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Major Nuclear War Targets in America - Do You Live Near One?

Updated: Feb 26, 2023

Listed below are the primary nuclear targets for every state, these are places you want to avoid living or working in or near. Keep in mind that there are also secondary and tertiary target in every state that are too numerous to list. Do your own research!!


If you do happen to live near one of these places or downwind of them you need to take appropriate measures to protect your family. You need a fall out shelter that you can spend at least 1 week inside of that will protect you from high levels of gamma radiation. The best shelters are solid concrete basements of houses and other buildings. Subway tunnels and other underground tunnels facilities are great too.


RED = MAJOR TARGET


Generally speaking you will want to be 100 miles MINIMUM from a Major Target when the bombs go off.


Entire Washington D.C. area including Northern Virginia Suburbs all the way to the WVA line and southern Maryland are a NO-GO ZONE due to the multitude of military bases, clandestine sites, bunkers, intelligence agency headquarters, chemical/biological research facilities, and more.


The biggest targets by far are Malmstrom, Minot, and Warren Air Force Bases which are home to our land-based nuclear deterrant - the Minuteman ICBM's. These three bases and the surrounding missile fields which are spread out up to 30 miles from the bases will sustain hundreds of ground burst nuclear blasts. Expect massive fallout downwind of these areas that will contaminate a large area.


Generally speaking, major cities are not considered primary targets. However, Russian military doctrine calls for strikes on all major U.S. cities with their road-mobile ICBM's as a final retaliation if they feel they have lost a nuclear war with the U.S. Strikes against major cities will not generate massive amounts of fallout like military targets do because air-burst warheads would be used. Since air-burst warheads will be used the fireball will not contact the ground or any material such as buildings, and so no fallout will be generated.


Other major targets are Whiteman AFB in Missouri, home of the B-2 Stealth Bombers which are the air-based nuclear detterant. Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, home of Air Force Global Strike Command which is essentially the command and control of air and land leg of our nuclear forces. Kings Bay, Georgia which is home to our Atlantic Fleet of Ohio-Class Subs and SLBM's which are part of our sea-based nuclear deterrant. Bangor/Bremerton, Washington (Naval Base Kitsap) which is home to our Pacific fleet of Ohio-Class Subs and a Trident missile storage facility which represent a major part of our sea-based nuclear deterrant. Peterson AFB/NORAD/Cheyenne Mountain Complex are also a major target.


Any airport with a runway over 10,000 feet would also be targeted, as these airports could be used to disperse nuclear bomber aircraft such as B-52's, B-2's, and B1-B.


Alabama

-Anniston Army Depot

-Redstone Arsenal


Alaska

-ARS - Alaska Radar System **MAJOR TARGET** (all radar sites below shaded in red)

