Dugway Proving Ground -- The New Groom Lake?

DUGWAY PROVING GROUND THE NEW GROOM LAKE? Dugway Proving Ground is located 80 miles southwest of Salt Lake City and covers an area of approximately 800,000 acres in the Great Salt Lake Desert. It is by far the most secretive facility in Utah as well as the most controversial. Many residents feel threatened and unsure of its close location to Salt Lake City, especially because of the type of testing that takes place there. The primary mission of Dugway Proving Ground is to plan, conduct, analyze, and report the results of technical tests and studies; especially in the areas of chemical defense, biological defense, incendiary, smoke and obscurant systems, and environmental technology testing. Dugway also provides test expertise, services and support for all authorized customers, including United States and foreign governments, as well as non-governmental organizations. In addition, Dugway is a major range and test facility for chemical and biological defense testing and a reliance center for the U.S. Department of Defense. With the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States and its military forces suddenly realized a need for increased military capability in many areas, which included expanded knowledge in chemical and biological warfare. Dugway Proving Ground was authorized to fill the need for testing weapons and defenses against chemical and biological agents. Over the years, the proving ground has undergone various name changes and periods of deactivation and reactivation. Dugway is now part of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM), headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. TECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Material Command, headquartered at Alexandria, Virginia. At present, Dugway Proving Ground encompasses 798,855 acres. In addition to chemical and biological defensive testing and environment characterization and remediation technology testing, Dugway is the Defense Department's leader in testing battlefield smokes and obscurants. The installion currently consists of more than 600 buildings with a total value of more than $240 million. UFOs at Dugway? Lately there has been an increase in activity at the Utah facility, both on the ground and in the airspace above Dugway. Reported last year, was the construction of a new 15,000 feet runway which is now known to be for the testing of NASA's next generation space shuttles, including the X-33. Also, unusual aerial objects emitting mysterious vapor contrails lends support to Dugway being a secret test facility for new aircraft. Security at the installation has also been increased quite dramatically. Warning signs have been established along the perimeter of the base and if someone happens to wander to close to the restricted zones, expect to see unmarked "black" helicopters challenge your presence in the area. It has also been revealed that an unusual facility within Dugway may house experimental craft, possibly of alien origin. During the 1950s and 1970s, the facility was constantly under armed guard. During this time period, convoy trucks had been seen entering the hangar with their cargo covered by tarpaulins. One truck was seen which was carrying something oval or circular in shape and being about 30 feet wide. The truck was accompanied by five men. Could this have been a flying disc-shaped craft? Three concentric fences were later built around the hangar. Rumors persist as to what is housed in the hangar, a more common one being that it is a storage facility for a SLR-1 portable nuclear reactor. However, there is unusual evidence which may suggest that the flying disc was of a very secretive nature. The five men who were seen with the truck all happened to mysteriously die within a year of delivering the cargo to Dugway. Two of them died in a single plane crash from Chicago to Denver. The third died in an auto wreck when his car fell off a cliff in Northern California, presumably because of brake failure. The fourth committed suicide by hanging himself with a necktie, for no apparent reason. The fifth man simply was reported missing one day after leaving home for work. Of course, the above story could simply be disinformation, to distract people from a different project at Dugway Proving Ground. But whatever the truth, the base is alive with strange and unusual activity.

it could be it has all of the neccesary components

It could be that the object thought to be hidden inside the facility was an unmanned drone aircraft, designed to disseminate Chemical and Biological agents. These aircraft were certainly in use at Dugway during the 1950s.

Since September 11 2001, the increased Biodefense budget has meant huge increases in the amount of CBW field trials conducted by various US Government agencies/contractors. This has prompted some locals to voice their concerns about the dangers presented by the releases of CBW agents/simulants.

