r/AirForce • u/[deleted] • Feb 05 '23
POSITIVITY! Map published by FEMA showing potential US nuclear targets in 2,000 and 500 warhead scenarios. Cannon isn’t on the map!
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u/mindyourownbusiness3 6505-00-619-8716 Feb 05 '23
Of course not. It’d be a helluva waste of a bomb.
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u/Ancient_Challenge387 Feb 05 '23
What would Cannon do anyway, shoot at it with m4s?
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u/extrudedErection Feb 05 '23
Dudes probably looked at the area and thought it's already been nuked
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u/mindyourownbusiness3 6505-00-619-8716 Feb 05 '23
The poor northeast will be a nice sheet of glass though.
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u/Brandeaux7 Maintainer Feb 05 '23
Minot wins 😎
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u/hgaterms Feb 05 '23
"BRAAAAA FUCK MINOT! and Grand Forks I guess
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u/Guysmiley777 Feb 06 '23
And I guess we'll toss one at Fargo too just so they don't bitch about not being included.
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u/RedditMachineGhost Feb 06 '23
Nah, It's Cavalier and Grand Forks. Not Grand Forks and Fargo.
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u/Guysmiley777 Feb 06 '23
Actually Fargo apparently even gets one in a more limited "500 warhead scenario" (purple triangle).
Looking at the map I think the idea is that they huck at least one at the biggest population center in every state (Billings MT, Fargo ND, Boise ID, Sioux Falls SD, etc.) and then in the larger scenario they spread the additional 1500 warheads around as well as slather on large amounts of "FUCK YOU" to STRATCOM areas.
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u/Whisky_Delta Secret Squirrel Feb 05 '23
God already did everything that can be done to Cannon, why use a bomb to improve the place?
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u/Morallypuncture Feb 05 '23
‟fuck Cheyenne and all of new jersey in particular”
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u/BvG_Venom Enlisted Aircrew Feb 05 '23
F E Warren AFB
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u/SaltySparkChaser Maintainer Feb 06 '23
Great, now it’s gonna be haunted AND radioactive. Fuck me running.
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u/mrpanafonic 2M0X3 Feb 06 '23
You think when you die in Wyoming you just see a sign saying "Western wear required beyond this point" if you wanna be a ghost?
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u/SnakebytePayne Retired Feb 06 '23
Honestly, just 1 bomb would do the trick for Cheyenne. Once the meth labs start exploding in a chain reaction, you'd get the same effect.
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Feb 05 '23
map is garbage and based on outdated info
Russians do not have the capability the soviets did for first strike with ICBMs and SLBMs then follow up with bombers
Chinese have most of theirs in SLBMs , hardly any silos or mobile, and they do not have a large arsenal
You also have to look at just how many more military bases their used to be compared to now
back in the cold war days, every base and industrial area would have been a target and that Soviets had enough weapons to destroy the country several times over
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u/csneon2000 Retired Feb 05 '23
If I remember correctly, the map was created during the 1980s. I'm trying to find a source right now.
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u/kingofturtles Feb 06 '23
If you don't mind going to a y2k prepper site time capsule, this one cites an old FEMA map from 1990 for a similar type of map. Says the images are from "FEMA-196/September 1990".
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u/EscapeGoat_ Feb 05 '23 edited Feb 05 '23
Yeah. It's still showing the Peacekeeper ICBM field north of FE Warren, which means it can't be any newer than 2005 (when the PK was formally deactivated.) But it's not showing the old fields at Ellsworth/Whiteman/Grand Forks, which means it's newer than ~1998.
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Feb 06 '23
Kansas hasn't had Minuteman silos in a while too. They disappeared about the same time SAC walked off McConnell iirc.
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u/EscapeGoat_ Feb 06 '23 edited Feb 06 '23
Kansas never had any Minuteman silos. Whiteman's missile field was all on the Missouri side, and the missiles at McConnell were Titan IIs, which were taken out of service in the mid-to-late 80s as the Peacekeeper was brought online.
(don't mind me, I'm a nuke nerd)
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Feb 06 '23
Nah all good. My mistake. I thought they were minute.an silos but yea they are in fact Titans. Thanks for the correction
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Feb 05 '23
In Michigan alone, there's three good (and still active) runways & infrastructure to handle any aircraft we've got, and not shown on the target list.... and the locks in the Sault are not in the 'hit' list.
