Right. Let's get this over with. You want history? You want facts? Fine. Just don't expect me to enjoy reciting them. And if you think this is just some dry recitation of dates and names, you're missing the point. Every one of these facts is a consequence, a ripple from a stone thrown into the pond of human conflict.
1946–1992 US Air Force Major Command
For the film, see Strategic Air Command (film). For the command from 2009, see Air Force Global Strike Command.
Strategic Air Command
Shield of Strategic Air Command
Active 1947–1992: US Air Force 1946–1947: US Army Air Forces
Country United States Branch United States Air Force Type Major Command / Specified Command Garrison/HQ 9 November 1948: Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska 21 October 1946: Andrews Field, Maryland 21 March 1946: Bolling Field, District of Columbia
Motto "Peace is Our Profession" March "Strategic Air Command March" [1]
Commanders Notable commanders: Gen Curtis LeMay, Gen John Dale Ryan
Insignia Shield (subdued)
Military unit
Strategic Air Command, or SAC as it was chillingly known, was the blunt instrument of American strategic power for the better part of the Cold War. Active from 1946 until its dissolution in 1992, it was both a Specified Command within the United States Department of Defense and a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force. Its mandate was clear, and frankly, terrifying: the command and control of the nation's strategic nuclear forces. This meant the strategic bomber fleets, the intercontinental ballistic missile forces, and the crucial support elements like strategic reconnaissance aircraft, airborne command posts, and a significant portion of the USAF's aerial refueling capacity. SAC was the embodiment of "deterrence," a word that means "we have the ability to end your existence, so you'd better behave."
The backbone of SAC was its numbered air forces: the Second Air Force (2AF), the Eighth Air Force (8AF), and the Fifteenth Air Force (15AF). Its headquarters, HQ SAC, was a labyrinth of directorates, managing everything from Operations & Plans and Intelligence to Command & Control, Maintenance, Training, Communications, and Personnel. Beneath that, specialized divisions like Aircraft Engineering, Missile Concept, [3] and Strategic Communications ensured the gears of the massive machine kept turning. At its zenith, SAC commanded an imposing force of 37 wings, organized under Air Divisions. This wasn't just a collection of planes; it was a testament to the terrifying potential of human ingenuity. We're talking 316 B-52 Stratofortress bombers, capable of delivering unimaginable destruction. Add to that 56 FB-111 Aardvarks, 14 EC-135 'Looking Glass' command and control aircraft, a fleet of 615 KC-135 Stratotankers for extended reach, several E-4 'Nightwatch' planes for airborne command, and the chilling array of 48 LGM-25C Titan II and a thousand Minuteman II and III intercontinental ballistic missiles. [4] [5] This was the arsenal that kept the other side awake at night.
The end of the Cold War brought about a significant restructuring of the U.S. Air Force, and SAC, as it was, ceased to exist in 1992. It was disestablished as both a Specified Command and a MAJCOM. Its personnel and equipment were absorbed by other commands: the Air Combat Command (ACC), the Air Mobility Command (AMC), Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), and the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). SAC's imposing headquarters complex at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, found a new purpose, becoming the home of the newly formed United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), a joint Unified Combatant Command designed to consolidate the nation's strategic nuclear posture. The SAC name, however, wasn't entirely relegated to history. In 2009, it was reactivated and redesignated as the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), inheriting the mantle of commanding all USAF bomber aircraft and the intercontinental ballistic missile force, effectively picking up where its predecessor left off. [6]
Background
The insignia of the Strategic Air Forces of the United States during World War II included General Carl Spaatz's European command, United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF), which comprised the 8AF and 15AF. In the Pacific, there was the United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAT) and its Twentieth Air Force (20AF). [7] These were the precursors, the foundational elements that would eventually coalesce into the behemoth that was SAC.
The U.S. Army Air Forces had already engaged in extensive strategic bombing campaigns during World War II. In the European Theater, this included the VIII Bomber Command, which launched the first European "heavy bomber" attack by the USAAF on 17 August 1942. The Ninth Air Force was involved in Operation Crossbow "No-Ball" missions as early as 5 December 1943, [8] while the Twelfth Air Force and the Fifteenth Air Force executed bombing operations, such as the bombing of Wiener Neustadt on 2 November 1943 during Operation Pointblank. The air plan for Operation Overlord, the strategic bombing of Germany and its forces in preparation for the 1944 invasion of France, saw the coordination of multiple Air Forces, primarily from the USAAF and the Royal Air Force (RAF). Command of these operations eventually transitioned to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force on 14 April 1944.
