https://flashbak.com/norad-cheyenne-mountain-combat-center-478804/ * Category Select a post category [All ] * Search Type to search posts on Flashback [ ] Flashbak * VISIT OUR SHOP FOR ALL GOOD THINGS * GET OUR FREE NEWSLETTER * Shop * Join * Donate & Subscribe * Archives * We Buy Photographs * About * * Flashbak on Facebook * Flashbak on Twitter * Flashbak on Pinterest * Flashbak on Instagram * Flashbak RSS Feed VISIT OUR SHOP Visit the shop By Paul Sorene on October 15, 2025 0 Post Views: 12,309 1960s architecture Cold War Magazines photographs Politics Technology Travel And Places War Colorado Henry Kissinger NORAD nuclear war Richard Nixon scans Soviet Union Inside NORAD's Cheyenne Mountain Combat Center, c.1966 A look around the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Cheyenne Mountain Combat Center underground facility. "These display screens would display signs of air attack against Canada and the United States. By pushing buttons, the NORAD battle staff members can take an electronic look at the tracks of space satellites or aircraft, which are chartered on the display by computers This is the nerve center which would give the first warning of attack, and the command post from which NORAD battle commanders would direct the defensive air battle." - NORAD Command Post: The City Inside Cheyenne Mountain Norad Cheynne Mountain Combat Center [t-shirt-ad] In 1966, the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Cheyenne Mountain underground facility became America's command and control centre for when the Cold War turned white and the nuclear apocalypse became real. We can take a look around the bunker in pictures published in a 1966 official NORAD report by David W. Shircliffe, Directorate of Command History, Command Public Affairs Office, and the 1970s book NORAD Command Post: The City Inside Cheyenne Mountain by Henry W. Hough. Norad Cheynne Mountain Combat Center 20 The Need When the USAF Air Defense Command moved to Ent AFB in Colorado Springs in January 1951, it set up a tiny combat operations center in one of the office buildings by combining one room, a latrine with the plumbing removed, and part of a hallway. Control of the air battle from such cramped quarters became virtually impossible by 1952. A new concrete block COC built on Ent AFB, became operational on 15 May 1954. In comparison with the first COC, this new center was luxurious. Although this new COC had some 15,000 square feet of floor space, by the end of 1955 it was evident that even it would soon be inadequate. In response to General Partridge's directive, the CONAD/ADC staff began preliminary planning in January 1956 on a larger COC, located underground. The existing above-ground COC would eventually be too small to manage the growing air defense system and currently was highly vulnerable to attack and sabotage. General Partridge gave a clear picture of the COC:'s vulnerability when he said: 'The Combat Operations Center is a concrete block building of extremely light construction and is exposed to the traffic on the adjacent street so that a man with a bazooka passing in a car could put the establishment out of commission." [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center] [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-1-1200x881] [newsletter] Excavation for the hardened COC in the 9,565-foot Cheyenne Mountain began on 19 June 1961 and was essentially completed by August 1962. It was completely finished on 1 May 1964. NORAD moved its headquarters to nearby Peterson Air Force Base in 2006, but the underground complex is still used by a number of military and intelligence agencies. [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-2-1200x880] The Threat The USSR was expected to have a significant ICBM capability by 1960 or earlier. To defend against this threat, CONAD wanted an automated defense system controlled from within an underground COC. The advent of ICBMs, with their incredible speed, would greatly reduce the time available for defensive reaction and national strategic warning. Automation, wherever possible, was considered essential. Their plans also included computers and computer-operated displays of air traffic, weapon status, and ICBM attack warning data. [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-4] [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-5] Computing Power At The Cheyenne Mountain Combat Center GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1. Near 100 per cent probability of continuing to function against multi-megaton weapons (i.e., underground location). 2. Duplexed large computers and enough floor space to accommodate more computers for anti-ICBM operations. 3. Displays of hostile ICBM status, weapon status, states of alert, aircraft and missile traffic, target damage, radioactive areas, and weather and jet stream information. 4. Communications, and backup facilities, with subordinate, lateral, and higher commands. 5. completely independent water and power supply. 6. Protection against radioactive fallout, biological and chemical warfare, and all other external covert and overt actions. 