Dugway tests expanded quietly

By Dawn House
The Salt Lake Tribune June 17, 2004

A Utah lawmaker is attempting to revive a state oversight committee to monitor the U.S. Army's quiet expansion of biological warfare defense testing and other programs at Dugway Proving Ground.
Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, is sponsoring the bill to resurrect the Utah Federal Research Committee, which former Gov. Mike Leavitt disbanded in the late 1990s.
Davis, a former member of the defunct committee, said he does not understand why Utahns continually challenge federal policies involving grazing rights, natural resources and wilderness areas while turning a blind eye to the testing of lethal biological and chemical agents.
"This mind set makes no sense," he said. "When it comes to the military, why do we choose not to know what's going on?"
Davis had filed a similar bill earlier this year to re-establish the oversight committee, but in February the Senate defeated the proposal by a 17-to-9 vote.
Republican Sen. Thomas Hatch said that while his Panguitch constituents have expressed concerns about expanded military testing outside Utah, he is not convinced the state needs another committee.
"We already have all kinds of control boards," said Hatch, who led the fight to defeat Davis' bill. "I have yet to be convinced that we need another layer of bureaucracy."
To test that claim, Steve Erickson, a longtime citizen advocate who monitors Dugway, asked military and state agencies for information on five of 11 proposals to expand bioweapons defense testing and training at Dugway.
The military had published the expanded plans last year in several newspaper legal notices under so-called findings of no significant impact (FONSIs) -- a move Erickson says is a way to circumvent the required public environmental impact statement whose 2002 draft is still under Pentagon review.
Erickson said the Army belatedly provided information on only two of the five plans -- despite calls for public comment in the legal notices.
When Erickson used state open-records laws to send queries about the expanded plans to three state agencies, he said he discovered that Utah officials know little of the military's expanded programs.
"The bottom line is that the three state agencies had precious little information on any of the new projects at Dugway Proving Ground," said Erickson. "That's not oversight, that's narcolepsy."
For instance, there was no mention of Dugway during 14 months of meetings conducted by Resource Development Coordinating Committee in the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget. That agency was touted as the justification for defeating Davis' oversight bill.
The resource committee provided information on two of the Army's five plans, said Erickson, including one of the proposals the Army had refused to disclose.
The state Department of Environmental Quality had information on only one plan: the construction of four temporary germ laboratories to test biological warfare agents, he said.
The Utah Department of Health provided 25 pages of materials, including five unsigned handwritten notes, all describing a general overview of Dugway. None of the materials, however, "had anything to do with" the Army's expansion plans, Erickson said.
Last month, the Army published legal notices on four more proposals. Erickson said he asked for information on three of the plans, which the Army provided.
"There has been a massive increase in programs and activities at Dugway, all without the completed [2002] environmental impact statement," said Erickson. "The Army is building programs piecemeal without having to go through a public process, which is undermining the National Environmental Policy Act."
The 1969 act requires federal agencies to consider environmental impacts of proposed actions, along with reasonable alternatives.

www.sltrib.com...


zero lift

I agree that Dugway Proving Ground is home to secret stuff, but that DOES NOT mean it's a replacement for any exiting base! Groom Lake is still Active, which leeds me to believe that they aren't going to replace it at any time in the forseeable future. If you want to learn about Dugway Proving Ground, I suggest conducting open-ended research. Don't assume it's a cover or replacement for anything. Study it as a serect facility in its OWN Right!

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignoance

ghost wrote

If you want to learn about Dugway Proving Ground, I suggest conducting open-ended research. Don't assume it's a cover or replacement for anything. Study it as a serect facility in its OWN Right!

Well said ghost. Dugway is one of the most under-researched areas in the US. The US conducted an entire offensive CBW programme there for nearly 30 years until the emphasis changed to defensive research. Apart from document titles, very little has been released concerning the CBW experiments conducted there. This is where the US experimented with their own "dirty" bombs in the late 1940s-early 1950s. Many experiments were carried out concerning unique ways of dissemination of Chemical and Biological warfare agents, including the spinning cluster munitions that looked like small saucers.


Any one interested in reading/downloading a declassified list of titles of 50 year old, still classified, Department of Defense documents should use this link. The list contains the document titles of many Dugway experiments.

www.thememoryhole.org...


