In the early 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands built a coordination bunker for Western European air defense under the Brussels Pact. When the bunker was finally completed, the newly formed NATO installed its own system, and the bunker in Kemmel remained unused. It was not until 1963 that the Supreme Command of the Belgian Armed Forces decided to use the bunker as a headquarters in the event of war, conflict, or exercises.