About the Raven Rock Mountain Complex

BACKGROUND

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman approved the construction of a deep underground facility that could be used as a relocation site for the Pentagon in times of national emergency. One half million cubic yards of superhard greenstone granite rock was secretly blasted out and hauled away in ten months. Five separate 3-story buildings were built deep inside the Raven Rock mountain located on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border.

The buildings look like ordinary office buildings set inside a hollowed-out cavern deep inside the mountain. The underground complex has roads and parking areas big enough to accommodate trucks and buses. Site R is completely self-sufficient with two power plants to generate electricity; multiple underground water reservoirs; and a sophisticated ventilation system. The facility can operate for at least 30 days in a "buttoned-up" position and can accommodate 3,000 persons in an emergency.

In addition to the basic life support requirements of power, water, and air, the underground metropolis also contains a medical and dental clinic, fire department, post office, dining facility, snack bar, dormitories, chapel, barbershop, fitness center, bowling alley, and even a Starbucks. View the map of Site R.

PRESENT DAY

The primary mission of the Raven Rock Mountain Complex is to support the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff. Site-R is capable of serving as a backup to the Pentagon with state-of-the-art technology, worldwide secure network connections, emergency operations centers, and relocation space for all of the major components within the Department of Defense along with some other federal agencies.

Raven Rock Mountain Complex helicopter landing Our motto is "Ready Always Period". Full-scale COOP exercises are held periodically and require the overnight and multi-day relocation of hundreds of DOD personnel to Site R. Senior leaders flown in by helicopter from the Pentagon and DOD emergency relocation teams all participate in real-life scenarios which test the alert and notification procedures along with the reception, staging, onward movement, and integration (RSOI) procedures. These include the COOP transportation plans, Site R hasty access procedures, and the integration of mission essential functions within the operating routine of the alternate site, the backup Pentagon.

Site R also functions as a major communications hub supporting DOD users, DOD Nuclear Command Control and Communications (NC3) organizations, intelligence activities, and the DOD national gateway to non-DOD users and U.S. Allies. The wide variety of communications and defense systems supported by Site R makes it an ideal national training center for DOD support personnel. The Raven Rock Mountain Complex is currently undergoing a major expansion of its power generating capacity and doubling its ability to support future facility mission loads well into the 21st century.

SITE R WEBCAM - LIVE VIEW OF THE RAVEN ROCK COMMAND CENTER

Raven Rock command center - live webcam

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SITE R ON GOOGLE MAPS

Too busy for a tour? Now you can visit us online using Google Streetview.

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HOW THE PENTAGON RELOCATES TO SITE R

Please note: Hasty Access procedures are used to expedite the arrival of personnel involved in an actual relocation or relocation exercise. Personnel arriving via helicopter follow Blue Light and Iron Gate procedures. All entry procedures for personnel, contractors, and guests are defined in USAG Raven Rock Regulation 380-1.