Receiving the Defense Secretary's approval on 21 July, the Air Force directed the Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction.

As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes.

During 1961 Opheim AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-20 at Malmstrom AFB, Montana.

In addition to the main facility, Opheim operated two AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler sites: Over the years, the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars.

Opheim AFS ceased operations on 1 June 1979 as part of the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency