Hi all; An article on the military approach to deeply buried facilities:
Deeply Buried Facilities
Implications for Military Operations
Eric M. Sepp, Lt Colonel, USAF, May 2000
...
I. Introduction 1
II. Analysis of Deeply Buried Facilities 5
III. Locating Deeply Buried Facilities 15
IV. Neutralizing Deeply Buried Facilities 22
V. Conciusions 31
...
Preface ... It is unfortunate that, with the exception of nuclear weapons, the current technologies for locating and neutralizing these types of facilities may not be suffcient for holding these facilities at risk.
...
1. Introduction
The problem in the early twenty-first century is that deeply buried underground facilities are becoming an increasingly important part of the defense establishments in many states.
...
In the years since the Persian Gulf War, deep underground facilities have become even more desirable to rogue states because it allows them to protect valuable military assets from attack with the increasingly precise and effective conventional bombs and missiles that are at the disposal of U. S. military forces. For example, during the Persian Gulf War, precision guided weapons held at risk virtually every above-ground building, including command and control facilities and hardened aircraft shelters. In response, rogue states have devoted considerable effort to constructing hardened, deeply buried facilities by converting existing caves and abandoned mines into bunkers, or constructing new facilities by tunneling deep underground.
...
II. Analysis of Deeply Buried Facilities
One of the lessons of the Persian Gulf War was the effectiveness of using air and space power in military attacks. The corollary, which has been learned by adversaries of the United States, is that it is necessary to go deeper underground if they want to survive U.S military attacks.
...
There are two basic classes of underground facilities. The "cut-and-cover" facilities are constructed by digging a hole, inserting a facility, and then covering it up with dirt and rocks. These cut-and-cover facilities can be just below the surface of the ground or may reach a depth of perhaps 100 feet, and represent the vast majority of underground facilities today.8 In the case of contemporary cut-and-cover facilities, there is no question that conventional munitions can defeat them. ...
he second class of underground facilities, which are constructed with tunneling operations, are located deep below the surface or deep within mountains. These deeply buried underground facilities may be hundreds of feet below the surface of the earth and be surrounded by solid rock. This class of underground facilities may be more difficult to locate and destroy, and will be emphasized in this study.
...
Studies by the RAND Corporation and MITRE Corporation suggest that facilities located at depths of 2,000 feet beneath the surface are essentially invulnerable This does not mean merely 2,000 feet of overhead cover, but a 2,000 foot minimum distance to any surface point (on all sides), including the sides of a mountain.
...
Thermal Imaging Deception. As hot air emerges from air vents for underground facilities, satellites can see this distinctive signature. It also may be detected as hot spots that develop on the surface of the earth over various parts of the underground facility. The ambient temperature of some parts of the underground facility may elevate the temperature of parts of the surrounding earth near air vents, water pipes, emergency exits, or electrical conduits. However, measures can be taken to insulate those parts of the facility that are closest to the earth's surface. Heavy vegetation and thermal blankets can be used to reduce the thermal signatures of external components of underground facilities, and cooler ambient air can be mixed with the warmer exhaust air to minimize its detectable thermal signature.
While there are other deception techniques for defeating the capabilities of reconnaissance satellites, the previously cited study suggested that there are fundamental problems with avoiding detection by satellites. The reason is that one method for evading the detection capabilities of one type of sensor will likely be vulnerable to the capabilities of another sensor. For example, a grid of lights above a target could perfectly match the reflective signature of the surrounding area and therefore be invisible to a multispectral satellite, but this would be quite obvious to a high-resolution panchromatic sensor when viewed from an angle.20
...
Summary
Not surprisingly, it is quite difficult to find deeply buried facilities, and to complicate matters this is an area in which experience and technology are not fully developed.30 However, by using an integrated combination of geoprospecting instruments, satellites, and human intelligence reports, it is likely that one can determine where deeply buried facilities are located. There are numerous signs of the existence of underground facilities, including gravity perturbations, the presence of ventilation shafts, electrical power lines (above or below ground), water and sewage hookups, and emergency exits Satellite imaging with a variety of sensors can indicate the presence and location of underground facilities, and human intelligence can help to locate these facilities. If one uses a broad array of sources, these facilities can be found, but characterizing the shape, depth, and mission of an underground facility may be more difficult than locating it.31 While this discussion highlights the value of gravity sensing instruments, it is essential to develop a comprehensive approach for integrating all resources in order to produce reasonable estimates about the location of underground facilities.
...
IV. Neutralizing Deeply Buried Facilities
...
In those cases when it might be difficult to get near a deeply buried facility, it may be easier and quicker to entomb it. Explosive charges placed at all of the openings would cause cave-ins of the ventilation, elevator, and emergency escape shafts, along with the main entry tunnel(s). An enhanced version of the commercial product "Great Stuff," which is expanding insulation foam that is available in most home improvement centers, could assist with entombment. If a hyper-expanding version could be developed, it could be used to quickly block the orifices and thereby hermetically seal the facility, which would prevent the release of toxic or radioactive gases or material into the atmosphere. The risk with entombment is the difficulty of ensuring that every orifice is identified, but this may be a realistic option for smaller underground facilities.
...
Attack Environmental Control Systems
In order to exist underground, an environmental control system (ECS) is vital for the survival of the personnel and often the equipment in the facility. Light, conditioned air (temperature, humidity, and cleanliness), and water must be provided for the people and equipment that operate Underground. The ability to disable the ECS creates environmental conditions that exceed what people and equipment can withstand, and thereby produce conditions that facilitate entry into the facility. However, the ability to gain access to the ECS for the purpose of creating such adverse environmental conditions can be quite difficult.
...
Contaminating the air filters with extremely foul odors or allergens also could drive the inhabitants out of the facility.
...
An alternative to locating and attacking the sources of electrical power is to destroy the equipment's capability to use electricity. One approach is to use electromagnetic pulse (EMP), which is a wave of energy that is produced by the detonation of a nuclear weapon, and that destroys circuit boards and destroys electronic equipment. But the effects of EMP can be created without detonating a nuclear weapon.
...
research.maxwell.af.mil
-- Carl |
