Titan II Legacy - Part 3: Deactivation

[@LandNfan]

I was in the 381st Comm Sqdrn and maintained communication gear on the sites around Wichita. Stationed the from 9/66 thru 2/69. Lots of memories. The Titan II was a terrifying weapon and I’m glad they are no longer needed, but remembering the tremendous engineering that went into building them, it’s sad to see them reduced to rubble.

[@snafu6548]

I did the same from '78 to '80. HF/UHF Comm systems. Great memories of a young airman, with a sense of pride supporting the complex's and crews of the 381st. Todays generation has little or no knowledge of the Cold War, and the era that we as a nation lived in fear of nuclear holocaust. The fact we are still exist stands testament that those that served as a nuclear deterrent did their job well. A big Thank You to all service members that stood guard during those dark times.

[@SimonElenor]

Yes they have much bigger yield weapons now in much smaller packages!

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

Where was the electronics taken too?

[@SuEnRoD]

I was too between 83-86. VHF/UHF/SLFCS

[@jimmymilne6065]

I dont know how these videos dont have more views, they are unbelievably interesting

[@kai-uweoch1159]

Three years ago I visited some Russian nuclear missile sites in the Baltic states. The first one I checked was completely gone, while some aerial photos available on mapping sites in the www where still showing them intact. Judging by the size of the trees at at size, the demolishment hand happened not more than two years ago. At the second site I visited, work was just going on. They basically excavated the command and control bunkers from the surface, just the reversed way they had been build. Looking at the footage now in this video series, I get the impression the at the US titan silos where build MUCH more massive. I doubts the Russian installations would have survived a direct hit, as the control bunkers where covered by a relatively thin layer of earth. Finally I was lucky visiting the third site. The basic concrete structures where still intact. The silos top domes where in place, but all metal had been removed from inside and outside, including the steel doors that covered the top of silo domes, which where to be opened when the nuclear warhead was installed.. So basically you could stand on top of the dome and look down 30m trough a 3m wide hole, all the way down to the water level at half height of the silo. If the Russian maffia would have needed to get rid of someone: this would have been the site of choice. If you felt into the water filled silo there was no way out, as all ladders and platforms had been removed as scrap metal. I could also get access to the control bunker. Every complex consisted of four silos in a square configuration with a central control and command bunker in two levels. From there connection tunnels where running diagonal to the four silos. The bunker had one wall broken open, again to remove all metal of some value, including the fuel tanks, machinery, tubings, electric cables and even the stairs in to the lower level. Moving inside this structure required great care and slow, very controlled movements as there where was lots of trash inside, but also open holes in the floor between level one and two. I finally reached one of the silos and could stick my head inside. This was probably the most bizarre feeling of my live, knowing that not too many years before, there was a missile with a nuclear warhead inside, aiming at Central Europe. I recently checked newer aerial footage and could see that also this site has now been demolished. However there is one "Cold War Museum" in what is probably the last preserved "R-12 Dvina" installation in Plokstine, Lithuania. I am hoping to be able to visit this site next year, but right now their homepage is offline - so hopefully the museum is still open!

[@davidangelamelcher9591]

At 5:10 in the picture of the crews eating, I recognized one of these missile officers as someone I worked with when I was stationed inside NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Complex. He had already completed his tour at a Titan II site and wore the "pocket rocket" badge as a missile officer. He always quipped that " It looks like I crawled out of one hole in the ground right back into another one".

[@UberMicroRepairs]

Totally engrossed with anything Titan II. I'm from the UK and find it fascinating! Death wears bunny slippers have gone quite for the last 18 months. So to see another channel dig up one of these sites is exciting!! Please keep it comming🙏

[@vaylon1701]

My uncle is in one of the photos at the end of the video. Thanks. Nice to see a pic of him again. My dad was also in the AF and was an LT. Colonel. To hear them talk about what they did at family holidays get-togethers was fascinating. Dad made a few comments in the early 80's when they were talking about the decommissioning, and he said that most Missile bases in the US were mainly used as fake satellite imagery to fool the Russians into thinking we had more than what we actually did have. Many, many years later that was made true. But he also said that what everyone thinks the US military has in its arsenal of weapons was about 40 years behind what we really had.

