About Nekoma Pyramid
A huge truncated concrete pyramid rises from the flat farmland near Nekoma with radar faces staring in four directions. It looks like a fortress built for a science-fiction war, which is close to the truth.
The pyramid was the Missile Site Radar at the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, the centerpiece of the United States Army’s only deployed Safeguard anti-ballistic missile installation. The system used large phased-array radars and nuclear-armed Spartan and Sprint interceptor missiles to defend nearby Minuteman missile fields against incoming ballistic warheads.
Safeguard reached full operational capability on September 28, 1975. Its fully operational life was astonishingly short. Congress moved toward termination almost immediately, and the ballistic missile defense mission formally ended in February 1976. Missiles and classified components were removed, leaving the massive hardened structures behind.
The federal government eventually disposed of the former complex, and Department of Defense records show the remaining 600 acres were sold to private purchasers in 2013. The pyramid is therefore not an unrestricted public attraction. Ownership and access can change, and visitors should never enter the property without explicit permission. The best rule is simple: admire the giant Cold War pyramid only from lawful public locations unless current owners authorize something more.