「世界上最安全的設施」：北美航空防務司令部（NORAD）夏延山指揮中心

05-19

（http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-5720645/Things-know-The-secure-facility-world.html#ixzz5FL1KV9DO）譯述，英文附後。

美國科羅拉多州夏延山空軍站（美聯社）--

美國與前蘇聯之間核對峙結束已經過去了四分之一個世紀，但美國科羅拉多州夏延山內的美國著名軍事指揮中心仍然活躍著，跟蹤著來自新敵人的新威脅。

20世紀60年代，美國在夏延山深處炸開堅硬的花崗岩，建造了多條隧道，以便北美航天防務司令部（簡稱NORAD）的軍官可以在核襲擊時得以存活。

1992年蘇聯解體後，NORAD取消了「核監視」，但至今夏延山中仍然布滿了監控恐怖襲擊、網路攻擊和導彈的電子裝置和人員。

NORAD是美國和加拿大為保護兩國領空而創建的一個獨特的雙邊國家指揮部，星期六（5月12日）是它成立60周年。為了紀念這一時刻，周四NORAD開放了夏延山之旅。

關於這個綜合體需要了解的五件事情：

1.「世界上最安全的設施」

夏延山在科羅拉多州科羅拉多斯普林斯郊外，該掩體位於山的下方2,000英尺（610米）的深處。它可以用兩個由混凝土和鋼製成的巨型防爆門密封，每扇門厚度為3.5英尺（1米），重23美噸，合21公噸。

基地副主任史蒂夫·羅斯說，「我們喜歡說這是世界上最安全的設施。」

綜合體的核心是一個由六條隧道組成的網格，寬度達12米，高達3層。其中有15座由鋼板製成、相互連通的建築物，建築物下面安裝有巨大的彈簧，以吸收核爆炸或地震造成的衝擊。花崗岩和鋼還能保護電子裝置免受核爆炸產生的電磁能脈衝的破壞。

當被問及夏延山是否容易受到更強大的現代核彈頭的影響時，羅斯沒有直接回答，他說：「如果是這樣的話，我認為我們不會開放。」他說。

2. 為什麼NORAD選在科羅拉多州

NORAD授權的歷史學家Brian Laslie表示，軍方將NORAD放在科羅拉多州，是因為它靠近北美大陸的中心，並遠離蘇聯轟炸機基地和導彈發射井。

第一個指揮中心位於科羅拉多斯普林斯現已退役的恩特（Ent）空軍基地。到了20世紀60年代初期，恩特顯然無法在核攻擊後存續，所以才開始進山挖洞，Laslie說。

房間出奇地小，大約40平方英尺（12平方米）一間。牆上並排安裝著八個大屏幕。柔和的燈光、低調的色彩和消音的牆面給房間帶來安靜、憂鬱的感覺。

3. 夏延山現在是備份

2008年，軍方在科羅拉多斯普林斯的彼得森空軍基地開設了一個更大的指揮中心，稱夏延山運行成本高昂，而當時的主要威脅--朝鮮和伊朗--沒有能夠打到科羅拉多州的導彈。

夏延山成為了備份的指揮中心，但是各項業務會幾天一次定期運行，以確保房間和人員在危機發生時有所準備。

基地副主任羅斯否認夏延山已是遺迹的看法。

「這完全不符合事實，」他說。他指出，這座山由NORAD一個分支和負責網路、情報和太空監視的多個指揮所駐紮。他還說，「其他多個領域我不便談論。」

4. NORAD進入21世紀後的變化

蘇聯解體後，「就任務重點而言，NORAD的作用有所降低，」加拿大皇家空軍高級指揮中心官員Travis Morehen說。 9·11恐怖襲擊突然改變了這一點。

在9·11之前，NORAD只關注外部威脅。在恐怖分子將國內客機變成武器之後，NORAD開始同時關注國內，監測民用航空交通以發現潛在威脅。

NORAD經常調用戰鬥機攔截私人飛機無意間飛入限制的空域，包括總統正在旅行的地區。 Morehen說，這通常是沒有看到官方通告的老百姓做的事情。

5. NORAD歷史上的大、小時刻

1979年和1980年，NORAD分別發生了兩次計算機故障導致導彈來襲的誤報，但每次問題都很快被發現。

夏延山是科幻小說垂涎的場景。1983年的《戰爭遊戲》及其他電影、還有《星際之門》電視連續劇都有對它的描繪。

內置液壓機械關閉防爆門需要45秒。如果液壓系統失靈，將需要兩個人手動進行關閉。冷戰期間的任何時候都有一扇門關著。從那以後，指揮官只是在9·11才下令關閉了它們一次。

NORAD因其「NORAD跟蹤聖誕老人」活動而聞名全球。這個活動接聽並回答平安夜孩子們詢問聖誕老人在哪裡的電話。 NORAD歷史學家Laslie表示，這個活動一直由科羅拉多斯普林斯的恩特或彼得森空軍基地負責，夏延山從來沒有參與過。

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN AIR

FORCE STATION, Colo. (AP) - A quarter-century has passed since the end of the

nuclear standoff between the United States and the former Soviet Union, but the

famous U.S. military command center inside Colorados Cheyenne Mountain is

still alive, tracking new threats from new enemies.

