalent to $33.97 billion in 2023). However, on 2 October 1975, the House of Representatives voted to decommission the project, after they deemed it ineffective. The complex was deactivated in April 1976, after only six months of full operational capacity. In December 2012, it was purchased by the Spring Creek
Hutterite Colony of
Forbes, North Dakota, at auction for $530,000 (equivalent to $703,389 in 2023).[2][3] In 2020, portions of the property including the Pyramid were sold to the Cavalier County Job Development Authority (CCJDA) for $462,900.[4] The CCJDA intends to build an interpretive historical center, restore the property, and sell or lease the pyramid to a datacenter or similar business. In July 2022, data center developer
Bitzero Blockchain Inc. acquired the pyramid from the CCJDA to restore and renovate the complex and convert it into a
data center, with a slated $500 million going into the project. Bitzero also plans to create an interpretive center for the complex.[5] The Hutterite colony retains ownership of the remaining property.
The complex was centered on the Missile Site Radar (MSR) site, near
Nekoma, North Dakota, home of the Missile Site Radar, and 30 Spartan missiles and 16 shorter-range Sprints. All missiles were held in underground launch silos.
The remaining Sprint missiles were distributed at four Remote Sprint Launchers at distances of 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 km) from the Missile Site Radar. These were located at:
The Perimeter Acquisition Radar (PAR) was a separately sited
phased array radar to detect incoming targets. The radar and site are currently in service as the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Characterization System (PARCS), located at
Cavalier Air Force Station.
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James Walker, Lewis Bernstein (2003). Seize the High Ground: The Army in Space and Missile Defense. Defense Department, Army, History Office, Space and Missile Defense Command.
ISBN0-16-072308-6. On 21 June 1974, Army officially designated the SAFEGUARD tactical facilities in North Dakota the Stanley R. Mickelsen SAFEGUARD Complex