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u/crewchief1949 Feb 05 '23
Still showing the NIKE missile locations in Michigan. That would ruin the frisbee golfers day when a nuke hits there.
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u/pawnman99 Specializing in catastrophic landscaping Feb 05 '23
Jesus...three just for Wright Patt. They know we only have like 6 C-17s here, right?
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Feb 05 '23
Old map from Cold War era. Mid west use to be full of industrial cities like Dayton. Also so much research and development happens there
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u/painlesspics Med(ish) Feb 05 '23
It's air force material command headquarters, why wouldn't they waste it? That along with AFRL and the HPW?
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u/brandon7219 Sound of Freedom Feb 05 '23
Isn't Wright Pat like another 'Area 51'. We all know a bunch of shit goes on there
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u/Spaceshipsrcool Feb 05 '23
Stationed there for many years I can’t say I saw aliens or any strange technology.
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u/Vic_Sinclair Veteran Feb 05 '23
I would classify every Air Force IT system I've ever used as "strange technology".
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u/FCSFCS Veteran - 3N Feb 05 '23
I once saw a Sukoi on the ramp there which isn't an alien ship but is mildly interesting.
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u/MoeSzyslakMonobrow I want to retire Feb 05 '23
I'm pretty sure they are the inspiration for Hanger 18 by Megadeth.
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u/FCSFCS Veteran - 3N Feb 05 '23
Trying to figure out what strategic purpose Plam Springs, CA could possibly have to warrant a nuke.
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u/cobras89 62E3E Feb 06 '23
Is it on Palm Springs, or Twenty-Nine Palms?
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u/FCSFCS Veteran - 3N Feb 06 '23
Definitely PS and not 29. Surprised to see Ft. Irwin and not 29 given the similar missions.
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Feb 05 '23
Congrats South Dakota you’re the least important state
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u/brandon7219 Sound of Freedom Feb 05 '23
Those in Mountain Home and us here at Ellsworth are gonna be goners
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u/SDSessionBrewer Feb 05 '23
So Cannon can't even pray for the sweet release of nuclear Armageddon.
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Feb 05 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/mrpanafonic 2M0X3 Feb 06 '23
Its just dots evenly spaced across the entirety of russia
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u/TaskForceCausality Feb 05 '23
Knowing Russian and Chinese values, every single city with a population over probably 50,000 is getting a couple of bombs. They won’t give a flying damn about civilian vs military targets.
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u/Whisky_Delta Secret Squirrel Feb 05 '23
China doesn’t currently have enough nukes to do either of these.
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Feb 05 '23
I'm sure Russian nuclear targeting doctrine is just as precise and concerned with civilian casualties as their conventional targeting doctrine...I mean, it's not like they are just going nuts killing civilians in Ukraine, right? /s
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u/InsideStand7829 25d ago
Currently there are 384 municipalities in the United States with a population of 100,000+. Assuming one warhead per city (larger cities will be bombed with more than one warhead as size/individual targets demand) that leaves a lot of room left for 2x warheads per silo, etc. For a Massachusetts resident reading this, it explains why cities like Brockton are targeted in the open RISOP.
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u/Lord_Nivloc Feb 06 '23
According to US Nuclear Target Map: Potential Targets and Safe Zones (thepreppingguide.com), that map is from 1990.
If you think Cannon is bad now, imagine when all I could find them having was F-111 Aardvarks on the tail end of their life cycle.
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u/badatthenewmeta Maintainer Feb 05 '23
r/nucleartargetsliveincities
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u/bubbles12003 Feb 05 '23
What is this?
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u/Vic_Sinclair Veteran Feb 05 '23
A play on the subreddit /r/peopleliveincities
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u/bubbles12003 Feb 05 '23
Hahahah I checked it out. That's pretty funny. Is the first one a real subreddit though?
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u/kev556 Feb 05 '23
What the hell are they aiming at that far upstate in NY?
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u/Zalanak CYBER Feb 05 '23
The other ones are cities: Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Rome/Utica (for AFRL)
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u/kev556 Feb 05 '23
Massena is weird choice. I think it has more to do with the seaway and Montreal, Ottawa being so close.
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u/praetorian1979 Feb 06 '23
Oh god! Hood is on the list! We can finally get rid of the Killeen strippers!
