Nellis Area II
(Lake Mead Base)

Nellis Air Force Base Area II, once known as Lake Mead Base, is a separate facility about a mile northeast of the main Nellis air base on the northern outskirts of Las Vegas. Area II is a munitions storage facility for both conventional bombs and "non-conventional" munitions which reportedly include 200 nuclear warheads. Area II is dominated by a high-security triple-fenced compound encompassing several dozen earthen bunkers. Because the fence is well-lit at night, it can be easily seen from Interstate 15 and by passenger jets approaching Las Vegas. A lower security area outside this compound includes support buildings and a federal minimum security prison. Conventional weapons used in military exercises are stored in a separate area from the nuclear compound and are transported to the main Nellis air base via a secured roadway. During the years of nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site, Lake Mead Base was a storage and transfer area for atomic devices to be detonated at the Test Site.

Facilities

    Area II contains at least the following...

    • Nellis Federal Prison Camp, a federal minimum security prison occupying former Air Force dorms. This facility was said to have housed financier Michael Milken (unconfirmed). Prisoners can mix freely with Air Force personnel and could easily leave the facility through the main gate.
    • A conventional munitions facility storing bombs and other munitions for Nellis air exercises. Bombs are transported to the base over a secure roadway within Nellis property.
    • A separate and much larger "non-conventional" munitions facility presumeably housing nuclear weapons. Facility appears as several dozen bunkers on a hillside, surrounded by a massive triple-fence reminiscent of the border that once existed between East and West Germany. The fence is well-lit at night and is easily visible from I-15.
    • A depot of the 820th Red Horse engineering squadron.
    • Various support buildings and dorms. In addition to the prison, a resident "non-conventional" munitions squadron is apparently housed there.