7. Location within 10 minutes travel time of CONAD and component headquarters. Adding: The COC, wherever located, will be a prime target. The site should be selected, as far as practicable, away from other facilities so, if attacked, a minimum "bonus effect" to the enemy would result. Cheyenne Mountain Combat Center [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-8-1200x874] 30 Days Provisions were made so that, in an emergency, the COC could be operated for 30 days in a sealed condition, During that time, except for air from the outside that could be filtered for people inside the mountain, the COC would need no other outside support. Its resources include a built-in power plant, heating and air conditioning systems, dormitories, dining areas, maintenance and storage areas, and a dispensary, Southeast of the buildings there are three large underground res~rvoirs. These hold 350,000 gallons of diesel fuel; 1,375,000 gallons of drinkable water; and 4,125,000 gallons of water for industrial uses,1 [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-8-1200x874] [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-9] t-shirts The Tech During the spring and summer of 1965, 15 consoles, two Philco 212 computers, and a large board display were installed in the new COC. Except fo*r four Type I I I consoles, all of this equipment had been operating in the Group II facility. A third Philco 212 computer was to be moved in January 1966 from the Spacetrack Center Alternate Facility at L. G. Hanscom Field to the new COC. Cheyenne Mountain Combat Center Cheyenne Mountain Combat Center t-shirts [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-14-1200x1007] Cheyenne Mountain Combat Center [In-Post-ad] Caption Above: "These are two of the eleven buildings in the NORAD complex. While it possible to pass from one building to another through vestibules, the structures do not touch one another, nor do they touch the ceilings or walls of their granite cave. All the buildings are mounted on huge steel springs to protect the people and electronic equipment from shock waves." [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-12-1200x970] Caption Above: "NORAD LOOKOUT - High on the steep slopes of Cheyenne Mountain, looking out over the eastern Colorado plains, is this single-eyed structure. It is a blast resistant radio antenna and the messages it picks up are channeled to the Combat Operations Center hundreds of feet below and inside of the mountain. There are two of the microwave antennas and they are part of the center's communications link with the outisde world. These two structures used 12,00 hundred-pound bags of cement and 60 tons of reinformcing steel to meet the hardness specifications." [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-16-1200x965] Caption Above: "CALLED FOR DEFENSE- Rows of mammoth springs made from three-inch diameter steel support the NORAD buildings. More than 900 of the springs, weighing 1,000 pounds eaach, cushion the buildings and their contents against jarring nuclear blasts or earthquakes. Working with the springs are the hydraulic dampers seen in the row at right. Like automobile shock absorbers, the dampers would reduce oscillations caused by a shock wave." Cheyenne Mountain Combat Center [newsletter] [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-18-1200x1056] [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-19-1200x974] Caption Above: "AIR DEFENSE WATCH - These display screens would display signs of air attack against Canada and the United States. By pushing buttons, the NORAD battle staff members can take an electronic look at the tracks of space satellites or aircraft, which are chartered on the display by computers This is the nerve center which would give the first warning of attack, and the command post from which NORAD battle commanders would direct the defensive air battle." [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-23-1200x965] Caption Above: "SPACE BROWNIE - The most sensitive and precise satellite-tracking instrument in NORAD's satellite detection and tracking network is the Baker-Nunn camera, shown here. It can photograph light reflected from an object the size of a basketball out in space about 25,000 miles. This camera, at Cold Lake, Alberta, is operated by the Canadian Forces Air Defense Command. Others supplying data to the NORAD Space Defense Center in Colorado are operated by the U.S. Air Force and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. By identification and correlation of known star backgrounds in the Baker-Nunn photographs, a satellite's position can be determined with great precision." In 1966, the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Cheyenne Mountain underground facility became America's command and control centre for the coming nuclear apocalypse. Caption Above: "DISTINGUISHED VISITORS - Richard M. Nixon is September 1969 became the first U.S. President to visit the underground command post of the North American Air Defense Command. He is shown here in NORAD's Space Defense Center being briefed by General Seth J. McKee, commander in chief of NORAD. Left to right are: Gordon Allott, U.S. Senator from Colorado; President Nixon; General McKee; Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Presidential assistant; Peter H. Dominick, U.S. Senator from Colorado; and John N. Mitchell, U.S. Attorney General." Norad Cheynne Mountain Combat Center 20 Caption Above: "DIRECTING AIR DEFENSE FORCES - These men shoulder the responsibility for determining whether an enemy has launched an air attack against North America, and of directing the defensive air battles should one ever be fought. directing air defense forces. U.S. Air Force General Seth J. McKee (foreground) is the commander in chief of the North American Air Defense Command, and Canadian Forces Lieutenant General Edward M Reyno is the deputy commander in chief. They are shown at their command positions in NORAD's underground Combat Operations Center near Colorado Springs. Data channeled to the center give the generals and their battle staff the information they need to assess the threat to the continent, to give warning of an impending air attack and, finally, to direct the actions of Canadian and U.S. air defense forces in thwarting the attack. [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-24-1200x975] [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-25-1200x963] [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-26-1200x995] In 