Military Base Pennsylvania - Raven Rock Mountain Complex is physically located at Raven Rock Mountain near Blue Ridge Summit in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Located near the Maryland state line, the complex is accessible via a side road off Pennsylvania Route 16. "Accessible" is a relative concept in this case;
no unauthorized visitors are allowed into the facility, which features a security gate but no access for anyone except those with specific authorization to enter. Raven Rock is essentially a standalone underground city, but all housing issues for those requiring an extended stay in the facility are handled internally and case-by-case.
Military Base Pennsylvania
When there is no national emergency or other required use of the facility, there is no large presence of permanent housing–this is not an area where military families are housed the way typical DoD installations are run.
Rural Area
Raven Rock is a self-contained complex and cannot be accessed by normal means such as you would use to enter a military base with a front gate, Pass & ID office, etc. Only those with a need to work in the complex are allowed in and out.
Being a self-contained complex designed to accommodate the long-term needs of those called upon to serve there in times of crisis, there are essential services that are theoretically available; the internal workings of Raven Rock are kept secret and there is little to no public information available.
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Outside of Pennsylvania's two major cities, the state is fairly rural. If you are living in Pittsburgh, Bethel Park is a great suburb to live in with a great commute to both the city and to Bechtel Bettis.
Bethel Park also has a great school system making it family friendly. Philadelphia is in the Northeast Corridor and is an easy drive or transit to all the major cities that lie within the corridor. DoD had an eye on closing Raven Rock in the years prior to 9/11 but following the 2001 terrorist attacks, Vice President Dick Cheney was installed in Raven Rock as a continuation-of-government strategy.
The plan follows a Cold War leadership protection doctrine to keep the President/Commander-In-Chief physically separated in times of national emergency or war as a risk management measure. In 1960 the Pentagon's Joint War Room became a growing concern with Joint Alternate Command Element staffing at Raven Rock also in development.
There were some plans to follow to construct other centers intended to replace or phase out Raven Rock; these plans never came to fruition. Over the years, Raven Rock would be fortified against nuclear blasts in a similar fashion to the Cheyenne Mountain complex.
1976 saw the opening of the US Army Communications Command Site R Telecommunications Center; the following year the Alternate National Military Command and Control Center Improvement Program proposed new work on a deep underground center, but that was canceled in 1979 according to some sources.
In general, Pennsylvania is a great state to live in and is very military friendly. PCS or TDY to Pennsylvania is a great choice as long as you are aware of some of the setbacks and plan accordingly.
There were problems and delays. Accidental deaths during the excavations in 1951, a 100-person strike in 1952, and other problems complicated things. By the end of 1953 there were three underground structures completed but the project ran into cost overruns and by the spring of 1954, some $35 million had been sunk into the project.
In 1956, emergency preparedness for a Cold War-style nuclear attack included a Joint War Room Annex at Raven Rock. This was run by the United States Air Force and in a short amount of time the Annex was considered the go-to facility for emergency deployment and the protection of high-level officers and essential personnel such as the Chief of Staff.
Like any other northeastern state, Pennsylvania can have cold snowy winters so being prepared for the seasons would be beneficial. Military spouses could have an easy time finding a job depending on where the PCS takes place.
If you are staying close to the Northeast Corridor than finding a job would be easy. Military bases in Pennsylvania come with their share of perks and adjustment items. Pennsylvania is a military friendly state with a fairly small military presence.
Residency in Pennsylvania entitles military members for income tax exemption if you move out of the state at a later date. The Raven Rock Mountain Complex (RRMC) is a highly restricted military installation complete with an underground nuclear bunker.
Located in Pennsylvania, RRMC is part of a continuity-of-government plan incorporating remotely-located, hardened and secured facilities that could be used to run military operations and even the entire country in the event of a national emergency such as a nuclear war.
Raven Rock, also known as Site R, began in 1950 with a government move to seize a 1,500 foot high area at Fountaindale in Pennsylvania. The government succeeded in the seizure, having submitted a "Declaration of Taking";
by October of 1951 there were already detonations and excavations happening in the area. This was required "to determine the effect of federal undertakings on those potentially eligible" for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
That work continued in 2017 with a "Phase I Archaeological survey" of Site R. The efforts to determine the suitability of inclusion of the facility in the National Register does not affect its basically secret nature or the day-to-day operations of the complex
. Fort Indiantown Gap Air Force Harrisburg International Airport Air Force Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove Air Force Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station Air Force Carlisle Barracks Army Letterkenny Army Depot Army Tobyhanna Army Depot Army
Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg Navy Naval Support Activity Philadelphia Navy Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Navy The mission of Raven Rock Mountain Complex is in some ways an open secret; this 650-acre installation is an underground nuclear bunker and emergency operations center.
Located near Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, RRMC is part of a system of bunkers including Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado and the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center in Virginia. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had concerns about nuclear command and control;
1958 was a time of reorganization with the Raven Rock Air Force facility becoming part of a system of NORAD Alert Network stations. Missile detection and defense were top-of-mind issues in these earliest days of the nuclear arms race between the Soviet Union and America.
The original plan was to use these complexes specifically in case of a nuclear attack, but there have been other uses for them in times of national emergency. Vice President Dick Cheney was sent to Raven Rock after the 9/11 attacks for a time, and Raven Rock remains operational in the 21st century with a minimum staff (approximately 100) but has the capacity to house and protect thousands more.
Raven Rock is described as a frontier town on the coast of Solstheim. This location began as a mining settlement built by the East Empire Company in the late Third Era...except this particular Raven Rock isn't a secret underground military complex, it's a location in the popular Elder Scrolls video game Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
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