‘Storm Area 51’ Event is a Joke, but the Military is Serious

Key points:

• Over 1 million jokingly pledge to storm Area 51 to expose the existence of aliens.
• The U.S. Air Force publicly discourages anyone from participating.
• The public continues to have a good laugh by creating memes.
• The real history of Area 51 involved flight testing.

What is the Storm Area 51 Event?

Over one million people have jokingly pledged to storm Area 51 in the hopes of finding evidence of aliens.

Area 51 has long been associated with alien activity and is frequently referenced in pop culture as a secret government base that holds aliens or alien technology.

People are signing up through a Facebook event called Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us.

However, the event is satirical and many “joining” the storm are simply having a good laugh online.

The details of the Facebook event state, “If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets,” and concludes with “Let's see them aliens.”

“Naruto running” is a reference to a Japanese anime, in which the main character runs with his arms straight back. Most of the discussion on the event page is likewise humorous.

The supposed plan is to gather a large group at the Alien Tourist center and “coordinate their entry,” with the nearest lodging being over 20 miles from Area 51’s runway.

The joke event will take place on Friday, September 20, 2019, between the local hours of 3 AM and 6 AM.

Their goal is to discover and expose the secrets of Area 51, which some speculate involves aliens.

The U.S. Air Force Responds to the Area 51 Event

Although the Facebook event is intended for humor, the U.S. Air Force publicly discouraged anyone from actually participating.

Laura McAndrews, a representative of the U.S. Air Force, told the Washington Post,

“[Area 51] is an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces. The U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets.”

On another occasion, a spokesman explained to NPR that “The U.S. Air Force is aware of the Facebook event encouraging people to ‘Storm Area 5’” and “Any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged.”

With over 1 million people attending the event on Facebook, the U.S. government is now monitoring the situation.

The internet continues to joke about Area 51

The subject of Area 51 and the government’s response make for rich comedic content. The public has largely reacted by creating memes and videos online.

On Twitter, popular hashtags to follow are #Area51 and #Theycantstopallofus. Here’s a popular “training” video of attendees preparing for the event.

Even famous brands like Burger King are poking fun at the event.

With all the humor it’s unclear how many individuals will actually attend the Storm Area 51 event and what will happen.

There’s no discernible leadership or event coordination, but some have expressed genuine interest in going.

Connie West, co-owner of a local lodge, told NPR, “Yes, it sounds like a joke, but there apparently are some people who want to check out the joke.”

She goes on to explain that several people have called her to book rooms for September 19th and 20th.

But joke or not, the U.S. Air Force stands ready to defend Area 51.

The Real History of Area 51

In 2013, the CIA formally disclosed information about Area 51. In this document, the public learned that the U.S. Air Force acquired Area 51 in 1955 to flight test the U-2 spy plane.

The U.S. government admitted to being deeply secretive about Area 51, but not for the reason of extraterrestrials. Area 51 was a secret because the U.S. was developing a plane to spy on the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The government’s effort to keep Area 51 a secret fueled public speculations that aliens were involved.

Additionally, locals reported strange objects flying high in the air, which were likely the U-2 plane. This furthered suspicions of the existence of alien technology at Area 51.

Its actual purpose is to serve as a training ground for the United States Air Force. Historically, the Air Force has used Area 51 to flight test planes.