The 'John Wayne Saloon': How day drinking went undetected at one of America's top military bases
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/29/norad-secret-bar-investigation/71743151007
WASHINGTON – The email arrived in the middle of a workday: Are you thirsty?
What followed was an afternoon drink at the “John Wayne Saloon,” an invitation-only tavern operating unknown to senior commanders inside the headquarters of the U.S military command center critical to defending the homeland and keeping Americans safe.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, is located at Peterson Space Force Base, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs. It stands watch 24/7 defending the United States and Canada from attack by adversaries such as China, Russia and North Korea.
The day drinking at an installation tasked with safeguarding U.S. national security was worrying. The clandestine saloon at a base charged with crucial national security responsibility triggered alarms at high levels and led to the changes on site after USA TODAY raised questions.
A keypad with a code restricted access to the clandestine tavern, named after a poster of the iconic actor that was affixed to a door. No cellphones allowed. Inside the room in Building 2, six or seven bottles of top-shelf liquor, including bourbon and whisky, awaited. Nearby, lieutenant colonels and majors planned future NORAD operations. Also at hand: computers with access to the Pentagon’s secret email system.
The official who received the email left after one drink in the middle of 2022. Like several others interviewed by USA TODAY about daytime drinking at the command, the official spoke on condition of anonymity fearing reprisal. All of the officials, a mixture of uniformed and civilian, expressed unease, dismay or disgust at presence of alcohol and drinking at the command. It was designed, as one of the officials put it, to protect America from “its worst day.”
Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck shuttered the bar last week after USA TODAY inquired about the allegations made by the officials. VanHerck, who also leads the associated U.S. Northern Command, ordered an investigation into the conditions that allowed NORAD officers to operate the off-the-books drinking establishment.
NORTHCOM, the entity charged with coordinating the Pentagon's response to attacks on the homeland and natural disasters, is also headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base. NORTHCOM and NORAD tracked and shot down the Chinese spy balloon that transited the United States and Canada early this year.
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Chinese spy balloon photo