The U.S. Air Force Buried is a global force, with squadrons and personnel stationed all over the world from Greenland to Singapore. In addition to that, there are also numerous air bases and other facilities buried in remote locations across America, most of them in the arid desert regions of the Southwestern U.S. These hidden Air Force installations have been called “the largest network of secret military bases outside of the Pentagon” by New York Times journalists in an article published back in 1996. Today those same sites remain almost completely under wraps and off-limits to unescorted visitors or journalists. With so many remote locations to choose from, why has the Air Force decided on this particular set? The answer lies in their strategic value as well as their geographical isolation from public scrutiny or encroaching residential development.

Desert Testing for New Fighter Jets

The F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation fighter aircraft that was developed for the Air Force in the 1990s. This powerful aircraft, which comes with a hefty price tag of $350 million per unit, is capable of supersonic flight, making it an ideal choice for intercepting enemy aircraft. In order to test and improve the aircraft’s design, the Air Force decided to build a special testing facility in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The Air Force’s Remote Aerial Test Environment (RATE) is a large complex of aircraft shelters, administration buildings, and runways built inside an old bombing range named Area 51. It uses radar simulation to create realistic battlefield conditions, allowing combat pilots to practice real missions in a simulated environment. The facility covers over 10,000 acres and supports 60- to 90-day test periods during which F-22s are flown by pilots who are based 50 miles away at Edwards Air Force Base.

Shifting Air Defenses to the Desert

During the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force began building numerous bases across the American West, many of them in the deserts of the Southwestern U.S. The most well-known of these was Area 51 in the Nevada desert, but many others are hidden in the mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. These bases were built with the intention of protecting the U.S. from Soviet Union intrusions, either by land or by air. A series of bases were constructed in the deserts of Southern California, including George Air Force Base and the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Another major base was built in the high desert of the Colorado Rockies at the small town of Colorado Springs. The U.S. Air Force's Schriever Air Force Base was established in the 1960s to protect the country against Soviet ballistic missile threats.

Desert Bases for Landing and Takeoff

The location of these bases is ideal for training pilots to land in harsh conditions. The arid desert landscape means there is little vegetation to obstruct their path while flying at low altitudes. An Air Force Buried desert landing strip is also much shorter than a standard runway, which forces pilots to fly at a lower speed, helping to build up the skills and confidence required for dangerous landing situations in remote locations. In addition, the weather in deserts is much more predictable than in other parts of the country. This makes it easier for pilots to schedule training exercises or maintenance repairs on their aircraft. When the weather becomes too severe, flight operations can be temporarily suspended. The U.S. Navy has also built a base in the Mojave Desert called the Naval Air Facility (NAF) in the city of Mojave. This is where the Navy’s carrier-based Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft are tested and operated for research purposes.

More Desert Bases for Storage and Supply

The vast deserts of Southern California are also home to a number of other Air Force bases that are used for logistical support. The Defense Logistics Agency is headquartered in a massive complex of buildings in the city of Barstow, just a stone’s throw away from the Mojave Desert. This agency is responsible for the storage and transportation of all of the Department of Defense’s supplies and materials. The Air Force’s Edwards Air Force Base is just north of Los Angeles. It is a huge base where pilots are trained for combat situations and where new aircraft designs are tested. The Marine Corps El Toro Air Station is located in Orange County, California. This is the home base for the corps’ aircraft squadrons, helicopter units, and aviation logistics squadrons. It also supports the Navy’s Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) located nearby.

Defense Computer Games in the Desert

The U.S. military also uses bases in remote parts of the American Southwestern deserts as training facilities for its computer network defense games. These bases are usually made up of large computer networks and communications systems that simulate actual military networks. Security teams are dispatched to the desert bases to practice detecting and responding to security breaches and attacks. These desert bases are also used for cyber warfare games, where opposing teams of computer experts compete against each other to access each other’s computer networks.

Carefully Hidden in Plain Sight

The Air Force has been deliberately vague about the exact locations of its bases in the desert. The most famous example was the official statement in the late 1990s that the mysterious Area 51 base was located somewhere “in the Nevada Test and Training Range.” One official document listed all the bases and installations in the Southwest, but most were marked with “no public access permitted” and “public information withheld.” The main reason for this secrecy is likely curiosity and attention from the public, who would otherwise try to venture onto the bases or photograph them from the air. These installations are kept highly secure, with high fences and barbed wire surrounding them. Security staff are often armed and will usually not hesitate to use force. The majority of bases are also heavily guarded by the Air Force Buried Special Security Forces units. These are highly trained commandos who are authorized to use deadly force if necessary.

Conclusion

The American Southwest is a vast and beautiful region, but there is much more to it than that. The deserts and mountains of the region are also home to some of the U.S. Air Force’s most remote and heavily guarded bases, carefully hidden in plain sight.