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Military base in Greenland discovered by NASA after more than six decades. Meet Camp Century, a secret nuclear military base that cost R$130 billion.
In April 2024, a NASA science aircraft, while flying over the vast ice sheets of Greenland, revealed a fascinating discovery: the remains of the Camp Century, an abandoned American military base. Built during the Cold War, this facility was conceived as part of a daring secret US project. Camp Century was not just an ordinary military base; it was an underground nuclear facility, consisting of an intricate network of tunnels dug directly into the ice.
Originally presented as a scientific research base to study the Arctic, it had a more ambitious and secretive goal: the development of the Project Iceworm, a plan to install nuclear ballistic missiles under the polar ice cap, ensuring a strategic position in the event of a conflict with the Soviet Union.
The History of Camp Century Military Base in Greenland
On board the Gulfstream III aircraft, NASA scientists were mapping the depth of the ice using radar instruments. Unexpectedly, the images showed the structures of this secret nuclear military base with unprecedented precision. According to NASA, these observations shed new light on an era when the Arctic was a major strategic focus.
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Built in 1959, Camp Century, a military base in Greenland, was part of Project Iceworm, an ambitious initiative that aimed to dig thousands of kilometers of tunnels to house intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Located in northern Greenland, the secret nuclear military base benefited from its proximity to the Soviet Union and the region's isolation.
These tunnels, located 8 meters (approximately 26 feet) below the ice, were designed for a specific missile, the “Iceman,” designed to withstand extreme conditions. However, the project was quickly abandoned due to exorbitant costs and the difficulty of stabilizing the constantly shifting ice.
When the Greenland military base Camp Century was abandoned in 1967, it left behind buried equipment, waste and toxic materials. Today, climate change threatens to release these dangerous relics. Officials in the United States and Denmark have begun discussions to manage these environmental risks.
Understand the advantages of NASA's discovery of a secret nuclear military base
Meanwhile, NASA scientists are using the data collected to better understand the evolution of ice sheets. This information is key to predicting sea level rise, which is influenced by the rapid melting of ice due to global warming.
Greenland’s Camp Century military base remains a symbol of Cold War technological ambition and geopolitical tensions. It now provides researchers with a benchmark for studying the changing Arctic environment. Measurement campaigns like NASA’s are becoming crucial to predicting the effects of climate disruption in these key regions of the planet.
It is important to note that a secret nuclear military base is a facility designed for the storage, maintenance, and launch of missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. These bases are strategically located to maximize their reach and effectiveness in the event of a conflict.
Bases can be underground, to withstand attacks, or above ground, usually protected by advanced defense systems. Some are also mobile, installed in submarines or vehicles.
They play an essential role in nuclear deterrence strategy, ensuring the ability to retaliate even after an initial attack. These bases are usually kept strictly secret for national security reasons.
Cost of military base in Greenland reaches R$130 billion
The base would be equipped with 2.000 firing positions, from which 600 Iceman missiles would be launched in the event of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, functioning as a veritable “ice-carved revolver.” According to data from the Washington Post, these 600 missiles would be capable of destroying 80% of US targets in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
However, the military plans behind the Project Iceworm were kept secret until 1997, when they were finally revealed. The total cost of the project was over US$25 billion in today's values, which corresponds to approximately R$130 billion.