[@mrmotofy]

I heard a airforce veteran and nuclear historian tour guide answer we have about 40k in just the east coast arsenal

[@topquark6919]

With all the time, effort & ingenuity required to build these, it seems such shame to destroy them.

[@smfdstroiney]

This answers everything I needed to know about the condition of the silo. Thank you sir

[@hellsrangers1]

I have personally been inside 2 of these facilities. Neither were the saved sights both were "decommissioned" per this video. However only about 10% of the connent in the video was actually done.

[@patrickwayne3701]

@@hellsrangers1 Good old 'Lowest Bidder Wins' principle. Wonder how long it'll be, before Pelosi Schumer Feinstein AOC decide to sue the contractors for not performing the contacts to spec?

[@Brycefox]

Erik Davis what 10% of demolition was done? Primarily the silo?

[@fantomasphoenix]

Thanks for the awesome videos. What were the tires used for during demolition? Absorb the blast and send it back down for ultimate effect? That’s my guess.

[@hallkbrdz]

Glad I had the chance to tour a training facility at Vandenberg AFB while I was stationed there in the early 90s. What a cool deal with the "house" up top, the elevator ride down, the control room, the equipment room, and the huge blast doors all in clean, dry and "usable" condition. The only thing I didn't get to see was the silo itself. I also worked on mapping and marking the sites there for the start treaty. While doing that one of the oddest things there was the peacekeeper rail garrison test track setup. Most of us thought at the time it would just be smarter to put them on Amtrack trains, so nobody would know where they were since they never ran on schedule anyhow.

[@mogazamoha7906]

I wish they could have left them for future generation or tourism

[@ObamaTookMyCat]

they did. 571-7 in Arizona became a museum.

[@robertfairburn9979]

I think they might of needed to destroyed to prove to the soviets that they were decommissioned under the SALT agreement. I know under future agreements joint verification of decommissioning was done with both sides at the site. An irony is that a lot of the Russian plutonium that was in soviet nuclear weapons, was sent to American nuclear power stations to generate electricity.

[@tmdickey1989]

Yep there's an entire intact facility here in Tucson Arizona. Tours are about 15$ and they take u throught the entire place. Turn the launch key, swing the blast door shut to the control room , and some other amazing things that u can't get anywhere else! So if your near southern Tucson come church it out! Just to see the enormous missile inside of the silo which caring the United States largest thermonuclear warhead ever deployed, is totally worth it and awe inspiring.

[@WootTootZoot]

Ronald Reagan negotiated the SALT Treaty that included destruction of many of the silo's. I'm not so sure that wasn't a bad idea.

[@Madcow42SS]

You can scuba dive in a Titan 1 site in Washington or Texas www.underseaadventures.net/titan-i-missile-silo-silo-diving-dive-into-history.htm

[@chrismoody1342]

I’ve toured a silo in Rock, Ks as a high school aeronautical student prior to destruction. Missile was still intact although I’m sure de-armed. As a kid of the 60’s I can well remember all the ☢️ ICBM drills as a student. Pretty sobering stuff for a third grader at the time. Went so far as to issue dog tags in case of my incineration in the dreaded event. Mutually Assured Destruction is what kept peoples finger off the button. Peace thru Strength 🇺🇸

[@adamlemus7585]

I was once told that decommissioning crews can feel the ire of future historians as they work.

[@frother]

In this case the future historians can thank the nuclear decommissioning crews for there still being a world left for them to study. Ratcheting down nuclear strike capability makes everyone safer.

[@mrmotofy]

But the US still has like 80k warheads

[@gregnancyspear4367]

@@mrmotofy Nope. Enough plutonium for that many if not more but the enduring stockpile isn't that big.

[@furious3383]

Even my city(Chicago) had numerous missile silos installed from north to south all along the lakefront. As well many pockets of the suburbs.