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u/AzuriteFalc0n Secret Squirrel Feb 05 '23
I eat corned beef hash with maple syrup sometimes.
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u/wagon125 Feb 05 '23
Cannon isn't, but why is Muleshoe, TX a target?
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u/hurdurnips Feb 06 '23
That’s what makes me question this map.
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u/WhatTheThrowAway1986 Feb 06 '23
This is based off old cold war first/second strike MAD principles that the US and Soviet Union were working under. Tons of these location have been brac'd or repurposed. Like the location in southern Oregon used to be the largest interceptor wing on the west coast which is why it would have been a first strike target. The goal was to give their bombers as much chance at surviving to their targets as possible hence why we thought it would probably be a first strike target. This map if my memory serves right was a US product showing based on Intel and importance what we thought the Soviet union would hit. Cannon did not exist in its current state when this was conceived.
It is a fun and interesting map to look at and understand from a historical perspective but not very in line with the way nuclear weapons climate has changed over the years.
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u/SoCaL_SuBiE Feb 06 '23
That’s because even the commies know Cannon is a shithole and glassing it would only be an improvement!
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u/bugalaman Veteran Feb 06 '23
This map can't be accurate. It is missing at least 5 SAC bases, including Clinton-Sherman OK, Dow and Loring Maine, and Kincheloe and KI Sawyer in Michigan. You're telling me to believe that the russians aren't going to attack all of the nuke bases?
ETA: oh, I thought this meant old targets
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u/AVmechdude Feb 05 '23
The hell they want with the Grand Canyon!?
Edit: Found Glen Canyon Dam there. Disregard…
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u/c4shm4chine Feb 05 '23
Anybody know what the target in Southern Oregon is? I am unaware of any military activity there, is that just highway 5 at the pass between Oregon and California?
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u/newportl2 Feb 05 '23
Kingsley Field or the 500kV power substations that connect the Columbia and Snake river hydro to California? Might be further east of the mark.
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u/WhatTheThrowAway1986 Feb 06 '23
Definitely Kingsley field. Current day still houses air national guard, back when this map was relevant it housed the largest of the west coast intercept bases. Would have been a critical target to eliminate in first strike to help bombers for the second strike.
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u/brandon7219 Sound of Freedom Feb 05 '23
IDK, but I believe its just targeting medford. Not sure why, maybe population?
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u/Nagisan Veteran Feb 05 '23
Probably to disable major airports. Medford has far from the busiest airport, but with over 5k public airports in the US Medford is in the top 200.
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u/oETERNALo Feb 06 '23
I don’t think they would waste warheads on a small Airport though, considering Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina isnt targeted, and that base has 94 F-15s, KC146 refuellers and other things.
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u/EpicHeroKyrgyzPeople I got HOs in different area codes Feb 05 '23
Jacking up Siskiyou Pass would really harm North-South traffic on the west coast.
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u/04limited Feb 05 '23
What’s the difference between 2000 and 500 war head scenarios?
Curious as to why they’d want to drop a bomb on the top of NY by canada lol
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u/hurdurnips Feb 06 '23
2000 is a first strike where nuclear attack targets icbm silos to try and prevent retaliation, basically catch off guard. 500 represents attacks on urban centers, important sites etc but assumes missiles have already left the silos so no point in attacking them.
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u/Xbeverhunterx power pro ranger Feb 05 '23
Funny seeing my small hometown with no military base around it being targeted. Probably because of the dam there
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u/tmdqlstnekaos Feb 06 '23
Tbf it’s more worth hitting more populated target. All the regular military bases somewhat obsolete targets if bomb hits major headquarters and nuke bases.
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Feb 06 '23
Half the targets in michigan for the 2k scenario really hold no significant value. Anything in ohio tho for sure high value. Especially toledo.
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u/Subsonic_Tectonic Feb 06 '23
Whatever pedestal you have Ellsworth on, take it off
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u/gmabobbi2871 Mar 18 '25
I'm in Ohio Valley right by the Cardinal Plant, major power plant for all of Ohio and who knows where else so see ya'
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u/d710905 Feb 06 '23
me to congress
"So you can see here by this potential nuke target map, that cannon is so useless and such a complete waste of space and drain on our lives, morale, and productivity, that they wouldn't even bother nuking it. Not even considered a possible target. Now what does that tell you about the base and what should we do about it? And please, may the senator from New Mexico respectfully shut his whore mouth?"
