15. Camp David also contains secure underground situation rooms
When President George W. Bush returned to the White House on the evening of September 11, 2001, it was announced to the world Vice President Dick Cheney had been moved to a “secure location” ensuring that he and the president were not in the same location. It was to Camp David that Cheney went. Although it was a violation of established protocol, Cheney and his entourage moved into the president’s residence in Aspen Lodge, a decision made by Cheney during the helicopter trip to the camp. Bush later expressed his displeasure at the move into Aspen, which was justified by Cheney as his needing access to the underground facilities at the camp so as to continue to monitor events.
During the period when Cheney was said to be at a separate “secure location”, he made near-daily trips to Washington to participate in the meetings and decisions made in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, returning to Aspen each day. Among the facilities available to Cheney at Camp David was the underground bomb shelter, originally built by Eisenhower and upgraded over the years, a War Room, and a Command Center. Cheney, according to some disputed reports, also used the secure underground facilities at Raven Rock Mountain about seven miles away from Camp David in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
