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White House Tunnel System: West Wing Underground Command Bunker Project

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White House Tunnel System: West Wing Underground Command Bunker Project
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White House Construction: The New West Wing Bunker

In 2010, the West Wing underground command center project secretly got underway. The construction equipment arrived and tall fences went up around the West Wing of the White House. An initial ill-conceived scheme to deceive the public about the true nature of the construction led to the widespread reporting of a mere "utility upgrade" project. However, the massive scope of the construction led to many questions and outrageous conspiracy theories.

While some officials in federal government agencies sought access to this secret information, most Americans were left in the dark. In a spirit of openness and transparency, the Obama Administration has decided to set the record straight.

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    Construction site outside the West Wing of the White House in 2011

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    Construction equipment along West Executive Avenue

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    Specialized equipment was brought in for deep drilling

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    Truckloads of dirt were continuously hauled away around the clock

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    The new underground command center is located adjacent to and under the West Wing

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    View of the the White House tunnel expansion work in progress

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    New White House underground command center under construction - January 2013

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    The White House station is centrally located in the underground tunnel system

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    Some locations along the line are also accessible via pedestrian walkways

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    Undisclosed location along the White House Tunnel System

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    Escalator up to the U.S. Capitol from the White House Tunnel System

Building Our New West Wing Underground Command Center

Since the early 1960's, the need for a Deep Underground Command Center (DUCC) has been studied. This Top Secret 1963 memo outlined the requirements for the construction of a DUCC. Because of limits in technology at that time, the project was deferred. Fifty years later, the DUCC is finally becoming a reality.

The new underground command center serves two purposes: 1) To protect key people with sufficient staff and data to render critical decisions and 2) Ensure the survival of the facility to allow dissemination of these decisions. The DUCC can only serve this purpose if the President and his team can secretly relocate there on very short notice.

Unlike the old Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) which is currently located below the East Wing of the White House, the new secret command center will house its own massive communications data center that interfaces with all military, intelligence, and critical federal agency systems. For security purposes, the exact specifications of the this command bunker are classified.

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Before and After Photos of the Secret White House Construction Area

In 2007, a nondescript white building was constructed adjacent to the West Wing. The building is visible in the above photo, located on the far right. During the previous Bush Administration, this building did not officially exist. However, in the spirit of openness and transparency, the purpose of this mysterious structure can finally be revealed: it contained the initial buildout of the DUCC communications data center and was secretly relocated underground when the publicly visible aspect of the massive construction project was completed in 2012.

The first photo below shows the West Wing construction area in 2010 with the secret white building visible above ground. The second photo shows the completed construction area at the end of 2012 with the white building removed. Click on the photo to view a larger version of it.

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Temporary Relocation of the Oval Office

Much of the West Wing of the White House, including the Oval Office, will be relocated to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to allow for the installation of the wiring, elevators, and secret entrances to the new command center below them. Although the exact timing has not been decided yet, the move is expected to take place in 2013 or 2014.

It is imperative that the President be able to safely evacuate to the command bunker below without having to leave the Oval Office. The existing trap door under the President's desk leading down to the Secret Service "Horsepower" command post in the basement of the West Wing will be modified to allow presidential passage directly to the new underground command bunker.

A second Oval Office will be built in the south end of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The Secret Service is working closely with the construction crews providing top secret security specifications for the windows, walls, and access points for the President's new workplace.

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President Obama checks out the trap door beneath the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office

Presidential Executive Command and Control System Relocation.

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Currently, the President has access to a large suite of Executive Command and Control applications via a PC located in his personal study outside the Oval Office.

Some of these applications include the Cyber Warfare Command and Online Nuclear Launch Codes. For enhanced security, the access point for these important national security applications will eventually be relocated to the new West Wing underground command center.

Continuity of Government - The President's Doomsday Plan

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The White House has developed a comprehensive Continuity of Government Plan to ensure that our nation will continue to function in the event of a catastrophic national emergency. To prepare for this unthinkable event, the new West Wing underground command center will function as an "underground White House". A tunnel will connect the new executive command center with the PEOC under the East Wing.

The complex logistics of evacuating key executive agencies located in our nation's capital include a fleet of specialized vans and trucks that can be dispatched on a moment's notice to secret campgrounds located within the Shenandoah Valley and in nearby federal park lands in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania containing underground hardened facilities and emergency communication systems.

Visit our new Continuity of Government (COG) web page for details about this important plan.

The White House Tunnel System

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Work first began on the secret White House underground tunnel system back in early 1950 under the Truman administration. The White House was deteriorating and it was determined that massive reconstruction was required.