[@zuke1624]

Apollo 13 score for the win!

[@franimal007]

Destroyed, what a shame!

[@nj-mike5112]

So IOW's, there's still tons of debris left sealed underground where these mammoth complexes were constructed. Am betting many are filled with just dirt and not the grout option. Thx for the video.

[@MrThenry1988]

Cost them more to scrap it than they got. Lol. Some are still being used.

[@joeraderblackrockcentralrr]

sorry to see this happen. served with 308th for 4 years as a MFT on a launch crew

[@steveb855]

Audio cuts off at 2:28.

[@exnbcnco]

Better Dead Than Red was the saying during this time!

[@4rdF1Hunny]

now they're running for President...

[@PibrochPonder]

Damn The Truth Hurts! They need that attitude for islam now!

[@patrickthedestroyer6427]

this is criminal what they did to these master piece structures

[@murfrirhke4557]

There were three Titan bases; Davis-Monthan, McConnell, & Little Rock along with training at Sheppard AFB & Vandanberg AFB.

[@NeverSuspects]

Seems this was a bit wasteful.. Remove the weapon and equipment for the weapon itself and that should have been enough. It's not as if some private owner was gonna DIY a titan 2 missile and all the needed military gear for it to make the facility a functional missile site again. Maybe just re purpose the silo into a hardened storage vault or bunker, the government could be using these places today to house data centers or whatever they spend money on today to build new structures for that are being placed into a hardened secure facility.

[@JimPfarr]

It was all dictated by the treaties we signed with the USSR. The only way to be sure nothing was being hidden (or reused) was to publically destroy every component of the silos. They were left in destroyed condition for a set period of time to allow satellites to take pictures for verification. We even had Russian observers going to the sites to verify the destruction. We had one site in Arkansas on the low-level route we flew nearly every day, it was interesting to watch the progress of destruction.

[@skiterbite]

NoSuspect...Correct but remember these were the bureaucrats working in the UN, and USSR, USA embassies during the Reagan years dismantling the war machine that was necessary at the time to keep (US)A safe. Bureaucrats are the one's that need too be dismantled.

[@franimal007]

Shame they were destroyed.....Hillary could have hid her email in them!

[@skiterbite]

Nosuspect ...good idea to reconstitute current or past silos, only problem is Russia, China and other foe's already have pinned those sites, we have much more robust, stealthy sites now.

[@nerfinator03]

@@skiterbite plus they no longer need such massive structures for missiles.

[@thereefaholic]

What an excellent video explanation. Thank you. I would guess that the silo excavation is prohibitively expensive. I wonder is anyone has every been able to do anything with the silo portion.

[@rupe53]

TheReefaholic ... what would you do with the silo portion? It's 50 ft wide and over 100 ft deep... and full of crap at the moment. Likely cheaper to construct something new at this point. There is one still open for scuba diving and once you certify you can go on a full tour.

[@thereefaholic]

Well let me answer that question backwards. I would think digging a new underground facility to let’s just say expand your square footage would be galactically expensive. The architectural and engineering costs as well as permitting alone would probably scare most people away. The labor work of installing just the rebar alone would be earth shattering for most common folk. So I think excavating out the debris and building a new On the current silo would be more practical. As far as what would I do with it. The square footage of the command portion is not that much. I would think having multiple levels of storage space mechanical space (generator and have) As well as additional living space would be great. Just because one makes the decision to live on the ground does not mean one abandons everything that they want to have in their home above ground. While some people may be building for the apocalypse, you may be living there a lifetime before the apocalypse comes. So I would still like to have my home theater, family room, guest bedrooms, and anything else you can think of. And at 50 feet wide it is wider than my current house. I think the atlas F silo is much more conducive for that. As you just need to remove the steel. But I’ve really only seen one or two people that I’ve even done that

[@rupe53]

@@thereefaholic ... you could also rebuild to standard underground specs instead of nuclear hardened specs. I'm sure that would chop millions off the budget.... AND ... you could still close a blast door and duck into the heftier sections if the need should arise.