1966, the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Cheyenne Mountain underground facility became America's command and control centre for the coming nuclear apocalypse. [In-Post-ad] [NMorad-Cheynne-Mountain-Combat-Center-28-1200x769] Lead Photo: "PATHS OF A SATELLITE - Deep within Colorado's Cheyenne Mountain are large display screens which show what is going on in space. These screens in the NORAD Combat Operations Center can show the routes space satellites will take as they circle the earth, such as the ones here charted by a computer. By pushing buttons the battle staff members can see the paths a satellite will follow for as many as twelve revolutions in the future. While guarding the continent against air attack, the command is also responsible for keeping tabs on space objects orbiting the earth." Via: GovernmentAttic; photos of the Cheyenne Mountain Combat Center scanned by The Memory Hole. [new-in-pos] Would you like to support Flashbak? Please consider making a donation to our site. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop. * VISIT OUR SHOP Visit the shop * 15% OFF ANY 3 OF OUR LOVELY T-SHIRTS New[Orange_4196cb0f-9b70-4cc0-96b9-c9cccb31fd34-340] Made from 100% Organic Cotton * Featured Artist: Cyril E Power New[Cyril-E-Power-prints-e-340x340] * * Discover Our Prints New[Republican-Militia-woman-training-on-the-beach-] Explore our Prints Shop * * * * Editor's picks Photographs of The Romanovs' Final Ball In Color, St Petersburg, Russia 1903 Photographs of The Romanovs' Final Ball In Color, St Petersburg, Russia 1903 These portrait photographs of Russia's ruling Romanovs were taken in 1903 at the Winter Palace in majestic. St. Petersburg. Knowing what was to follow, the venue was apposite. St Petersburg is the city Christopher Hitchens called "an apparent temple of civilization: the polished window between Russia and Europe... the ... 0 Post Views: 572,396 Photographer Updates Postcards Of 1960s Resorts Into Their Abandoned Ruins Photographer Updates Postcards Of 1960s Resorts Into Their Abandoned Ruins Ephemeral, disposable, they served only one purpose--to let someone know "I'm here. I'm thinking of you" - Pablo Iglesias Maurer ... 0 Post Views: 668,635 Hanging Out in Leakey, Texas in 1973 - Photos by Marc St. Gil Hanging Out in Leakey, Texas in 1973 - Photos by Marc St. Gil Part of the Documerica project - a program sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to "photographically document subjects of environmental concern" in the United States from about 1972 to 1977. ... 0 Post Views: 10,309 Jesus Amongst the Fans: The Naked Hippie Dancer Jesus Amongst the Fans: The Naked Hippie Dancer It was a Saturday evening, St Valentine's Day 1970, when William Jellett first thought he might be Jesus. He was on the London Underground, travelling back from work, and noticed the headline of the newspaper unfurled opposite him: "Cambridge riots -- two policemen beaten up". There had been student protests the ... 0 Post Views: 15,775 The LSD Archive at The Institute of Illegal Images The LSD Archive at The Institute of Illegal Images "It kept me from eating it if it was framed on the wall" - Mark Mcloud on his amazing collection of LSD Blotters ... 0 Post Views: 26,471 'Teenage Historian' Chuck Berry Reviews The Clash, Talking Heads, Joy Division And The Sex Pistols For A 1980 Punk Zine 'Teenage Historian' Chuck Berry Reviews The Clash, Talking Heads, Joy Division And The Sex Pistols For A 1980 Punk Zine In 1980, Chuck Berry spoke to St Louis-based punk zine Jet Lag (1980 -1991). Berry talked about his first gig, signing with Leonard Chess's Chess Records, his role as a "teenage historian" and "what the kids are listening to these days". He was invited to review some records. Chuck Berry's record ... 0 Post Views: 9,600 Andrei Tarkovsky's Sublime Polaroids (And Free Films) Andrei Tarkovsky's Sublime Polaroids (And Free Films) Andrei Tarkovsky's Polaroids (1979 - 1984) show us thoughtful and dreamy visions of his native Russia, featuring his family, his dog, his home, his garden, views from trips to Italy and a 'selfie'. Tarkovsky (4 April 1932 - 29 December 1986) is the revered film director of whom Ingmar Bergman said, "Tarkovsky ... 0 Post Views: 2,527 The First Naked Kiss On Camera: Eadweard Muybridge, Sex And Murder The First Naked Kiss On Camera: Eadweard Muybridge, Sex And Murder Eadweard Muybridge (9 April 1830 - 8 May 1904) was not into smut and eroticism. His rapid-fire sequential photographs of two naked women kissing served to aid his studies of human and animal movement. It was in the interests of art and science Muybridge secured the services of two women, ... 0 Post Views: 480,073 * * Mugs New[mugs-square-340x340] * TODAY: 15% off any 3 t-shirts New[front_white_838934463_0e733d15-d4a1-4e95-b5ea-1] Discover Our 100% Organic Cotton T-Shirts * Collect our postcards New[PortraitofanUnknownManandWomanEatingSpaghettian] * GET 10% Off - SIGN-UP FOR FREE First Name [ ] Last Name [ ] [ ] [OK] Leave this field empty if you're human: [ ] You Might Also Like Piedra Rodante, The Mexican Rolling Stone Magazine That Ran For Just 8 Issues, 1971-72 Piedra Rodante, The Mexican Rolling Stone Magazine That Ran For Just 8 Issues, 1971-72 0 Post Views: 326 The Museum Inside The Telephone Network, 1991 The Museum Inside The Telephone Network, 1991 0 Post Views: 788 The Beatles: Their Story In Pictures, 1982 The Beatles: Their Story In Pictures, 1982 0 Post Views: 2,794 Ute Mahler Shows Us The Real East Germany Ute Mahler Shows Us The Real East Germany 0 Post Views: 2,433 Past Next Top [newsletter] * Contribute * Advertise * Subscribe & Donate * Contact * Archives * Terms, Conditions and Cookies * Our Shop * About * We Buy Photographs Alum Media (c) 2025