Inside America's nuke-proof military bunker in a mountain

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (NewsNation) — As threats to the United States grow, from Russian fighter jet incursions and Chinese spy balloons to cyberattacks and the specter of nuclear war, the military's most fortified command center stands ready deep inside a Colorado mountain.

The Cheyenne Mountain Complex, NORAD's classified command post buried a mile deep into a mountain, serves as the nation's last line of defense in the event of a catastrophic attack. In a rare civilian visit, NewsNation gained exclusive access to the top-secret facility located approximately 10 miles from Colorado Springs.

The ultrasecure bunker was built in 1966 to serve as a fortified command post in the event of a catastrophic attack on the United States. 

Military officials say the facility can withstand a nuclear blast of multiple megatons — one thousand times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima — from as close as a mile and a half away.

Facility can withstand nuclear blast 1,000 times stronger than Hiroshima

The underground complex functions as a self-contained city, complete with its own power plant, heating and cooling systems and a series of underground lakes that provide water. Military officials say the bunker maintains enough food supplies to last "a very long time," though specific details remain classified.

NewsNation crews were escorted nearly a mile through the mountain tunnel, passing through 3-foot-thick bomb blast doors and multiple security checkpoints. Numerous military escorts monitored every step of the team's movement through the classified facility.

Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and NORAD, oversees the facility's operations. The four-star general is responsible for protecting the United States from threats ranging from Russian fighter jet incursions and Chinese spy balloons to drug trafficking operations and potential attacks.

Construction of the complex began June 19, 1961, and required excavation of 693,000 tons of granite from the 9,565-foot mountain. The facility was completed Feb. 6, 1967, at a cost of $142.4 million and became NORAD's Combat Operations Center on April 20, 1966. 

The underground complex spans 5.1 acres and houses 15 buildings. In 2008, the facility transitioned to serve as NORAD's alternate Joint Operations Center. Today, the installation is maintained by Space Base Delta 1 at Peterson Space Force Base under the U.S. Space Force.

The facility is designed to protect against nuclear, chemical, biological and radiological attacks, as well as cyberterrorism and electromagnetic pulses. The bunker sits on massive shock-absorbing springs that would cushion the impact of a nuclear blast.

Inside the mountain, the NORAD command center, known as the battle deck, would serve as the hub for military operations if the United States faced a catastrophic attack.

Cheyenne Mountain buried mile deep with own power, water, food supplies

Military leaders from both the United States and Canada would coordinate defense operations from this underground facility.

The complex includes amenities to support round-the-clock crews, including a Subway restaurant that greets visitors with, "Welcome to the most secure Subway."

"It is truly worth whatever they paid for it back in the early '60s, and we are using it today just as they did the decades before," Guillot said.

When asked about current threats, Guillot said he was confident in the nation's defenses.

"I don't worry. We got the greatest military members working it," he said. "And we are ready."