[@railgap]

If you think Titan-II was majestic you should look at Titan-I. Much larger sites, much bigger underground spaces. Missile was stored dry.

[@studinthemaking]

Did they use as much plate steel in the minuteman ICBM complex’s? Seem to me they went to a system of more concrete. For the next generation of icbm.

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

1:31 damnit…. We had the toilets removed from our very silos! Damn you government! Damn you.

[@HASHHASSIN]

And 100+ Billions Dollars Oscar Goes to Recycling!

[@datenjournalist96]

What a shame for all the beautiful 60s consoles. Or was some of the equipment preserved?

[@ScottDLR]

THe Eastern Washington site was not filled like they describe either. The elevator shaft is wide open as are most of the tunnels. You can walk between the dome and silo which was stripped but remains intact and empty. The top of the dome is exposed and a hole blown in it to remove stuff.

[@ScottDLR]

Yes, that's how it was. One odd thing was that we searched everytwhere for a tunnel to the base of the ICBM and could never find a way to it. Only a tunnel that intersected it around half way up. From the mid-way point you could shine a light down and not see the bottom!

[@jamesboaz4787]

This isn't a nuclear bunker anymore I didn't realize they fucking destroyed them. You could get through this with artillery.

[@daverobinson6110]

Just visited 571-7, green valley titan missle museum,. My wife and I turned the keys.

[@ThompsonAtomicRanch]

Not many people in the world can say they’ve actually turned a nuclear missile launch key! Cool!

[@daverobinson6110]

@@ThompsonAtomicRanch and we are both marines, we like to push buttons and turn keys and stuff 🤠

[@ThompsonAtomicRanch]

@@daverobinson6110 lol! If there’s a button, ya gotta push it to see what it does, right? I’m the same exact way!!!

[@worldtraveler930]

There's a big chunk of the video that is silent.

[@ctg6734]

So has anyone noticed the audio cuts out at 2:26 and doesn't come back til 3:39?

[@studinthemaking]

Why they use grout instead of cement to fill it up?

[@ThompsonAtomicRanch]

Not too sure other than that was the specification put into the decommissioning instruction document. It explains exactly the consistency and material to be used for the grout.

[@studinthemaking]

Atomic Rancher That odd. Because grout harder than cement. But cause a lot more.

[@ta-fb1th]

Very cool video !

[@Brycefox]

The only two that remain in mothballed condition are the Museum, and site 395-C at Vandenberg.

[@tommydonahue1654]

nicely done RT

[@MavAuto-Pete]

What do they mean the locations sold at public auction surely people know where they are

[@probablynotmyname8521]

So the sites were decommissioned but what replaced them? Is it all submarine now or are there fixed launch locations?

[@ThompsonAtomicRanch]

Most of the land based missile sites are Minuteman missiles.

[@patrickwayne3701]

@@chromal WhaaaaaHaaaaaaHaaaaaHaaaaaa

[@patrickwayne3701]

@@chromal Their new toys make Atlas, Titan 1&2, and Minuteman look like slingshots and BB guns. Sanity?!,,, WaaaaHaaaaHaaaHAAA, that's RICH!!

[@yolandria]

Minuteman 3 and MX missile programs.

[@DoctorDispatch]

@@yolandria MX was the development name. Officially it was the LGM-118 Peacekeeper Missile. They were only in service from 1986-2005. The Minuteman III is the only land-based ICBM left in the US inventory.

[@masonjohn1458]

At 3:22 there is a photo with a noose hanging from the ceiling.. kinda weird

[@masonjohn1458]

Stella smith I was thinking it was more so as a joke.

@@masonjohn1458 i was pretending to act like a liberal If it was their joke, could have been, oh shit, we just got nuked, and America is destroyed

[@jimsoulios9027]

Can't understand why the structures were filled in let alone partially destroyed when all the vital military equipment was removed.. not as if any civilian or heavens forbid enemy was going to to revitalise them

[@corey8420]

Guessing no adio in second half is a mistake?

