Protecting America: Cold War Defensive Sitesa thematic study published in October 2022 by the National Historic Landmarks (NHL) program, focuses on Cold War-era sites and properties created to defend America in the second half of the 20th century.
The historical context portion of the study examines the Cold War chronologically from the detonation of the first two atomic bombs and the surrender of Japan in 1945 at the end of World War II to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the main America’s nuclear adversary, in 1991. It examines how international affairs and the political and military challenges of the Cold War influenced United States weapons systems and defense programs.
Currently, 17 Cold War-related resources have been designated National Historic Landmarks. These include military sites such as the Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 in Pima County, Arizona, now operated as the Titan Missile Museum, the White Sands V rocket launch test site -2 in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, and the USS Nautilus. , the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, now located in Groton, Connecticut.
