SAC HQ

• Strategic Air Command Headquarters (SAC HQ): The SAC HQ was the command center for the United States Air Force’s Strategic Air Command, established in 1946, and was located at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. • Cold War Nerve Center: SAC HQ was responsible for overseeing America’s long-range bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) forces during the Cold War, making it one of the most important military headquarters in the world. • Hardened Command Bunker: The underground command bunker, known as the “Looking Glass,” was designed to withstand a nuclear strike, ensuring command and control of U.S. nuclear forces even in the event of an attack. • Operation Chrome Dome: SAC HQ directed Operation Chrome Dome, where nuclear-armed B-52 bombers were kept airborne 24/7 during the 1960s to ensure a retaliatory strike capability at all times. • The "Red Phone": SAC HQ maintained direct communication lines with the White House and NORAD, including the famed “red phone” for immediate crisis response. • General Curtis LeMay: One of SAC’s most famous commanders, General LeMay, revolutionized strategic bombing tactics and was instrumental in developing the U.S. nuclear deterrence strategy from SAC HQ. • Cuban Missile Crisis: During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, SAC HQ was at the highest alert level, and its bombers and missiles were prepared for immediate launch. • Global Reach: From SAC HQ, the command could launch bombers anywhere in the world within hours, exemplifying the U.S.'s global strike capability. • Legacy of the "SAC Patch": The iconic SAC shield insignia—featuring a mailed fist holding lightning bolts and an olive branch—became a symbol of American strategic might. • Transition to USSTRATCOM: With the end of the Cold War, SAC was disestablished in 1992 at a ceremony in its HQ, and its mission was transferred to the newly established United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), which still operates from Offutt AFB today.