What If We Stormed Area 51? | Unveiled

What If We Raided Area 51?

The 20th of September 2019; according to a Facebook event that’s gone viral, that’s the date a determined group will try to storm one of the world’s most secretive military bases, Area 51 in the Nevada desert, USA. It’s a location that’s been a hotbed for conspiracy theorists for decades, but is this plan even remotely feasible?

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; what if we raided Area 51?

The plan to raid Area 51 became a social media sensation in July 2019, with nearly 3 million people either “going” or “interested in” the Facebook event. It’s inspired thousands of memes and has even prompted a no-nonsense response from the United States Air Force itself, who say the military “stands ready” to counter anyone who actually shows up for the siege. Suffice to say, while the memes have proven popular, to actually storm a top-secret site manned by one of the most aggressive and expensive military forces on the planet isn’t the best idea.

The reason Area 51 is so secretive differs depending on who you’re talking to; official personnel or conspiracy theorists. The official line, the one given since the base was finally acknowledged by the CIA in 2013, is that it’s simply a test site, and has been since it was first established in 1955 - with Lockheed jets being built there. The more popular rumours, though, are that Area 51 is full to the brim with aliens, alien ships and alien technology, and that the US government is hiding their extra-terrestrial intelligence from the rest of the world.

So, with that in mind, how would a raid even materialise? Realistically, to get to Area 51 your best bet is to head to McCarran International Airport, just outside Las Vegas. Official employees reportedly get to the base via private flights from a closed-off terminal at McCarren, but there’s zero chance of anybody else flying into the area. Instead, it’s a 150-mile drive north to the small town of Rachel, which has a population of around 50. In fact, Rachel is so small that its gas station has long been out of business, and it’s never had a post office. To say it’s secluded would be an understatement!

Nevertheless, the road leading to Rachel is known as the “Extra-terrestrial Highway”, thanks to various UFO sightings that have been reported along it. Once in Rachel, most UFO hunters follow signs to Groom Lake, before encountering the first significant roadblock still miles away from the base itself. From this point forward, it’s fences, fences and more fences, plus 24/7 surveillance with hidden cameras and motion detectors and a constant patrol of armed guards. The airspace above Area 51 is also completely forbidden, with regular fight routes steering well clear of the no-fly-zone. Any pilot that does encroach into the airspace risks severe punishment, including prison time.

Despite all of the deterrents, though, trying to get into Area 51 isn’t a new idea. Ever since the first alien rumours in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the region has seen a steady stream of visitors - enough even to sustain an alien-themed diner and motel in the otherwise deserted Rachel. And plenty have tried their luck at breaking into the base before now, only to be thwarted either by guards or the local police. Trespassers can get hit with fines as high as $600, and even the use of “deadly force” is authorised along the parameter…

But, back to the proposed 2019 raid and the plan to “see them aliens”. Shortly after the event gathered pace online, the US Air Force issued statements strongly advising against it, saying that they’d “always stands ready” to protect “America and its assets”. So, the official line is an extremely uncompromising one. Were only a few dozen people to turn up to storm the site, it may simply result in those few being turned away. A few hundred, though, and the situation could quickly escalate into a severe and life-threatening situation - with warning shots, rubber bullets, arrests and potentially even fatalities. While brute force against a troupe of memers wouldn’t look great for the US, the warnings have already, and very clearly, been issued. If you’re lucky, you’ll be driven back to Rachel with a slap on the wrist, but if you’re not, you could wind up injured or incarcerated.

Then again, if you’re really lucky, is there a possibility that the raid could succeed? Historically, large enough groups of people have laid siege to and attacked a given target before. The Storming of the Bastille in 1789, for example, may have seemed about as dangerous and impossible then as breaching Area 51 does today - with the vast Bastille prison protected by a moat, a drawbridge, and no shortage of armed guards and cannons. Sure, the weaponry has changed, but the risks are in some ways similar. While the two events aren’t comparable in what they hope (or hoped) to achieve, perhaps the whole idea of raiding Area 51 is more symbolic than anything else… showing that people power can triumph and that, if the truth is out there, with enough of us together we can discover it.

So, say the raid goes ahead and the raiders are victorious. Area 51 is broken into and it’s secretes are revealed. What then? If the official line holds true, the stunt will’ve served only to reveal a base full of fancy planes, all while potentially exposing all sorts of US security secrets. But, if it’s actually the alien theorists that are proven right, and there’s a host of alien artefacts and perhaps even aliens themselves, then come September 20th 2019 all of our lives will have changed.

It would finally be revealed, without a doubt, that the US government really are hiding evidence of extra-terrestrials and - if other theories are to be believed - maybe even using them to develop advanced technology of their own. International diplomacy would hang in the balance, and we’d all be left to try and digest the irrefutable truth that we really aren’t alone in the universe. If it was found that there were living, breathing aliens in some way imprisoned at Area 51, then perhaps the wider community would rally together for their release. And then, with a dramatically improved relationship between us and the aliens, perhaps it’d finally be time for humans to join a wider, until-now-closed-off intergalactic community.

Whether it’s a top-secret military base or hangars full of UFOs, though, the idea of trying to break in is both almost impossible and fraught with genuine danger. A funny, joke Facebook event, yes. But advisable in any way, no. And that’s what would happen if we raided Area 51.