AURORA | Buckley Space Force Base reports it injected nearly $135.8 million into the Aurora community last year, claiming an economic footprint that has continued to grow since construction and staffing ramped up in 2019.
Representatives from the northeast Aurora military base said during a Jan. 25 annual address that the base had created 5,496 jobs and had a total annual economic impact of $1.38 billion, up from a reported $1.37 billion in 2021.
The base changed hands in 2020, being transferred from the U.S. Air Force to the newly-created Space Force. Today, the base hosts Space Base Delta 2 — which supports the country’s air operations, space-based missile warning efforts, space surveillance and space communications work — along with other elements of the Space Force, Army, Navy, Air Force and Air National Guard.
More than 15,000 civilian and military personnel work at Buckley, which serves around 94,000 servicemembers, retirees, civilians, contractors and families, according to the base.
In 2022, base personnel worked with a number of agencies around the country. Officials say they were able to prepare and tackle threats to the public. At the start of the summer, the base’s emergency management team lent a hand to firefighters in the Alaskan interior, developing daily incident plans to help them battle the Clear Fire, which burned more than 72,000 acres.
The Army Aviation Support Facility and 2-135th Aviation Battalion saved the lives of 16 people during a dozen search-and-rescue missions. The 8th Civil Support Team of the Colorado National Guard also deployed on 12 missions to support other government agencies, and the 138th Space Control Squadron deployed to the U.S. Africa Command Area of Responsibility.
Space Delta 4’s 2nd Space Warning Squadron also took over operations of a new, infrared-sensor equipped missile warning satellite after it was launched earlier in the year.
Around 700 airmen from the 140th Wing of the Colorado Air National Guard participated in a combat-readiness exercise in September to “prove the 140th Wing is ready for armed conflict with any adversary,” the base said in its presentation.
Also in 2022, the Navy Reserve Center participated in a mass mobilization exercise and collected over 500 pounds of food for the base’s food pantry.
The Jan. 25 address also gave Space Force guardians the chance to look forward to 2023. Buckley is reportedly one of five Space Force bases being considered to become the future home of the nation’s Space Training and Readiness Command. For now, the command is housed at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.
They also highlighted an upcoming military technology conference, the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium, which will be hosted at the Gaylord Rockies hotel in March.
Excellent piece and thank you to all that serve. You are the most loved and most inspiring members of our community!
City leaders: Please don’t lose sight of the fact that as part of the federal government, the DoD pays no sales or property taxes. Further, when these service members and contractors get a night out, few are finding fun in Aurora. This is all part of the regional trade imbalance created over the past 30 years by the city’s absolute commitment to laize faire economics and a large neighbor more than willing to take our cultural tax dollars and business.
Mayor Coffman: It’s time to step aside. The extreme ideology you espouse is the root cause of Aurora’s chronically depressed retail, dining and entertainment economy. The people deserve better.