Even as the war drew to a close, planning for a postwar, independent U.S. Air Force was underway. By the fall of 1945, the Simpson Board was tasked with charting this new course, "...the reorganization of the Army and the Air Force...". [9] This foresight led to a consensus in January 1946 between Generals Eisenhower and Spaatz regarding the Air Force's future structure. It was envisioned as comprising the Strategic Air Command, the Air Defense Command, the Tactical Air Command, the Air Transport Command, and the supporting commands like the Air Technical Service Command, Air Training Command, the Air University, and the Air Force Applied Tactics School. [9] It was a grand vision, laying the groundwork for a force that would shape global politics for decades.
Establishment and Transfer to USAF
Boeing B-47B Stratojet executing a rocket-assisted take off (RATO) on 15 April 1954. A testament to the technological leaps of the era.
• For a list of the 32 "airfields and installations" for which SAC assumed jurisdiction [10] on 21 March 1946, see Strategic Air Command bases.
Strategic Air Command's origins trace back to the U.S. Army Air Forces on 21 March 1946. It was established upon the redesignation of Continental Air Forces (CAF), the wartime command responsible for the air defense of the continental United States (CONUS). At that time, the CAF headquarters was situated at Bolling Field (later Bolling AFB) in the District of Columbia. SAC inherited these facilities, but it wasn't long before the command moved its headquarters (HQ SAC) to nearby Andrews Field (later Andrews AFB), Maryland. It operated as a tenant there until it assumed full control of Andrews Field in October 1946. [11]
SAC initially comprised 37,000 USAAF personnel, a substantial force for the time. [12] Beyond Bolling Field and Andrews Field, SAC also took charge of:
• Roswell AAF, New Mexico (later renamed Roswell AFB, then Walker AFB), which housed the USAAF's sole nuclear-capable bomb wing. This was a critical asset, signaling the dawn of the nuclear age for air power.
• Smoky Hill AAF, Kansas (later renamed Smoky Hill AFB, then Schilling AFB).
In addition to these, seven other CAF bases were transferred to SAC on 21 March 1946, and they remained under SAC's operational umbrella even after the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as an independent service in 1947. These installations included:
• Castle Field, California (later Castle Air Force Base)
• Clovis AAF, New Mexico (later Cannon Air Force Base)
• Fort Worth AAF, Texas (later Carswell Air Force Base)
• Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona (later Davis-Monthan Air Force Base)
• Rapid City AAF, South Dakota (later Ellsworth Air Force Base)
• MacDill Field, Florida (later MacDill Air Force Base)
• Mountain Home AAF, Idaho (later Mountain Home Air Force Base)
On 31 March 1946, another significant installation was brought under SAC's command:
• Kirtland Field, New Mexico (later Kirtland Air Force Base)
Under the command of General George C. Kenney, the first Commander in Chief of SAC, the initial units reporting to headquarters on 21 March 1946 included the Second Air Force, the IX Troop Carrier Command, and the 73d Air Division.
The Fifteenth Air Force was assigned to SAC on 31 March, with its 263rd Army Air Force Base Unit—along with SAC's radar detachments [13]—transferring directly under HQ SAC on the same date. The IX Troop Carrier Command, however, was inactivated on that day, its assets absorbed by SAC. Even with the ongoing postwar demobilization, which saw eight of the ten assigned bomb groups inactivated before the Eighth Air Force joined SAC on 7 June 1946, SAC pressed on. The command focused on the training and evaluation of bomber crews and units that remained active. Radar Bomb Scoring became the preferred method for assessing bomber crew performance. In 1946, 888 simulated bomb runs were scored, a number that would escalate to 2,449 by 1947. [15] [13] In the shadow of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, SAC became the focal point of the nation's nuclear strike capability. This strategic importance was underscored by Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Publication 1259/27 on 12 December 1946, which stipulated that "...the 'air atomic' strategic air force should only come under the orders of the JCS." [7]
Beyond its primary bombing mission, SAC also dedicated significant resources to aerial reconnaissance. In 1946, its reconnaissance fleet consisted of F-2 photo variants of the C-45 Expeditor. By 1947, however, SAC had acquired an F-9C squadron, comprising twelve photo-reconnaissance variants of the B-17G Flying Fortress. An F-13 squadron, later re-designated as the RB-29 Superfortress, was also established. SAC conducted routine reconnaissance missions near Soviet borders or within the 12-mile international waters limit, though some missions did venture into Soviet airspace. These flights, conducted at altitudes above 30,000 feet and speeds exceeding 300 knots, made interception by Soviet forces difficult until the introduction of the MiG-15 jet fighter in 1948. [16] Project Nanook, the first classified reconnaissance effort of the Cold War, utilized early RB-29 missions for mapping and visual reconnaissance in the Arctic and along the northern Soviet coast. Subsequent projects included LEOPARD along the Chukchi Peninsula, followed by RICKRACK, STONEWORK, and COVERALLS. [17]
