Yo, dude, got a bit of info:
www.globalsecurity.org...
Also, this site contains a lot more than just history, such as physical layout and all that
(blast doors, ohh!! ).
www.norad.mil...
History
In 1956, the idea of a hardened command and control center was conceptualized as a defense against Soviet bombers. After the Soviet launch of Sputnik
in 1957, the concept of CMOC focused more on early warning and the ballistic missile threat.
Cheyenne Mountain was selected based on three key criteria: geographically centered in North America, area of low seismic activity, and already
established military presence in Colorado Springs.
Excavation and construction for the complex began in June 1961 and took four years and seven months to complete.
Initial Operational Capability or "IOC" was achieved Jan. 1, 1966. The Cheyenne Mountain Complex became completely operational April 20, 1966.
The Army Corps of Engineers supervised the excavation and construction. They used 1.5 million pounds of dynamite to excavate approximately 700,000
tons of granite.
The project was completed at a cost of $142 million. According to a GAO report released in the 1990s, duplicating this facility today with all of its
missions would cost more than $18 billion.
Also, I contacted NORAD some time ago about something or over. I save every scrap of info, so here:
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
In answer to your question, the following info is provided.
1. It must be noted that Cheyenne Mountin Complex did not become fully
operational until 1967. In 1962, NORAD and its cmmand center were located at
Ent AFB CO. We do not have the Ent logs for the
-none of your business ats -. The
NORAD/CONAD history for the period of Jul-Oct 62 only reflects the operational response to the
--------------------, e.g. dispersal of aircraft
in the US southeast sector and enhanced radar warning capabilities. These pages have been declassified and can be made available if that is what the
requestor would like.
3. Notification of missile launches would be made from radar sites primarily
over dedicated land lines to the NORAD Command Center, which at that time would have been Ent AFB CO. From there, any notifications would be made to
the National Command Authorities (NCA) and Strategic Air Command (SAC), again, using primarily dedicated land lines. The NCA (e.g. President, SECDEF)
would evaluate the situation and task SAC to prepare/launch bombers and missiles. The NORAD histories do not go into a lot of detail as to the
communications chain for command and control of nuclear forces.
There ya go, nightshade. Hope I helped.