Military sites dot the American landscape, and indeed, the global map. While many are easily accessible and searchable online, some remain shrouded in mystery. Often concealed behind layers of barbed wire or buried deep underground, these clandestine locations are difficult to find and even harder to understand their true purpose.
Let’s explore ten of the most mysterious military sites in America.
Raven Rock
Nestled in the farmlands of Pennsylvania, near the Maryland border, lies the Raven Rock Mountain Complex, also known as the Underground Pentagon. Built in the 1950s, this underground bunker was designed as a relocation site for the Pentagon in the event of a catastrophic emergency. It was only used once for its intended purpose when Dick Cheney was evacuated there on September 11, 2001.
Raven Rock boasts its own power plant, underground reservoirs, and food reserves. Rumored to house hundreds, it could potentially hold thousands in an emergency. It’s essentially a small city, complete with a fire department, medical facilities, and a police department, all housed within the massive complex.
Fort Detrick
Located in Maryland, Fort Detrick serves as the Army’s primary base for biological research, encompassing over 600 buildings across 13,000 acres. While less secretive than some military sites, access is still restricted, and much of the work conducted there remains unknown. The site is dedicated to researching toxins, antitoxins, and defenses against diseases. It also focuses on the study of plant pathogens, global communications, and managing medical materials.
Before its role as a biomedical research facility, Fort Detrick was home to the CIA’s top-secret chemical and mind control program, MK-ULTRA. This program aimed to develop biological weapons for use against enemies. Chemists were tasked with finding military applications for toxic bacteria and working on mind control projects. The site once housed an arsenal of highly dangerous poisons. While Fort Detrick’s purpose has evolved, many secrets likely remain buried within its history.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Located in Dayton, Ohio, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is divided into Area A and Area B, separated by railroad tracks and a state road. Area A is larger, containing a runway complex, offices, and industrial facilities. Area B, less than half the size, primarily houses research facilities.
This base is a hotbed for conspiracy theories, particularly involving aliens and classified programs. Some believe “Hangar 18” was located here, housing UFO debris and even alien bodies from crashed spacecraft. Rumors persist about secret tunnels and even ghostly presences. The U.S. Air Force consistently denies these claims, but the mysteries surrounding Wright-Patterson continue to fascinate.
Cheyenne Mountain Complex
Near Colorado Springs, Colorado, lies the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, an underground U.S. Space Force installation and defensive bunker. Shielded by 2,500 feet of granite within a mountain, the bunker is designed to withstand a nuclear attack. Massive 25-ton doors seal the command base, which can support a large number of personnel during emergencies.
The inner workings of this secret complex remain largely unknown. The facility comprises 15 three-story buildings interconnected by tunnels. With its own water supply, power plant, and heating/cooling system, the complex is self-sufficient. The granite and steel construction protects electronics from electromagnetic pulses caused by nuclear explosions, solidifying its reputation as one of the most secure and mysterious facilities worldwide.
Area 6
In 2016, a mile-long airstrip mysteriously appeared on Google Earth in the Nevada desert, approximately 12 miles northeast of Area 51. This site, part of the Nevada National Security Site, is known as Area 6. It has been the location of four nuclear tests that resulted in six detonations. A few hangars accompany the airstrip, but the activities conducted there since its construction in the 1950s remain largely unknown.
Currently, Area 6 is believed to be used for testing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Tests include sensor operations, computer development, and airframe modifications. The runway is too short for fighter jets, but the hangars are large enough to house several MQ-9 Reaper drones, capable of strikes and reconnaissance. It’s possible that the future of military aircraft is being developed and tested at this enigmatic location.
Camp Peary
Camp Peary, a 9,000-acre military base in Virginia, hosts covert CIA training, known as “The Farm.” This highly secured reservation is where top candidates master skills like shooting, parachuting, meditation, and recruiting assets. While its existence is widely known, the U.S. government has never formally acknowledged the site. CIA trainees can spend months here, honing their skills in secrecy.
Training starts with desk work, but promising candidates progress to a 007-style spy school. Courses include speedboat handling and defensive driving. Trainees learn to communicate in codes, infiltrate hostile countries, and retrieve messages from dead drops. They also endure rigorous training to withstand captivity and torture.
Harvey Point Defense Testing Activity
Established in North Carolina during World War II for blimps conducting anti-submarine surveillance, the Harvey Point Defense Testing Activity evolved into a weapons testing facility in the 1960s. It has served as a training ground for the CIA, FBI, SEALs, and other units. Notably, the base featured a mock-up of Osama bin Laden’s hideout, used by Navy SEALs before their raid.
The facility’s current activities are largely unknown. What we do know is that it hosts special military operations and is used by the CIA for paramilitary and counter-terrorism courses. Explosives are used to simulate terrorist bombs, creating explosions that can be heard for miles around the base.
Dugway Proving Ground
Located in the Utah desert, approximately 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, the Dugway Proving Ground is a top-secret U.S. Army testing site that houses some of the world’s most dangerous biological and chemical agents. The site occupies a vast 801,505 acres of the Great Salt Lake Desert, roughly the size of Rhode Island.
In 1968, over 6,000 sheep mysteriously died 30 miles from the testing site, an event known as the Dugway Sheep Kill incident. The sheep had succumbed to a poisonous chemical, coinciding with the Army’s open-air nerve agent tests. While the Army never admitted liability, they compensated for the loss of the sheep.
The base has also attracted attention due to speculation about UFO storage, though no evidence has been presented. Given its classified research, the Dugway Proving Ground remains highly confidential.
Fort Meade
Fort Meade in Maryland is home to the National Security Agency (NSA), in addition to the United States Cyber Command, the Defense Courier Service, and the Defense Information Systems Agency. With so many units stationed there, a great deal of activity occurs at this location.
In the 1970s, the U.S. conducted telepathic experiments at Fort Meade, focusing on using extrasensory perception to gather information about distant, inaccessible locations. While some considered the project successful, believing in the potential of psychic techniques for military use, it was later deemed an expensive failure.
The NSA headquarters at Fort Meade is a large, modern structure covered in one-way dark glass and lined with copper shielding to trap sounds and signals, preventing espionage. While the NSA’s official mission is global monitoring, collection, and processing of information, the building’s secretive nature fuels speculation about its true activities.
Mount Weather
The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center in Virginia houses FEMA’s National Emergency Coordinating Center, as well as a secret underground bunker designed to shelter the President and other top U.S. officials in case of an emergency. A 10-foot fence topped with barbed wire surrounds the site. Security personnel monitor and escort away any motorists who venture too close.
The underground complex contains its own water source, power plant, food storage refrigerators, cafeterias, a hospital, sleeping quarters, and a radio/television studio—everything needed to house top officials during a catastrophe. A couple of hundred people work full-time at the site, sworn to secrecy. While its existence became public knowledge after a 1974 plane crash near the site, the activities within Mount Weather remain largely mysterious.
These mysterious military sites offer a glimpse into the hidden world of national defense and covert operations. While their true purposes may remain secret, their existence sparks curiosity and intrigue.
Now it’s your turn. Which of these sites intrigues you the most? Leave your comment below!
