Killeen Base DASA

• 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.