[@danielblack4313]

This explains why my site was missing the tunnel and the escape tunnel filled with concrete. :(

[@ThompsonAtomicRanch]

Do you own a site or did ya work at one of them?

[@danielblack4313]

@@ThompsonAtomicRanch I was a part owner in one. We had the pleasure of digging it out after being closed for all those years. I have pictures of me on a giant trackhoe digging out the access portal. I turned over my share after being activated following 9/11. One of my biggest regrets ever.

[@ThompsonAtomicRanch]

@@danielblack4313 Bummer! What site did ya have part ownership of?

[@danielblack4313]

@@ThompsonAtomicRanch 570-8 I understand it's currently for sale.

[@danielblack4313]

@@thomasfoster2 There was a wide variance between what was supposed to be done and what was done during decom. You're only true test was to dig it out and see.

[@murfrirhke4557]

Wow, I feel old. I was an MFT on the Titan crews. Pretlow, you seeing this?

[@brucebedford5121]

WOW, I was MFT in 1963 Almont 60 years ago. I AM OLD!

[@zincman1995]

What does our nuclear triad consist of now? Aircraft, subs, then what? Are there no silos anywhere?

[@rgarito]

Lots of silos, but with weaker warheads.

[@DoctorDispatch]

The Minuteman ICBM's are still in service.

[@mre9789]

They also now have nuclear armed cruise missiles. Basically, a missile launched from the back of a truck. Very mobile and can be deployed quickly. It is harder for the Soviets to target something if they don't know where it is. Also, I would guess they now have nuclear armed satellites that can drop a bomb when needed. Remember the space shuttle missions in the 1980's that were carrying secret "military payloads"?

[@Mystycmynd]

Make the sites safe for civilian ownership, but let’s plug every escape shaft

[@mrmotofy]

Site safe as in land around...actual complex blocked from ground level without major excavation which at that point who cares. Idea was keep people out of original structures

[@ericroy7789]

Whats up with the picture @3:23

[@craZivn]

If you're talking about the noose, I was scrolling to see if anyone else had commented on it yet! Guessing it was someone's idea of jobsite humor but it's only a guess...

[@lefuturiste27]

ohoho apollo 13 music

[@steveskouson9620]

I was wondering if anyone else would catch that. steev

[@davidmihevc3990]

Apparently there are a few of these facilities still in tact, stripped of all equipment and sold. Have watched videos of people converting them into residences and doomsday bunkers, which is kind of ironic.

[@derekninabuck5359]

David Mihevc are they Titan 2 facilities or are they the Atlas F? The atlas f are pretty much all intact because they were decommissioned due to the titan 2 replacing it the titan 2 were decommissioned due to a treaty so had to be destroyed, some people have bought them and opened them up and somewhat rebuilt them but it takes a lot of time and effort, most of the missile silo homes I have seen are atlas f silos most titan 2 sites become money pits and the owners give up

[@davidmihevc3990]

@@derekninabuck5359 You are probably right. They looked similar and were built as I recall around the same time. Damn, how many of these things were there? Alot of money spent for something that thankfully were never used.

[@yolandria]

@@davidmihevc3990 Tons of them around...But the ones to get are the Titan 1 complex's. Bout 50,000 sq ft of useable space not to mention the massive layout and the fact most of them are intact.

[@davidmihevc3990]

@@yolandria Good to know. While I'm not personally in the market for one, it would be nice to see them being repurposed for something. I know there are/were a bunch of them scattered throughout the mid west.

[@gregnancyspear4367]

I've not seen any titan 2 vids from Kansas

[@GOBRADON502]

I don't understand why they destroyed these but not the Atlas missile silos and those are all complete

[@rangemasterken]

It was a condition of a treaty with Russia that the titan 2 launch complexes had the be destroyed.

[@NeverSuspects]

@@rangemasterken Seems a bit strange, maybe they should have pushed for not putting nukes on nuclear subs too. Maybe even decided to both completely dismantle all uranium refinement facilities that had the ability to refine to weapons grade and dismantle all nuclear bombs and consume all the weapons grade material in power reactors and just take all that electricity and give it away or rapidly develop unstable 3rd world regions by setting up super cheap or free temporary access to electricity.

