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Raven Rock Mountain Complex

Bunker

Granite mountain bunker ensuring uninterrupted U.S. military command in nuclear crises near Camp David since the early Cold War

Status — Confirmed

  Site R Origins

Known as the "Underground Pentagon," Raven Rock was designed during the early Cold War to shelter top defense officials.12

  Secretive Operations

The facility maintains communications links and logistics to support command continuity in national emergencies.345

  Strategic Location

Raven Rock occupies granite high ground on the Maryland–Pennsylvania border six miles from Camp David and seventy miles from the Pentagon, close enough for rotary-wing evacuation yet beyond the primary blast radius of a nuclear strike on Washington.67

  Early Planning

In 1948 the Joint Chiefs directed the Corps of Engineers to identify a protected relocation site for the National Command Authorities. President Harry S. Truman authorised construction in February 1950 after Soviet atomic testing intensified threat assessments.8

1948 Joint Chiefs of Staff9

  • Fleet Adm. William D. Leahy — Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief (de facto chairman)
  • Gen. Omar N. Bradley — Chief of Staff, U.S. Army
  • Adm. Louis E. Denfeld — Chief of Naval Operations
  • Gen. Carl A. Spaatz — Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force (until 30 Apr 1948)
  • Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg — Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force (from 30 Apr 1948)
  • Gen. Alexander A. Vandegrift — Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (until 1 Jan 1948)
  • Gen. Clifton B. Cates — Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (from 1 Jan 1948)

  Construction Timeline

Date/PeriodEvent/Development
January 1951Federal seizure of 280 acres at Fountaindale; tunnelling starts.
October 1951Fourteen-foot-diameter main tunnel completed; two fatalities during blasting.
May 1953Buildings A–C declared operational; cost approximately $35 million.10
1963Buildings D and E added; blast resistance upgraded to 140 psi.
1989–1995Cooling-tower, reservoir, and dual power-plant enhancements.
2002–2008$80 million communications overhaul after the 9/11 relocations.
2022$100 million fuel-farm and fibre-route modernization contract.11

  Hardened Infrastructure

Five three-storey buildings stand on steel springs inside excavated caverns, separated by shock-absorbing rock pillars. Blast doors and chemical-biological filtration enable thirty-day sealed operation. Two diesel power plants, six one-megawatt generators, twin underground reservoirs, and reverse-osmosis treatment assure independent life support.12

  Command and Communications Capability

Raven Rock functions as the Alternate National Military Command Center, routing nuclear command-and-control traffic, secure video, SATCOM, VLF, and SHF links via thirty-eight hardened systems maintained by the 114th Signal Battalion and DISA Joint Staff Support Center.13

  Life Support and Amenities

The complex hosts Granite Cove dining, a 25-bed medical clinic, dental suite, chapel, barbershop, fitness centre, dormitory tiers, a bowling alley, and helipad. Capacity stands at 3 000 wartime billets with a peacetime watch of roughly one hundred.

  Operational Evolution

Initial doctrine cast Raven Rock as an Alternate Joint Communications Center; by 1962 it gained full Alternate National Military Command Center status under DOD Directive S-5100.30. During the September 11 attacks the Vice-President's staff and Deputy SECDEF relocated here, prompting extensive digital upgrades.14

  Governance and Tenancy

Washington Headquarters Services manages the installation. Primary tenants include the Office of the Secretary of Defense COOP staff, Joint Staff J-3 alternate battle staff, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and 114th Signal Battalion. Elements of NORTHCOM, NORAD, NSA, and FEMA hold reserved workstations for crisis surges.15

  Security and Access

Entry requires two-stage badge exchange at the portal security building; family visits are limited to holiday meals. Photography, sketches, or drone over-flights are prohibited under 2007 Federal Register rules. Portals A–D support vehicle ingress; Site RT on the summit carries HF-SATCOM masts; Sites A, B, and C extend transmitter reach.

Current USACE programmes focus on resilient micro-grid controls, expanded fuel reserves, and hardened fibre tunnels to counter satellite denial and cyber disruption. With sustained investment, Raven Rock remains the nation's primary fixed leadership sanctuary for the foreseeable horizon.

  References

  1. fema.gov ↩

  2. nps.gov ↩

  3. governmentattic.org ↩

  4. fas.org ↩

  5. en.wikipedia.org ↩

  6. Gettysburg Times, 3 February 1951, tunnelling begins beneath Raven Rock ↩

  7. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Raven Rock acquisition files, 1950–1953 ↩

  8. Time Magazine, 1 March 1954, "Life on the Newsfronts" feature ↩

  9. Joint Chiefs of Staff Historical Division, Key Official Biographies 1945–1953, Washington D.C. ↩

  10. DOD Nuclear Matters Handbook 2011, Chapter 3, NC3 facilities ↩

  11. Defense Information Systems Agency fact sheet, "Site R Communications," 2019 ↩

  12. USACE Contract Notice W912DR-22-C-0004, "RRMC Fuel Storage and Access Road," August 2022 ↩

  13. Grey Dynamics analysis, "US Secret Bases: Raven Rock Mountain," April 2025 ↩

  14. DOD Directive S-5100.30, "Alternate National Military Command Center," 1962 ↩

  15. Defense Information Systems Agency fact sheet, "Site R Communications," 2019 ↩

Published on January 1, 1953

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