Cheyenne Mountain Complex

The Cheyenne Mountain Complex (CMOC) is a non-public military installation of the United States Department of Defense located inside Cheyenne Mountain, in El Paso County, Colorado. It is the training complex for crew qualification, and is an alternate command center for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). The installation was established in February 1967 as a bunker and operations center, and was designed to be partially resistant to attack by nuclear-tipped missiles. Built and owned by the Department of Defense, it also has Royal Canadian Air Force personnel serving there. The Cold War meant that hardened installations resistant to attacks by the Soviet Union were necessary. The initial funds for its construction amounted to $142.4 million. During the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, the complex was locked down, and it later continued normal operations. During 2008, NORAD and USNORTHCOM were relocated, and the installation was re-designated as the alternate main operations center. Since that time, Peterson Space Force Base, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is responsible for managing the installation.