The U.S. blasted a

warren of tunnels out of the mountains hard granite in the 1960s so officers

of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, could survive a

nuclear attack.

Although NORAD called

off its "nuclear watch" in 1992 after the Soviet Union disintegrated,

Cheyenne Mountain is still teeming with electronics and personnel watching for

terrorist attacks and cyber assaults as well as missiles.

Saturday is the 60th

anniversary of NORAD, a unique bi-national command created by the U.S. and

Canada to protect the skies over both nations. To mark the occasion, NORAD

offered a tour of Cheyenne Mountain on Thursday.

Five things to know

about the complex:

1. THE MOST SECURE

FACILITY IN THE WORLD

The bunker lies 2,000

feet (610 meters) under Cheyenne Mountain outside Colorado Springs, Colorado.

It can be sealed off by two giant blast doors made of concrete and steel, each

3? feet (1 meter) thick and weighing 23 U.S. tons (21 metric tons).

"We like to say

its the most secure facility in the world," said Steve Rose, deputy

director of the base.

The heart of the complex

is a grid of six tunnels up to 40 feet (12 meters) wide and three stories high.

They hold 15 connected buildings made of steel plates, riding on massive coil

springs to absorb the shock of a nuclear blast or earthquake. The granite and

steel also protect electronics from destructive pulses of electro-magnetic

energy that nuclear explosions produce.

Asked whether Cheyenne

Mountain is vulnerable to more powerful modern nuclear warheads, Rose answered

indirectly: "I dont think we would be open if it was," he said.

2. WHY NORAD IS IN

COLORADO

The military put NORAD

in Colorado because it is near the center of the continent, far from Soviet

bomber bases and missile launchers, said Brian Laslie, NORADs deputy

historian.

The first command center

was at the now-decommissioned Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. By the

early 1960s, it was clear Ent would not survive a nuclear attack, so work began

on burrowing into the mountain, Laslie said.

The room is surprisingly

small, about 40 feet (12 meters) square. Eight big video screens line the

walls. Soft lighting, muted colors and sound-muffling surfaces give the room a

hushed, somber feel.

3. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN IS

NOW THE BACKUP

In 2008, the military

opened a bigger command center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs,

saying Cheyenne Mountain was costly to run and that the primary threats at the

time, North Korea and Iran, did not have missiles capable of reaching Colorado.

Cheyenne Mountain became

the alternate command center, but operations regularly return there for a few

days at a time to make sure the room and its staff are ready in the event of a

crisis.

Rose, the base deputy

director, rejected the notion that Cheyenne Mountain is a relic.

"Couldnt be

farther from the truth," he said, noting the mountain is fully occupied by

a permanent NORAD contingent as well as commands for cyber, intelligence and

space surveillance. "A lot of the other areas I cant talk about," he

added.

4. HOW NORAD HAS CHANGED

IN THE 21st CENTURY

After the Soviet Union collapsed,

"NORAD had a bit of a slump as far as the focus of the mission," said

Royal Canadian Air Force Col. Travis Morehen, a senior command center officer.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks abruptly changed that.

Before 9/11, NORAD

watched only for external threats. After the terrorists turned domestic

airliners into weapons, NORAD began peering inward as well, monitoring civilian

air traffic for potential threats.

NORAD regularly launches

fighter jets to intercept private aircraft that stray into restricted airspace,

including areas where the president is traveling. It is usually a civilian who

didnt read official notices, Morehen said.

5. BIG AND LITTLE

MOMENTS IN NORAD HISTORY

In 1979 and 1980, NORAD

computer glitches produced false alarms about incoming missiles. Each time, the

problem was discovered quickly.

Cheyenne Mountain is an

alluring setting for science fiction. It was depicted in the 1983

"WarGames" movie, among others, and in the "Stargate" TV

series.

It takes 45 seconds for

built-in hydraulic machinery to close the blast doors. If the hydraulics fail,

two people can close them by hand. One door usually remained shut at all times

during the Cold War. Since then, commanders ordered them closed only once, on

9/11.

NORAD is known

world-wide for its "NORAD Tracks Santa" operation, fielding calls

from children on Christmas Eve asking where Santa is. The operation has always

been run out of Ent or Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, never

Cheyenne Mountain, said Laslie, the NORAD historian.

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