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

Vulcan (located within what is now the Petroglyph National Monument) were thwarted by an owner who refused to sell at the price offered.

The 687th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (AC&W Sq) was assigned to West Mesa AFS on 1 April 1956.

The remaining 38 acres were transferred, along with 54 buildings, to the Office of Economic Opportunity in July 1970, which then quitclaimed the property to three private owners.

The FAA continues to operate the AN/FPS-91A search radar and is now data-tied into the Joint Surveillance System (JSS).

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