[@derekninabuck5359]

The atlas and titan 1 sites were decommissioned long before the titan 2 the titan 2 replaced those systems so they were decommissioned due to being replaced where as the titan 2 sites were decommissioned due to a treaty and they had to be destroyed this way to so the soviets they were no longer functional

[@MrBook123456]

lot of work went in to dismantled

[@philpalludan196]

756 ton silo door...

[@ThompsonAtomicRanch]

Which is roughly 1.5 million lbs right? Haha, I don't usually convert numbers that big so I could be off. 😋

[@smfdstroiney]

How about we all agree it was kind of heavy 😅

[@Timotheus157]

I joined the ranks of engineering designers in the 1979 working on nuclear power plants. Some of my senior co-workers told me they helped design the missile silos earlier in their career. From "swords to plowshares" I thought, meaning from nuclear missile silos to nuclear power plants. I was glad to be part of the "plowshares" group.

[@looneyburgmusic]

Fast forward 1000 years and future humans will find these buried sites and wonder - what were they? What treasures are buried at the bottom? Did Aliens build them? Think they are going to be very disappointed...

[@lionbear7706]

government waste knows no limits.

[@davids.9834]

I was thinking the same thing. The same can be said for military bases that have been decommissioned. I understand the mission, threats, and technology change but no new land will ever be created. What I mean by that is I understand decommissioning basses and silo sites but the land should stay in government control for future uses. They should have just shut the power off to the sites, cleaned out any environmentally hazardous stuff..... and put a fence around the sites. You never know what the future holds.

[@lionbear7706]

@@davids.9834 well said

[@Game-The-System]

I can understand how you might consider this wasteful...and that certainly could be a subjective measure (how wasteful was it?). I would counter that and say that on the whole, it wasn't terribly wasteful. Furthermore, the reality is that for ~25 years these sites were manned and did their job. Both the work in commissioning them and the work in decommissioning them was part of the package. But wasteful... To me, implying these were a waste is akin to saying a service member really wasn't needed if they were never in a conflict or at war. That kind of statement completely disregards the honor, distinction and effort of the facility (and those that served in them). Efforts that in all likelihood actually prevented war. What is that worth?

[@Game-The-System]

@@davids.9834 I appreciate your perspective, but let's just say the military were to keep them. Even if they were rendered useless, if they were to remain military installations (even unmanned ones), they'd still require some monitoring and semi-regular maintenance. Then there is the question of how long should they keep them? 30 years? 40 years? 100 years? Due to the treaties that Reagan (and subsequent Presidents) signed, the only feasible long-term option was to do what they did.

[@mcearl8073]

david s. They didn’t destroy them for the hell of it or to be wasteful. I’m sure a lot of people in command would have liked to keep them just for back up or just in case but that wasn’t in the cards. They did their job to protect the country during the Cold War and as a part of the treaty to end it they had to be destroyed to a point where they could never be used again. It would see silly to continue a war just so you don’t waste the facilities created to protect the country from the war.

[@jasonhill2180]

Incredible! Why do I feel this country can be so wasteful???

[@danam2584]

I couldn't agree with you more.

[@wilson4328]

I witnessed several of the Tucson sites being exploded. Sad.

[@rikiorikio9368]

looks like The Glow from Fallout 1

[@DH_boi]

Restauration of the silo in the YT channel: Atomic Underground

[@gregnancyspear4367]

That's so sad.

[@rise-amorph8178]

My father was 381 🚀🇺🇸

[@hippa2dahoppa2]

i feel liek the tire idea was someone just having fun lol

[@Game-The-System]

I can't think of a reason why to do that other than "proof" that in fact there was an explosion. I'd be interested to know the real reason.

[@OpenGL4ever]

@@Game-The-System That way they could test what would happen, if a nuclear rocket explodes inside such a missile silo.

[@MichaelSHartman]

All that effort to decommission the silo, and no time to pick up the tires.