President Truman relocated to the nearby Blair House for three years while the interior of the White House was completely rebuilt with concrete and steel beams.

It was during this time period that forward-thinking engineers came up with the plan to construct a massive underground secret network of tunnels and bunkers to provide the President and his staff the ability to quickly relocate during an emergency in the dawn of the Cold War era.

The Secret Metro Tunnels The Washington Metro is a subway system that serves the Washington DC area. It "officially" has 106 miles of track serving 86 stations in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. Planning for the Metro system began in the 1950s during the height of the cold war. President Eisenhower created a secret rail planning commission that directed the development of a secondary secret underground rail system built alongside the public one.

This secret tunnel system currently connects the White House to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door, the New Executive Office Building (NEOB), the bunker under the Blair House, the bunker under the VP Residence at the Naval Observatory, the U.S. Capitol, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, the Pentagon, the State Department, and some other federal buildings in between. There is also a secret train that runs between DC's Union Station and Mt. Weather and is under the protection of the TSA Federal Air Marshals.

Long-term plans call for the expansion of the White House tunnel system to go south past the Pentagon; west past the CIA to Mount Weather; and north past Camp David up to Site R in Pennsylvania. The estimated completion date and exact route of this ambitious tunnel expansion plan remains classified.

Planned White House Tunnel System Expansion Map

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Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC)

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The PEOC was built six stories below ground under the East Wing to provide the President with a secure meeting place in the event of an emergency. Access to the PEOC is by an elevator located behind multiple vault-type doors with biometric access control systems.

On September 11, 2001, President Bush met with his National Security Council in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. Photos of this secret location were published for the first time following this extraordinary gathering.

While the exact specification of this emergency Presidential bunker is classified, it is built to withstand a direct nuclear hit.

Meetings in the PEOC and Executive Briefing Room

As part of the Obama Administration's effort to make this White House the most open and transparent in history, we've released over three million White House Visitor Access records including the ones below related to meetings held in the PEOC (click below to view the report)

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Related Pages on this Website

Nope, this is not the official website of The White House. It's a parody of whitehouse.gov. No person, department, or agency of the U.S. Government approved, endorsed, or authorized this site. No animals were harmed while making this website (except maybe that one time when I was a little late feeding my dog his dinner).

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The Obama Store
WHITE HOUSE OBAMA STORE

Help support President Obama's initiative to reduce the national debt by purchasing all of your officially authorized Obama products here. All items are Made in the USA (except for the shirt, slippers, sunglasses, and hat) No sales tax!

Not what you're looking for? Check out our oBay Auction page! obay-small.jpg

Still not what you're looking for? Check out the other White House Gift Shop.

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Nope, this is not the official website of The White House. It's a parody of whitehouse.gov. No person, department, or agency of the U.S. Government approved, endorsed, or authorized this site. No animals were harmed while making this website (except maybe that one time when I was a little late feeding my dog his dinner).
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Happy Hours at the White House Mess
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Join Us for Happy Hours at the White House
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Every Friday, members of the White House staff make their way downstairs to the Mess for their traditional end-of-the-week happy hours.

If the President is available, he sometimes drops by for a cold beer before heading off to dinner. Other guests often include Cabinet members and their staff.

In this casual atmosphere, staffers discuss ideas they have for new programs and initiatives. The basic framework for President Obama's health care reform was built from notes scribbled on a napkin at one of these happy hours.

In a spirit of openness and transparency, President Obama invites you to join him for Happy Hours at the White House Mess.

Happy Hours are held every Friday from
5PM - 7PM in the White House Mess, which is located in the basement of the West Wing.

Advance reservations are required. For more information about the Mess including directions and reservations, visit the Dine at the White House Mess page on this website. White House Happy Hours MenuThe Happy Hours menu includes a selection of specialty drinks, beer, wine, and tasty appetizers.happy-hours-mess-menu.jpg President Obama enjoying Happy Hours at the White House Messobama-beer-white-house.jpg White House Beer Recipe

Can't make it to the White House for Happy Hours? Brew your own White House Honey Ale at home.

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Nope, this is not the official website of The White House. It's a parody of whitehouse.gov. No person, department, or agency of the U.S. Government approved, endorsed, or authorized this site. No animals were harmed while making this website (except maybe that one time when I was a little late feeding my dog his dinner).
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White House Overnight Guest Program
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Exploring the White HousePerhaps the most exciting part of the Overnight Guest Program is the unprecedented access guests will have to all areas of the White House. At 7PM, guests will be allowed entry via the prestigious West Wing Entrance. The Secret Service will assist you in finding your room.

