Living in Montana is great, regardless of the dangers of living here. We risk animal attacks, harsh weather, a SUPER volcano, and being a priority target in the case of a thermonuclear war. WHY? Well, it was decided that states like Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado were expendable. This means our low populations and the open country would make for lower casualties than more populated areas if struck by nuclear bombs. Something called a "nuclear sponge."

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Like a pawn on a chessboard!

The goal of a "nuclear sponge" is to distract the enemy from targeting high-population areas for a nuclear attack. Instead, the enemy would put priority on places where we house our nuclear arsenal. In an effort to stop us from dishing out a counterattack. That is why Montana is home to so many nuclear missile locations. Not only do we have a lower population than much of the lower 48, but we also have a pretty good vantage point for firing on places like China and Russia.

YouTube channel Infographics explains in detail the reason behind the USA's "nuclear sponge."

With each passing year, and the development of more and more technology, the "Minutemen II" missiles that are housed in Montana are becoming obsolete. Congress is currently working to upgrade them, using billions in taxpayer money. However, the advancement of technology and nuclear stockpiles are slowly making the "nuclear sponge" no longer a priority target. Countries like Russia could easily cover every inch of the country with strategic missile strikes.

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FEMA and the Pentagon recently declassified a document showing possible US targets, if a nuclear attack should ever be carried out. As we have known for many years, Montana is a clear target because of the amount of nuclear missiles we have buried underground in the state. Not to mention Malstrom Air Force Base being a hub for our own counter-attack.

The map shows 500 missile initial attack targets and 2000 missile secondary targets. The initial attacks all seem to be the population centers of each state. This means the biggest cities in each state are going to be vaporized first. Contrary to what we thought about Great Falls being the first to go. According to FEMA, Billings will be the first to get vaporized.

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The "Initial Attack" volley of 500 missiles is shown using purple triangles. The 2000 missile "secondary attack" is shown using black dots. You can see that most of Montana will be spared from a direct hit. Except for central Montana, which looks like a concentrated shotgun blast on the FEMA map.

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Judging by the map, it is safe to say that those of us on the outskirts of all the black dots are going to be in for quite the finale for the end of the world. Front row seats to a crazy fireworks display.

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Gallery Credit: Brian Lee

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