UBL Compound Mock-up Site Found in North Carolina

     I read this article of SOFREP.com earlier this month and was surprised to see that the training compound that DEVGRU used in the weeks ahead of their now-famous raid was found using satellite imaging. Armed with the information that part of the work-up to the mission was conducted in North Carolina, some dedicated folks over at cryptome.org stumbled upon this structure:

     The training site is clearly a mock-up of the actual UBL compound. And while probably not the first time that a 1:1 scale model was built to assist in the execution of a HVT mission, it certainly must be a rarity. The site pictured above appears to be still under construction, although there is no doubt that Red Squadron probably staged some of their gear on location. For reference, here is a satellite image of the actual compound in Abbottabod

     The cryptome.org folks found the site using Bing's satellite imaging database. When the same coordinates were plugged into Google's, the compound had disappeared. Its not really surprising that the military would pull down the mock-up, both because it no longer serves a functional use and due to the still-secretive nature of the mission and the operators who pulled it off. 

     While the compound and the mock-up would be fascinating to tour, that is a distant reality. Regardless, I hear that at SC Village Paintball in Corona, CA plans are in the works to build their own replica of the UBL compound for its customers to play on. The project is allegedly going to cost in the ballpark of $250,000.