If the link appears not to work be patient. The site receives a lot of traffic. Some days it is taken offline for updating. It's worth the wait.

I'd love to see the equivalent list for 2004


zero lift

Originally posted by ghost
I agree that Dugway Proving Ground is home to secret stuff, but that DOES NOT mean it's a replacement for any exiting base! Groom Lake is still Active, which leeds me to believe that they aren't going to replace it at any time in the forseeable future. If you want to learn about Dugway Proving Ground, I suggest conducting open-ended research. Don't assume it's a cover or replacement for anything. Study it as a serect facility in its OWN Right!

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignoance

I lived at dugway for 2yrs (85-86) with my mom & step Dad,this place is no groom lake, and up untill 2001 was one of the most accessable bases to get on, the 2yrs i lived on base i never saw or heard of anything out of the ordinary.
i still have friends that live there, and when i told them that dugway was the new area 51 it was a gut buster.
if you want a new area 51 in utah, you can take a look at eagle mountian test range near the grate salt lake ive heard some strange things about this place, and access is very very tight ,
you would have to be a ghoust to get in....

i lived at dugway for 2yrs

A welcome to Dugway -

www.dugway.army.mil...

This is the full welcome pack that someone would get upon joining the site.

Nothing too special, but certainly an insight.

*thanks to ATS Member Infinite for his old post about making the most out of Google!



[edit on 23-5-2007 by timb3r]

Originally posted by spector
if you want a new area 51 in utah, you can take a look at eagle mountian test range near the grate salt lake ive heard some strange things about this place, and access is very very tight ,
you would have to be a ghoust to get in....

i lived at dugway for 2yrs

Where is this Eagle Mountain Test Range? I tried to find it with Google Earth, but came up empty handed. about the only thing I saw near the Great Salt Lake was desert. The area shows no trace of a perment human presents.

Tim

[edit on 5/24/2007 by Ghost01]

I live 30 minutes from Dugway, I've worked on the base before for a contractor, My old Boss and Uncle still do somewhat, My Aunt was out there for 17 years as a counsilor(sp)

Prior to 9/11, you could almost walk on base, Dugway had its own Comp basketball team, that was public for kids, called Jr Jazz, You would drive to the guard shack, say your there for the game and you were literally let out on base, Same with all my soccer and baseball games we played there. it was famous for having antelope run across the playing fields during games. In 98 & 99 I worked for the Tooele County School district, we replaced the roof on the elementary school and other Maintenance on the maintenance crew, on lunch we'd go to the small gas station, then drive around on the roads on the base, Guards in the Jeeps would always wave at us.

After that 2000-2001 I worked for an electrical contractor, We did wiring for several add-ons to government office buildings. My Uncle who worked for the Gov however has told me stories, Claiming they tested the Stealth Bomber, F-117, in the 70's, and he seen it on a frequent basis, He also told me they have been testing the aurora several years ago, that is how I found ATS, He told me the whole donuts on the ring contrail and sonic booms, he claims its been tested on and off out there since the early 90's and has seen ti in flight several times.

The last thing he told me was he was contracted out to another outfit and they build a underground Lab where they tested anthrax, polio and mutanted virus for the DoD. How Much truth to that, I don't know. But he has never steered me wrong. As for my aunt, she just won't talk about anything that went on out there, when I ask, she just laughs.

Originally posted by dawgjay
My Uncle who worked for the Gov however has told me stories, Claiming they tested the Stealth Bomber, F-117, in the 70's, and he seen it on a frequent basis

Huh?

The B-2 Stealth Bomber was tested at Edwards AFB. California and the F-117 Stealth Fighter flew from Groom Lake in Nevada. Also neither of these planes existed in the 70's in flyable form. The first one, the F-117 wasn't built until 1981. The B-2 came out in 1988.

