|
Underground, hulking relics from an era of nuclear mutual assured destruction, missile silos are icons of a generation conceived amidst the 'Soviet Scourge'. Nuclear war wasn't believed to be possible; rather inevitable. Today missile silos are largely obsolete, as weapon guidance systems and bunker buster ordinance have deemed their defense outmoded, and as the communist threat has diminished.
Of course, our nuclear existence would not be possible without some military engineering. Immense underground silos stretching several hundred feet underground with accompanying control stations and living quarters had to be built under utmost secrecy. Silos were built in clusters away from population centers and remote parts of Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska and New York were the lucky locations.
As many sit abandoned and decrepit, others have been purchased for residential or commercial use. A silo in the Adirondacks of New York has been turned into a private airstrip and luxury home (and is currently yours for just $750,000!) Another was turned into a factory to assemble swimming goggles. A school district in northeast Kansas turned a silo into Jackson Heights High School.
Many missile silos were abandoned within a decade; an enormous waste when silo construction tabbed upwards of $100 million apiece. Actually, silos--as well as the following examples--are ideal likenesses of any military: powerful, awe-inspiring, and improvident.
U.S. Navy Reserve Fleet
Following the impressive production of vessels for World War II, the U.S. Navy had over 2,000 ships it needed to decommission--but not dismantle. The result was a series of reserve fleets in various locations around the U.S. Today, ships in U.S. 'ghost fleets' total around 200.
 Useful ships are kept in a preservation status and are outfitted with minimal crews. These ships are intended to be service-ready within a timeframe--from four to 20 days--and are typically of tactical value. Ships have dehumidifiers strategically placed onboard to prevent oxidation, as well as anodes on the hull to create a DC current electric field. The S.S. Wright, a former Marine Corps helicopter ship, was activated from its Baltimore mooring to assist in relief operations in New York after Hurricane Sandy earlier this month.
Other ships are left to rot and rust, and urban explorers take pride in their abilities to document the fall of these warships. As Californian officials learned, rusting ships are enormous contaminants. It's estimated that some 21 tons of toxic paint had flaked off ships anchored in Suisun Bay, and  since 2010 a $38 million dismantling project is underway. By 2017, all ships will be removed. You might think that creating artificial reefs out of the ships is easier or cheaper; it's not. Environmental risks still need to be removed and dismantled ships can provide some compensation from scrap metal.
Less than 55 ships sit in the bay, and probably under intense security, right? Wrong. Last year a photographer spent time sneaking aboard ships and capturing the decay. More troubling is the fact that the Soviets have their versions of mothball fleets, except in greater number, with much more decay, and some with nuclear components that Russia has never deactivated, nor intends to.
U.S. Air Force Aircraft and Missile Storage
 Missile silos fell out of favor after a few short years of service and many ballistic missiles needed a location for dismantle, repurpose or storage. Officials chose the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARC)--already home to thousands of surplus aircraft following World War II.
Located near Tucson, Ariz., the facility stores over 4,400 military and government aircrafts in the dry, alkaline and elevated environment of the Mojave Desert. Though similar in function to the Naval Reserve, these planes are largely corrosion free. Many have been disassembled or used for parts, but many more planes remain intact, with avionic systems and mechanical components saved by oversized plastic bags. For every dollar invested in the site, AMARC turns a profit of $10-$20, making it one of the most profitable government programs to date. This is largely accomplished by selling planes to allies, or demilitarizing planes and selling them to companies.
AMARC also helped fulfill the U.S.'s behalf of the START I treaty, where 365 B-52s and many ICBMs were dismantled. Security is well-kept at the site, but tours are available through a nearby museum, and a quick check of Google Earth reveals a number of identifiable aircraft.
Johnston Atoll
 A remote island 860 miles west of Hawaii, the island served as a major airstrip during Pacific military operations from the 1930s until the 1990s. Notably, the island's size was increased 12-fold from 1942 until 1964. It has been suggested that such construction cost as much as $20 billion, which seems excessive considering the island's main focus eventually became a testing ground for nuclear and chemical weapons.
The island was originally in dispute between the U.S. and the Hawaiian Kingdom (and we all know how that turned out) due to the valuable deposits of bat turds on the island (no, really.) The atoll served as a refueling station for aircraft and submarines through World War II, and later became heavily  contaminated from the amount of biological weapon testing conducted. By 1963, the island was strictly a testing ground, and in 2003 the base was finally closed after large quantities of PCBs, PAHs, dioxins, nerve gas, and Agent Orange were incinerated. The base had finally outlived its usefulness.
Today the base remains abandoned, but it is frequented by curious sailors and research teams.
It's easy to see why the above military expenditures were abandoned. Though at one point necessary, they've become eyesores and blemishes in a global environment that praises process control and fiscal efficiency. While you may hate to learn that your tax dollars at one point paid for the above, it's important to identify that many militaries have taken the initiative toward a more financially responsible future, and in one instance have even begun turning a profit.
But money is not part of the allure of these derelict designs and machines. Rather, that lies in the sublime sense that American engineering and innovation has kept this country a nation of liberty, and that as these magnificent designs decay quietly, so too might our sense of security provided by America's foremost engineers.
Resources
Images credits: MissileBases.com; DPR Barcelona; Scott Haefner; Wikipedia; Cracked; Global Security; Visualisable
Titan I Epitaph - Missile Silos
Wikipedia - Missile launch facility; 309th AMARC; National Defense Reserve Fleet
NY Times - Old Missile Silos: A Burden for Buyers
| 
Re: Military Innovation and Waste
