Military Nuclear Targets in USA Mainland
(larger military nuclear targets map image here)
I have assembled a map and a list of United States military targets likely to be hit first (compared with other targets which no doubt are also on target lists).
Although there are lots of military installations, the following military nuclear targets logically seem more likely than others to be on a primary target list. But again, ALL military installations are on a nuke “list”.
I welcome your additional input (so long as it’s not ‘classified’) as this map and list is simply opinion based on strategic value military centers as well as those which are populous compared with others.
If you believe there are additional military nuclear targets that may likely be primary nuclear targeting, comment below with your opinion.
Note: I have several related opinion articles on ‘nuclear targets’:
(the one you’re looking at now), and…
[ Read: US Nuclear Target Map ]
“…based on a number of factors while looking at other maps and data including military installations, nuclear weapons storage and silo locations, bases, cities, etc..”
[ Read: The First Cities To Be Nuked ]
“…a mapped illustration of the top 30 most populated cities (and metro areas) in the United States which could potentially ‘go’ first in a nuclear war…”
Here’s the list, not necessarily in a particular order:
List of Military Nuclear Targets (mainland USA)
Washington DC
Primary command center for the President of the United States.
Cheyenne Mountain
Colorado Springs, Colorado. The mountain serves as a host for military, communications, and underground operations center for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Offutt Air Force Base
Located in Omaha, Nebraska. It is a U.S. Air Force installation and headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the Air Force Weather Agency, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air Combat Command (ACC).
>> Radiation Detector – Geiger Counter – With Dosimeter
(view on amzn)
Naval Base Kitsap
Seattle, Washington is home to a number of naval bases. Naval Submarine Base Bangor merged with Naval Station Bremerton to form Naval Base Kitsap, making it the third-largest Navy base in the U.S. Support for both surface ships and Fleet Ballistic Missile and other nuclear submarines. It features one of the U.S. Navy’s four nuclear shipyards, one of two strategic nuclear weapons facilities, the only West Coast dry dock capable of handling a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and the Navy’s largest fuel depot
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
Located in southeastern Georgia, near Jacksonville, Florida. The Submarine Base is the U.S. Atlantic Fleet’s home port for U.S. Navy Fleet ballistic missile nuclear submarines armed with Trident missile nuclear weapons.
Naval Base San Diego
San Diego, California. It is one of the largest bases of the United States Navy and is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 50 ships and over 120 tenant commands.
[ Read: 5 Nuclear Radiation Detector Choices ]
Naval Station Norfolk
Located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is the world’s largest naval station, with the largest concentration of U.S. Navy forces through 75 ships alongside 14 piers and with 134 aircraft and 11 aircraft hangars at the adjacently operated Chambers Field. It supports naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command.
Kansas City National Security Campus
Kansas City, MO. A National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) facility that produces 85 percent of the nonnuclear material used in the United States nuclear weapon arsenal.
Warren Air Force Base
Located in Cheyenne, WY. Home of the 90th Missile Wing (90 MW). The 90 MW operates the LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM Home of Twentieth Air Force, which commands all U.S. Air Force ICBMs.
Malmstrom Air Force Base
Located in Great Falls, Montana. Home of the 341st Missile Wing (341 MW) of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Maintains and operates the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.
Naval Submarine Base New London
Located in New London, Connecticut. It is homeport to fifteen attack submarines. Commander Navy Region Northeast (CNRNE), Naval Submarine School (NAVSUBSCOL), and Naval Submarine Support Facility (NSSF).
Military Nuclear Targets based on some of the largest populated military bases in the United States include the following:
Fort Bragg
West of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Home of US Army airborne forces and Special Forces, as well as U.S. Army Forces Command, U.S. Army Reserve Command
Fort Campbell
On the border of Kentucky and Tennessee. Home to the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault (known as the “Screaming Eagles”) as well as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Hosts the Air Assault School, called the “Toughest 10 Days in the Army.”
Fort Hood
Located in Texas between Austin and Waco. Home to the III Corps, 1st Cavalry Division, 13th Sustainment Command, First Army Division West, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 41st Fires Brigade and many other Forces Command and other units.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Located southwest of Tacoma, Washington. Home to I Corps and 62d Airlift Wing.
Fort Benning
Straddling the Alabama-Georgia border next to Columbus, Georgia. Home of the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, the United States Army Armor School, United States Army Infantry School, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly known as the School of the Americas), elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment (United States), 3rd Brigade – 3rd Infantry Division, and many other additional tenant units.
Joint Base San Antonio
Located in San Antonio, Texas. It is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 502d Air Base Wing, Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The facility is a Joint Base of the United States Army Fort Sam Houston, the United States Air Force Randolph Air Force Base, Lackland Air Force Base and Martindale Army Airfield.
[ Read: Geiger Counter Readings – How Bad is Bad? ]
More Input from your comments:
Additional potential primary military nuclear targets include the following:
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Located a short distance northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico it is a primary location for nuclear bomb design. While there are other labs (e.g. Oak Ridge and Argonne) that concentrate on production of uranium and plutonium bomb fuels, Los Alamos is apparently the heart of the project. A collection of some of the world’s most famous scientists.
Pantex Plant
17 miles northeast of Amarillo Texas (in the Panhandle of Texas) is the primary United States nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility. As a major national security site, the plant and its grounds are strictly controlled and off-limits to all civilians, and the airspace above and around the plant is prohibited to civilian air traffic by the FAA