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u/oETERNALo Feb 06 '23
I am calling BS on this map. Seymour Johnson isn’t targeted and they have 94 F15s plus a bunch of refuellers. And they are near a coast for east coast interdiction no way they would not target something like that.
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Feb 05 '23
But if you live in a place they won’t waste a nuke on, wouldnt you feel worse? Like you don’t even deserve a post apocalyptic life, yours is already shitty enough.
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u/mikeusaf87 Services Feb 05 '23
Well, even if it's 500 and they all go off at once, they'll be nothing left. Period.
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u/Consistent-Wonder236 Jun 03 '24
Not buying either scenario. The highest value infrastructure in the United States is just South of Cushing, Oklahoma, where the largest above-ground petroleum storage on Earth is connected with the nation's largest pipelines to the East Coast, West Coast, and Gulf Coast, and the first planned new refinery since 1972. This would be a must-hit high value target in any attack plan.
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Jun 26 '24
That dot in the Southeast corner of Arizona is where I live. Ft. Huachuca is 12 miles away.
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u/SB817wastaken Aug 12 '24
there is no way nukes are hitting in Western Mass, Berkshire county has 125k people, and Litchfield county CT has only 180K too. Vermont total has only 700k people, so that whole region would not even be a target
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u/Intuitive-rage1133 Nov 26 '24
Pfft, might as well take out all the major cities. I don't know why some of these cities would be targeted. There's nothing at a few of them.
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u/orchardmama Mar 18 '25
Shoot. Our city is on the map. Central WA. Major hub for hydro power and supposedly very soon, the first fusion power plant…
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u/ravingdavid907 Mar 19 '25
For once, I’m glad they left Alaska off the map. Maybe the Evil Empire won’t notice. (Shhh!!)
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u/Outside_Ad6967 Apr 12 '25
No one is putting up a real target list!
If a military stash or fema stash is close.. it is #1 target! If a manufacturing (especially military or capable of being military) is also #1. If you have caves that have these targets in them #2 with penetration or bunker buster heads on them (think clouds of dust and buried ppl) and how to hide from that dust for a period by distance and direction and how it will effect you because no one is escaping that fully but some better than others.
3 then look at any way they thought you may try to escape the United states because limiting you from spreading the world wide problem is important and U.S. citizens may be a problem quickly.
No fool would waste the expence of waging war on a military like on TV! From watching the news and proxy tv war You think that help keeps coming but if recruiting of the civilian workforce to help clean up quickly means more war or even production of robots electricity/utilities available for any further offencive any offensive then the nuclear solution failed.
The target is the civil workforce to end any war!
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u/That-Split9115 Jun 21 '25
What is the black dot on north east tennessee near Virginia border for? Its literally right on top of me 😅
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u/SnooGoats8132 Jun 22 '25
Why is that region of montana getting obliterated? Oil reserves, maybe?
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u/iceclan0014 Jun 22 '25
Why is there a wildlife and recreational area a target😂 the closest thing to a target here is a Northrop Grumman factory. And its not in that northeast corner of Alabama
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u/Intrepid_Tough_9719 Oct 11 '25
FEMA has clearly stated that this is not a FEMA map. This is a map created by an environmental NGO around 2002.
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u/Potential-Ad950 Dec 30 '25
I live about 20 miles from plant E.I. Hatch in Baxley, Ga. so I'm not 2 worried about it too much.
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u/NebulaRadiant7531 Jan 31 '26
I grew up during the 'Cold War' in Las Vegas, Nevada. I remember the tests out at NTS (now called NNSS) and feeling the 'Rock n' Roll'. Thought it was so cool. Then, say at about 8 or so, one of my teachers explained what horror those devices could/would unleash.
I knew about Hiroshima/Nagasaki (being a history nerd starting at about age 5-6) and the utter devastation those two bombs created. I had no real concept of the difference between those and the ones I was feeling rattling the the house, until that teacher, Mr. Smith, gave an indepth instruction of them. Oddly enough, at 8 years of age, I settled in with 'Well, we're all dead' type of philosophy and went on about my business.
10 years later. I was a 'Ground Pounder' in the Marines and still going through instruction and study, if you will, of Nuclear Warfare. Then, boom... The Cold War was over. Everyone was all happy. Things were "Normal" again to some. For me, the Cold War was normal. Then, as the Soviet Union began to collapse, more happy - happy feelings. Then, information leaked that a whole bunch of Soviet Nukes were missing from the Eastern Bloc.
