About this Unit
**Killeen Base DASA** was established in the early 1950s near Killeen, Texas, as a key installation for the U.S. Army's nuclear weapons program during the Cold War. Initially operated under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army, the base became closely associated with the Defense Atomic Support Agency (DASA) after its creation in 1959. Killeen Base DASA played a critical role in the storage, maintenance, and security of nuclear ordnance, supporting both national defense and NATO commitments. The installation's mission gradually shifted as nuclear weapons policies evolved, eventually leading to its integration into the larger Fort Hood complex and the end of its unique DASA designation in the early 1970s.
Historical Facts
• Origins in Cold War: Killeen Base, also known historically as DASA (Defense Atomic Support Agency) at Fort Hood, Texas, was established in the late 1940s as a secret site for the storage, assembly, and maintenance of nuclear weapons.
• Code Name “DASA”: The base operated under the cover of the Defense Atomic Support Agency, which managed the U.S. military’s nuclear arsenal logistics and security.
• “Site Baker”: Killeen Base was often referred to as “Site Baker,” one of several highly classified nuclear weapons depots across the United States.
• Role in Manhattan Project Legacy: After World War II, Killeen Base was chosen for its isolated location and proximity to Fort Hood, inheriting nuclear storage responsibilities from wartime Manhattan Project facilities.
• Underground Storage: The base included a vast underground bunker complex, designed to store and protect the earliest U.S. nuclear bombs from sabotage, attack, or accident.
• Atomic Convoys: Military police and special units regularly escorted nuclear weapons convoys between Killeen Base and other military installations, often under strict secrecy.
• Declassified Documents: In the early 2000s, formerly classified documents revealed the scale of the nuclear arsenal once stored at Killeen Base, surprising historians and the public alike.
• International Tensions: During the Cuban Missile Crisis and other Cold War flashpoints, Killeen Base was placed on heightened alert, with personnel prepared for rapid deployment or dispersal of nuclear weapons.
• Closure and Legacy: The base ceased nuclear operations in 1969, and the bunkers were sealed, but its existence is still referenced in military nuclear security training today.
• Commemoration: While much of the site is off-limits, local museums and Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) occasionally hold exhibits explaining the secret role Killeen Base played in U.S. defense history.