  • Barter Island Long Range Radar Site

  • Cape Lisburne Long Range Radar Site

  • Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site

  • Cape Romanzof Long Range Radar Site

  • Cold Bay Long Range Radar Site

  • Fort Yukon Long Range Radar Site

  • Indian Mountain Long Range Radar Site

  • King Salmon Long Range Radar Site

  • Kotzebue Long Range Radar Site

  • Murphy Dome Long Range Radar Site

  • Oliktok Long Range Radar Site

  • Point Barrow Long Range Radar Site

  • Point Lay Long Range Radar Site

  • Sparrevohn Long Range Radar Site

  • Tatalina Long Range Radar Site

  • Tin City Long Range Radar Site

  • Bullen Point Short Range Radar Site

  • Point Lonely Short Range Radar Site

  • Wainwright Short Range Radar Site


-Clear Space Force Station

-Elmendorf AFB

-Fort Greely


Arizona

-Airforce Plant No 44

-Davis Monthan AFB

-Navajo Army Depot


Arkansas

-Little Rock AFB

-Pine Bluff Arsenal


California

-Beale AFB

-Camp Pendleton

-Lawrence/Livermore National Lab **MAJOR TARGET**

-Lemoore Naval Air Station

-Los Angeles AFB

-Miramar

-North Island NAS

-Over the Horizon Radar - Los Banos

-Over the Horizon Radar - Lost Hills

-Port Hueneme

-Port Mugu Pacific Missile Test Complex

-Stockton Naval Communications System

-Travis AFB

-Vandenburg AFB


Colorado

-Buckley AFB

-Peterson AFB/NORAD/Cheyenne Mountain Complex **MAJOR TARGET**

-Pueblo Chemical Depot

-Schriever AFB


Connecticut

-New london Naval Submarine base **MAJOR TARGET**


Delaware

-Dover AFB


Florida

-Cape Canaveral -Patrick AFB

-Jacksonville Naval Air Station

-MacDill AFB

-Tyndall AFB


Georgia

-Fort Benning

-Fort Stewart

-Kings Bay - SLBM base - **MAJOR TARGET**


Hawaii

-Fort Shaffer

-Hickam AFB

-Kaneohe Marine Corps Station

-Laulaulei Naval Weapons magazine/radio station

-Pearl Harbor NAS

-Wahiawa Naval Reservation

-Wheeler Army Airfield


Idaho

-Idaho National labs **MAJOR TARGET**


Illinois

-Scott AFB


Indiana

-No primary targets


Kansas

-Fort Riley

-McConnell


Kentucky

-Paducah plant


Louisiana

-Barksdale AFB **MAJOR TARGET**


Maine

-U.S. Naval Radio Station Cutler **MAJOR TARGET**


Maryland

-Andrews AFB **MAJOR TARGET**

-Fort Detrick **MAJOR TARGET**

-Fort Meade **MAJOR TARGET**

-Globecom Radio Recieving Station

-Camp David **MAJOR TARGET**


Massachusetts

-Otis AFB / Cape Cod Space Force Station


Michigan

-Selfridge ANG near Mt Clemens


Minnesota

-No primary targets


Mississippi

-Stennis Space Center


Missouri

-Kansas City Nuclear Weapons Plant

-Whiteman AFB **MAJOR TARGET**


Montana

-Malmstrom AFB **MAJOR TARGET**


Nebraska

-Offutt AFB **MAJOR TARGET**


Nevada

-Area 51 **MAJOR TARGET**

-Creech MB

-Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot

-Nellis AFB

-Tonopah AFS/AFB


New Hampshire

-New Boston Air Force Station


New Jersey

-Fort Dix


New Mexico

-Cannon AFB

-Holloman AFB

-Kirtland AFB **MAJOR TARGET**

-Los Alamos National Lab **MAJOR TARGET**

-Sandia National Lab **MAJOR TARGET**


New York

-Brookhaven National Lab **MAJOR TARGET**


North Carolina

-Camp LeJeune

-Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station

-Fort Bragg

-Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal


North Dakota

-Cavalier AFS

-Grandforks AFB

-Minot AFB - **MAJOR TARGET**


Ohio

-Piketon Uranium Enrichment Facility or Portsmouth Facility

-Wright-patterson AFB


Oklahoma

-Tinker AFB


Oregon

-Over the horizon radar, Christmas valley


Pennsylvania

-Raven Rock Mountain Complex and Fort Ritchie **MAJOR TARGETS**


Rhode Island

-No significant targets though Massachusets and nearby New London,CT have targets


South Carolina

-Naval Weapons Station Charleston


South Dakota

-Ellsworth AFB **MAJOR TARGET**


Tennessee

-Arnold Engineering Development Center

-Oak Ridge Laboratory

-Watts Bar Nuclear Plant


Texas

-Dyess AFB

-Fort Bliss

-Pantex Plant **MAJOR TARGET**


Utah

-Dugway proving ground

-Hill AFB **MAJOR TARGET**

-Tooele Army Depot


Vermont

-No major targets, though nearby New Hampshire has one


Virginia

-CIA HQ Langley,VA **MAJOR TARGET**

-Craney Island Disposal Area

-Fort Belvoir

-Langley AFB

-Mount Weather **MAJOR TARGET**

-Naval Base Norfolk **MAJOR TARGET**

-Naval Facility Engineering Command

-Oceana Naval Air station



Washington

-Bangor Submarine Base and Brementon Naval Base **MAJOR TARGET**

-Fairchild AFB

-Indian Island Naval Ammo Depot

-Jim creek Naval Station **MAJOR TARGET**

-McChord AFB

-NSA Listening Post, Yakima

-Whidbey Island Naval Air Station


West Virginia

-Sugar Grove Radio station

-Yeager Airport, Charleston


Wisconsin

-No major targets


Wyoming

-Warren AFB **MAJOR TARGET*


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