After you are settled in, you are free to roam the halls for a self-guided tour. Detailed maps will be provided for your convenience. Be sure to wear the special "O" badge at all times. This will identify you as an Overnight Guest with Level-4 access. Note: Some areas of the White House require knowledge of a daily access password. You will receive this password upon check-in. Be sure to memorize it. Photos taken by a recent participant in the Overnight Guest Program
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    Your overnight stay begins at the West Wing Entrance

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    The East Sitting Hall - outside the Queen's Bedroom

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    The center hallway in the upstairs Residence

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    Small living room outside the President's Master Bedroom

Choose your guest room

Our luxurious accommodations are furnished with fine antiques and historic Presidential beds. Thick white towels and Aveda hair products are provided.

The Queen's Bedroom
Named for the many royal guests including Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Sonja of Norway, and Queen Sofía of Spain, this richly decorated room is furnished in the Federal Style evoking an early-19th-century New England bedroom featuring the bed of Andrew Jackson.

The armchair, bed hanging and drapery silks are all Scalamandré exclusives. Decorated with period art work and colored prints worthy of the most discerning collector. The room also has a sitting area with full-size sofa and chair, writing desk, and inlaid armoire. Great view of the North Lawn! Bath has Jacuzzi tub and shower with separate dressing area.


The Lincoln Bedroom
Artfully restored incorporating Lincoln period details such as window cornices and mantel. The centerpiece of the room is the 8-foot by 6-foot Rosewood Lincoln bed.

The gilded carved bed canopy is in the shape of a crown with flowing yards of regal purple satin over white lace trailing to the floor. The bed hanging satin, drapery silk, tassels and tiebacks are Scalamandré exclusives. The furniture used by the Lincoln Administration includes the sofa and three matching chairs, two slipper chairs, and four of Lincoln's Cabinet chairs.

Guests staying in the Lincoln Bedroom will have the use of the Lincoln bathroom, installed during the Truman presidency, with pale green opaque glass tiles and a mirrored dome ceiling light. The spacious tub has an elegant sandblasted etching of a Presidential eagle.

What's included in Overnight Guest Program
  • One night stay in either the Queen's Bedroom or the Lincoln Bedroom (7PM - 11AM)
  • Commemorative photo taken by Official White House Photographer
  • Use of the library, bowling alley, movie theater, swimming pool, and basketball court
  • Breakfast in the family dining room
  • Self-guided tour throughout the White House complex. Photos allowed, but no videos please.
    Note: Access to the underground tunnels, hidden staircases, and the First Family's bedrooms is restricted.
Note: The President has priority use of all of the above amenities. Please respect his privacy. Guests will be issued a detailed Presidential Schedule of Daily Activities so they may plan accordingly. ReservationsAs the First Lady recently said about the White House: "I hope we've done a good job of bringing even more people to this place—people who never thought they were connected to this history. Just increasing that curiosity that this White House is yours, everyone's: It doesn't belong to a set of special people who have access and privilege. It's everyone's house, at every age. So come, use this place, walk in the doors. Feel like it's your museum."

Rooms may be reserved up to eight months in advance. Room rates (including breakfast) are $400 per night double occupancy. In order to maximize the number of guests served, rooms may only be reserved for a single night. Reservations are accepted on a first come first served basis by clicking here.

Additional information regarding parking, security, etc. will be sent out upon confirmation. Security Information

All guests will be required to go through a security screening process. The following items are prohibited:

  • Outside food and beverages of any kind
  • Cigars, pipes, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, chewing gum
  • Video recorders
  • Knives of any size
  • Aerosols
  • Extraordinarily strong perfume
  • Fireworks/smoke bombs
  • Animals
  • Real or simulated guns/ammunition
  • Mace, electric stun guns, martial arts weapons, slingshots
U.S. Secret Service reserves the right to prohibit any other personal items.


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Nope, this is not the official website of The White House. It's a parody of whitehouse.gov. No person, department, or agency of the U.S. Government approved, endorsed, or authorized this site. No animals were harmed while making this website (except maybe that one time when I was a little late feeding my dog his dinner).
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  • Members

Also fascinating. What happened to the exit route that ended in a complex under the current resort area known as Greenbrier. It seems perfect as BO spends much of his time playing golf and being in resort areas. I have been there and it is wonderful. ^_^

After we spend countless dollars on various command centers and the like what difference does it make when the world is reduced to ashes via an atomic attack?

Best regards,

RA1

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