[@Game-The-System]

@@MichaelSHartman That is the weird part. In the video it says they laid them out on top of the blasting surface (intentionally). I'm dumbfounded as to why.

[@OpenGL4ever]

@@Game-The-System With the tires they can minimize the damage of the explosion for the surrounding area.

[@type0negative136]

i hope they use that against powerful country like cambodia, but it will be impossible to enter to their territory because they have anti air missile the iron cone.

[@repairdrive]

So they basically auctioned off a hazardous waste dump??

[@djsatane]

waste of resources to decomission them

[@disenfranchisedcitizen1432]

Such a disgraceful waste.

[@jamesoxford8897]

ALIENS WARNING.....deactivation MISILES

[@franimal007]

Great job! Sad they ruined them all like that. They could have been used other ways. I wonder how many did not get destroyed? Would like to see private owners owning them in good condition. I wonder what the people think that have the remains on their property.

[@Brycefox]

franimal007 the Titan Missile museum is the only public site remaining. However, site 395-C at Vandenberg AFB, still remains in a mothballed state.

[@pyrodiscoflash6115]

It's a good thing that Russia has not upgraded there Systems or developed superior Systems, to circumvent certain treaties, if they work so hard and are very devious and smart to interfere and impact elections all over the world, I'm sure upgrading their weapon systems, witch they see as a projection of strength, is not off limits

[@douglashagan65]

45 Megaton nuclear-tipped missiles

[@SteveHolsten]

It was stupid to ruin these sites! I'm sure other uses could've been thought of.

[@brucebedford5121]

US destroyed ours to get USSR to destroy theirs.

[@brucebedford5121]

US destroyed so USSR destroyed many if their missiles.

[@dougjohns8066]

Such wasteful use of tax payers money! Should have turned it into something else like a food storage or tech center!, But I digress, I guess in the end it Fulfilled it's purpose!..

[@lionbear7706]

government and useful do not fit in the same sentence.

[@overtaxed3628]

Damn such a waste, 54 missile sites each one cost 1.8 billion dollars in todays money !! But the question is why destroy all those sites, maybe you should saved those in case of another 'cold war' !!!!!!! I will never understand such a terrible decissions .

[@lionbear7706]

its basically criminal to have wasted all that tax payer dollars, but thats why, government could care less about taz payer money.

[@derekninabuck5359]

They were destroyed due to the SALT Treaty with the USSR there had to be proof that the facility was no longer functional and could not be reactivated

[@Gasolineworld]

Sad

[@OlympusHeavyCavalry]

So contractors strike again, taking public money for decommissioning these sites, doing a halfhearted job as they always do - still getting paid in full - and not cleaning up their shit afterwards either....

[@disenfranchisedcitizen1432]

what an absolute waste.

[@chrishubbs7609]

did you purchase the rights to use the Apollo 13 soundtrack?

[@hksp]

foolish

[@aussiesurfer805]

well, I wonder how one would have managed to obtain one of those decommissioning contracts -?? mmmm ??? Oh dear, just listen to me, I am a silly billy worry warren aren't I... It would of course had been a very rigorous, non-compromised selection process, with the contracts awarded to private companies owned by nobodies of no significance with no compromised relationships at all .... Yep, all above board, as per the private contracts associated with the even more lucrative construction and maintenance that preceded the decommissioning ... nothing to see here ... move along move along ... war is NOT good business .. no sir-e ... come on - move along

[@potgieterl]

What a waste, reuse for server farms or something.

[@derekninabuck5359]

They couldn’t, plus back then a server farm wasn’t really a thing, because of the SALT Treaty with the USSR which was an agreement with the Soviets to downsize the nuclear arsenal they had to be destroyed to show that the site was no longer functional and could not be reactivated

[@yolandria]

Actually...the Titan 1 Complex's are perfect for that. Lots of space (50,000 sq ft on avg) and they hold a temp of 55-60 degrees all year round.

[@duenge]

What a waste. Think of the Democrats that could have been placed in there...