A Titan II ICBM launch site near Conway Springs, KS remains under USAF control despite being decommissioned in the 1980s. Why is this site still managed by the military while others have become private or public property?

It all began with an unexpected text from a friend who often serves as my sounding board on the topic of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). The message was brief: "Is there a connection between nukes and UAPs?"

I knew he was planning a trip to Japan, which included a visit to Hiroshima, where the US dropped the first atomic bomb in 1945. However, his question caught me off guard.

I replied that there is indeed a long history of UFO/UAP sightings related to nuclear weapons, dating back to the start of the Cold War. Numerous famous UFO sightings and events have occurred at sites where nuclear weapons were deployed by the US military, and this trend continues today, with UAPs frequently appearing around US Navy vessels equipped with nuclear weapons.

His question sparked my curiosity, prompting me to delve deeper into the subject of nuclear weapons and UFO/UAPs along the 37th parallel. I wanted to determine if there was a connection between the two, and I knew I needed data to make that determination.

I never rely solely on others' work when it comes to topics related to UFO/UAPs and the Phenomenon. I always start by collecting data, plotting it onto my mapping software, and then visiting the locations myself to explore and photograph them. Only after visiting a site, do I publish a post on the “Expedition 37” Field Notes photo-blog. I began by talking with my mom, who grew up in Kansas during the Cold War, just like I did. We have discussed ICBM launch sites near our hometown several times in the past. Our latest conversation provided me with enough information about potential ICBM launch site locations to dig deeper into the topic.

That conversation started a weekend spent researching ICBM launch sites in Kansas during the Cold War. My web searches led me to historical information, revealing that there were four Strategic Missile Squadrons equipped with ICBMs in Kansas during that time. Additionally, three Air Force Bases housed bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons: B-29s, B-47s, B-52s, and B-2s. The internet can be a swamp of misinformation on UFO/UAPs, but it can be an invaluable tool if you focus your efforts on finding verifiable information. Over the weekend, I identified the exact units stationed in Kansas during the Cold War, their weapon systems, and, most importantly, the precise latitude and longitude of every one of the ICBM launch sites.

The next step was to plot these locations into my mapping software. Only then could I see if the launch sites corresponded with UFO/UAP sightings I'd already plotted along the 37th parallel. As a visual person, seeing the data on a map reveals patterns and connections (or lack thereof) in the data I'm analyzing.

The connection between UFO/UAP sightings and ICBM launch sites was immediately clear.

Two of the Strategic Missile Squadrons, equipped with Titan II ICBMs, were headquartered at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. All their ICBM launch sites fell along the 37th parallel and many of these locations were near sites where UFOs had been reported to the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC).

I knew I couldn't make a direct connection between ICBM launch sites and UFO sightings. The NUFORC started in 1974, while the Titan II launch sites were built between 1960 and 1963 and remained operational until the 1980s. This meant there was a 14-year gap between the launch sites' construction and the establishment of a centralized location for UFO sightings. I wouldn't have data from those fourteen years.

Additionally, airmen and officers assigned to Strategic Missile Squadrons held security clearances that prevented them from reporting any unusual activity, including UFO sightings, near a launch site to civilians or civilian organizations.

However, I could see if there was a correlation between the launch sites and UFO sightings from 1974 onward. Even then, I knew I was working with limited data. I've been working with the NUFORC database for many months and know its contents. From 1974 through the 1980s, there are few recorded reports. This is unsurprising, as it was the pre-internet era, and people had difficulty finding out how to file a report with the NUFORC.

The number of recorded sightings in the database began to increase in the 1990s and continues to trend upward as more people gained internet access and could easily find the NUFORC to file a report. What this means is that during the time the Titan II ICBM launch sites were active, there would be very little (or possibly no) data about UFO sightings that was reported to the NUFORC. But with the data I had, I determined that there is, without question, a correlation between these launch sites and UFO sightings when you plot the two on a map.

After that weekend of research and analysis, I knew there was enough evidence to include ICBM launch sites under the umbrella of "Expedition 37." Since June, I've visited every launch site I could access without trespassing or breaking other laws. These visits have revealed some very strange things.

~One of these long-decommissioned launch sites is still under the control of the US Air Force.

~Several sites are "private property" with structures built on them. These "private property" sites have elaborate alarm systems and cameras covering the entire property. (My own home has cameras and an alarm system, so I recognize these systems and how they are arrayed to cover specific areas of high interest.)

~One site was excavated over the course of a few days. By some synchronicity, I was at the site the day before the excavation began and returned two days later to find the site was being worked on with heavy machinery. The site had been underground since 1963, and I was there to photograph it on the days it was exposed- I don’t believe that this was a coincidence. I felt called to visit that site on those specific days. This calling is something I’ve experienced several times while investigating ICBM launch sites. The site had been underground and undisturbed for decades, but I was compelled to visit that site, on those days.

~When I later returned, I found the site had been backfilled with dirt, but the heavy pieces of concrete and steel debris from the launch site were left on the surface. What were the people who excavated the site looking for at an ICBM launch site that was decommissioned and buried in the 1980s? Why dig now, in 2024?

~One site, where I found the skeleton of a cow under an old pine tree, showed signs of past excavation. I was immediately struck by the "vibe" when I explored and photographed the site. All the while, I felt that evil was near and was stuck by many questions. How had a cow ended up dead at an ICBM launch site when there were no cattle farms nearby? How had it ended up under the low branches of an old pine tree? What were they looking for when they excavated the site in the past?

Going forward, the Expedition 37 Field Notes photo-blog will include posts about ICBM and military sites along the 37th parallel. It’s been a long and strange journey- and you will agree when you read the post titled, "The Night I Killed that Cow."

37°N, 97°W: Nuclear Weapons & UFO Sightings on the 37th Parallel

37.15335°N, 98.03117°W: UFO Craft Sighting in 1975, Anthony KS

37°N, 97°W: Acts 2: 19-21