The ONLY stealth Aircraft I know of that existed in the 1970's in a flyable form was the Have Blue, which was a stealth X-plane that paved the way for the F-117. Have Blue, like the F-117 flew from Groom Lake.

Tim

[edit on 5/24/2007 by Ghost01]

I'm not claiming anything, I'm just relating the story as it was told to me. It has been years since he told me that story, but I'm almost certain it was the 70's. but once again, I'm just the messenger.

dawgjay,

I only meant to point out a flaw in the statement. Nothing which I said was intended to be taken personally.

Tim

Oh it wasn't, I just didn't want to be accused of being passing dis-info, I was just saying I'm relating the story, but Apology accepted LOL. I like to keep an eye on things, especially if it involves chemicals and its close to my home, the only strange thing I've seen recently, and I was telling utahbigfoothunter in a u2u is a few weeks ago I had 4 Chinook Helicopters fly over my house less then 200ft high and it was after ten at night, the sound was very loud, As I ran out side to see what it was, I could see it was a two prop helicopter, but 3 of them were blacked out and only one had its lights on, I could see the shilloquettes agains the full moon and dark blue sky, They flew right over Tooele North Area Depot, toward Dugway and I assume they came from Hill AFB, I verify they flew over Tooele North Area, because I went out back to see if they were landing there, So I don't know. Strange stuff.

Dugwy is a pretty strange place for sure.

I've been out there for a counter-sniper training op with SOF. The place is errily deserted. I don't think the runway is long enough for any crazy aircraft though. I could be wrong, but it looks short.

oh, funny story. I was standing next to the helo while the rotors were spinnin and this guy on a night drop was about to land right on top of the main rotor and become human frappe...I'm screaming at this guy and flashing my beacon at him to pull his stops and veer off. The guy barely misses it. Army guys ....

I believe there are numerous secret government bases all around the country. Perhaps even some are connected. I don't think it's the New Area 51, but I do think it's a new secret base.

Uh I may be wrong but Dugway's primary mission is Chemical - biological weapons testing and the runway there is actually the Michael army airfield runway..

Though there is a new runway that ha been in the works since 2000 it has of yet not come to fruition due to a lack of funding..

I might also add that the size of this base is huge it is one of the only bases large enough 860,000 that land and air training operations can take place there solely on the base grounds..

additionally the runway is 13,125 feet long so over two miles

Respectfully
GEO

[edit on 1/30/2008 by geocom]

additionally the runway is 13,125 feet long

Like I said, I could be wrong. We must have been on a different rwy. Still, I doubt much is going on there...the place is completely run down. But....this could be a cover. The actual testing ground is incredibly large, and like I said has a very weird feel to it.

reply to post by Spirit Warrior


I agree I don't think there is much going on there.
Though I have a friend that is in the political arena that says that the new major test facilities are somewhere along the Utah Colorado border but that is just here say

also sounds like you have been much further on the inside than I will ever be!
with your mention of your training.
Respectfully
GEO

I don't know much about Dugway except my mother worked there about 50 or so years ago. She carpooled on the weekend with 5 other guys and they all died within 2 years. She aged 10+years and her health was horrible. Medical Dr's didn't know what was wrong with her and told my father to take her home to die.

Years later after she died we had heard on the news about experimental testing at Dugway. Another person told me that what my mother had was Chemical leukimia caused by what she was exposed to at Dugway.

I'll I know is that whatever secret testing they did at Dugway effected people's health and life.

Originally posted by dawgjay
...As I ran out side to see what it was, I could see it was a two prop helicopter, but 3 of them were blacked out and only one had its lights on, I could see the shilloquettes agains the full moon and dark blue sky, They flew right over Tooele North Area Depot, toward Dugway and I assume they came from Hill AFB, I verify they flew over Tooele North Area, because I went out back to see if they were landing there, So I don't know. Strange stuff.

It was probably something secret - that's why they were being so loud.

When I used to sneak outside of my parents house at 15 years old I always made sure I turned on all the lights and blew my air horn as much as possible. They never found out...haha, those idiots!!!