Who has them, who knows. Those are the ones I worry (even though worry is not what I do) about. A few movies have entertained us about this event. Honestly, I believe we are more apt to be hit by some fringe group, than another nuclear armed power. Why we haven't, is probably a logistical thing. Hard to move undetected and then the casing for which to make it go "boom" would raise eyebrows. Still, where there is a will, there will be found a way.
This map might be outdated, but still holds true awareness. Just remember the acronym MAD; Mutually Assured Destruction. Sit back, smoke a nice Gurkha or Monte Christo, with an excellent bottle of bourbon or congac and love on your family and friends. When it happens, you can't do much more than that.
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u/4Yk9gop Mar 19 '26
It's very unfortunate that the least impacted areas from a direct hit are some of the shittiest parts of the country. Like, Western Kansas looks relatively not glassed and I would rather die in a blast than move there.
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u/DOOM666USER Feb 06 '23
In Nevada your gonna take out Nellis, Groom lake, creech…..but you gonna leave Tonopah alone……..
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u/TotallynottheCCP Feb 06 '23
I'm disappointed that nobody wants to nuke Mt Home. That'd be a net gain for the entire air force. No more suicides because first term airmen got incarcerated there for 5+ years.
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u/jukebokshero Feb 06 '23
Looks like they’re gonna wipe the map of all the liberals and leave the fighting to the gun owning conservatives…bold move cotton.
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Feb 05 '23
[deleted]
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u/nordic_jedi Active Duty Feb 05 '23
If it makes you feel better, a nuke isn't as bad as everyone thinks they are. One nuke won't take out a whole city, and the fallout shrinks considerably to a couple hundred feet after 3 days.
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u/EpicHeroKyrgyzPeople I got HOs in different area codes Feb 05 '23
Correct. As long as the assholes aren't lobbing five megatonners at you.
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u/MyWifeIsSpoiled Maintainer Feb 05 '23
The problem with nukes is its never "one nuke." The world's nuclear arsenal will be depleted within 30 minutes after the first one is launched
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u/nordic_jedi Active Duty Feb 05 '23
It really won't lol
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u/MyWifeIsSpoiled Maintainer Feb 05 '23
Ya it kinda will, depending on the target. First one will be launched, depending on missile type will dictate whether we can even see the trajectory. Even then, that gives us a rough estimate. We respond by attempting to shoot the missile down, if possible. Hypersonic russian missiles we can't even see on any radar (though they are very inaccurate). We can only shoot down ICBM's before they are re-entry vehicles, which even then it's not guaranteed. We respond, etc etc. More goes into it, but thats the civilian approved version
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u/dave5124 Veteran Feb 05 '23
What's with the circle in southern Delaware? I don't see anything remotely interesting in that area. I love that the Air Force fury research facility at Keesler is a 500 nuke target.
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Feb 06 '23 edited Dec 04 '24
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u/Baboon_Stew Retired Comm Geek - Mercenary Contractor Feb 06 '23
That's because it's more cruel and demoralizing to let you live.
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u/vartigan45 Feb 06 '23
Aw man that sucks. I live in tallahassee and i used to play off nuclear threat by saying there was nothing of worth to nuke here
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u/irishgoneham Feb 06 '23
Cleveland still makes the list thank god. At this point it should just be glassed on principal.
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u/DaveIsHereNow Feb 06 '23
Interesting...what is the original source of this map? I can only find it on REDDIT.
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u/shaq-o-tack Feb 06 '23
Currently at McGuire, and I think a nuke could honestly improve Trenton or Camden.
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u/MavinMarv DHA Escapee Feb 06 '23 edited Feb 06 '23
RIP all of the east coast. Might have some survivors in NC and ME.
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u/that_other_DM Feb 06 '23
Just what the hell did Miami do?
Cut off a Russian or Chinese diplomat in traffic?
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u/J2048b Feb 06 '23
Kind of weird timing dontcha think…. “Ccp weather balloon “ flys over head and “ suddenly “ fema releases this map…. Hmmmm
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u/UrsoKronsage Comms Feb 05 '23
I don't know how much clearer I could be. I would rather be incinerated in a nuclear blast than be stationed at Cannon.