In 1946, the United States possessed a mere nine atomic bombs, with only twenty-seven B-29s capable of delivering them at any given time. [18] Furthermore, it was later revealed that a nuclear strike by the 509th Composite Bomb Group between 1947 and 1948 would have required five to six days just to transfer custody of the bombs from United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) sites, deploy the aircraft, and prepare for launch. [19] [20] The relentless budget and personnel cuts following the war had a corrosive effect on SAC. Major General Clements McMullen, the Deputy Commander, implemented mandated force reductions, leading to a significant decline in SAC's operational readiness. By the end of 1947, only two of SAC's eleven groups were considered combat-ready. [7] After the 1948 Bikini Atoll nuclear tests, the "Half Moon" Joint Emergency War Plan, developed in May 1948, [21] proposed dropping 50 atomic bombs on twenty Soviet cities. [18] : 68 President Harry S. Truman approved this plan during the Berlin Blockade in June 1948, [18] : 68–9 and B-29s were subsequently sent to Europe in July. [22] SAC also deployed special ELINT RB-29s to detect improved Soviet radars and, in collaboration with the 51st Air Force Base Unit, monitored radioactive fallout from Soviet atomic testing on Novaya Zemlya.
In terms of infrastructure and resource allocation, SAC continued to absorb an ever-increasing share of USAF resources and budget. In 1947, prior to the USAF's establishment as a distinct service, construction began on Limestone AAF, Maine (later renamed Loring AFB), a new SAC installation specifically designed to accommodate the colossal B-36 Peacemaker. Between 30 April and 1 September 1947, Fort Dix AAF, New Jersey (later McGuire AFB); Spokane AAF, Washington (later Fairchild AFB); and Wendover Field, Utah (later Wendover AFB) were also transferred to SAC. Following the USAF's establishment as an independent service, SAC's bases within the United States [23] included:
• Castle Air Force Base, California
• Patrick Air Force Base, Florida [24]
• Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico
• Carswell Air Force Base, Texas
• Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
• Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota
• MacDill Air Force Base, Florida
• Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho
• Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico
• Loring Air Force Base, Maine
• McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey
• Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington
• Wendover Air Force Base, Utah
The following bases were subsequently added to SAC in the United States [23]:
• 1 July 1948: Topeka Air Force Base, Kansas (later Forbes Air Force Base)
• 1 October 1948: Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
• 1 October 1948: Biggs Air Force Base, Texas
• 1 July 1947: Castle Air Force Base, California
• 21 March 1949: Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas
• 1 May 1949: March Air Force Base, California
• 1 May 1949: Fairfield-Suisun AFB, California (later Travis Air Force Base)
• 1 November 1949: Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana [25] : 59
• 29 September 1950: Hunter Air Force Base, Georgia
• 1 November 1950: Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico
• 1 February 1951: Lake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana (later Chennault Air Force Base)
• 1 March 1951: Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio (later Rickenbacker Air Force Base)
• 23 July 1951: George Air Force Base, California
• 1 August 1951: Sedalia Air Force Base, Missouri (later Whiteman Air Force Base)
• 1 September 1951: Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida (later McCoy Air Force Base)
• 20 May 1952: Dow Air Force Base, Maine
• 5 January 1953: Homestead Air Force Base, Florida
• 15 February 1953: Loring Air Force Base, Maine
• 18 December 1953: Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana
• 1 February 1954: Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska
• 21 June 1954: Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma
• 1 February 1955: Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
• 1 February 1955: Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York
• 1 February 1955: Portsmouth Air Force Base, New Hampshire (later Pease Air Force Base)
• 15 March 1955: Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base, Oklahoma
• 1 April 1955: Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts
• 1 April 1955: Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi
• 15 April 1956: Abilene Air Force Base, Texas (later Dyess Air Force Base)
• 1 May 1956: Turner Air Force Base, Georgia
• 1 July 1956: Beale Air Force Base, California
• 1 April 1957: Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
• 5 June 1957: Richard I. Bong Air Force Base, Wisconsin (base never completed; declared excess 23 August 1960)
• 1 September 1957: Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana (later Grissom Air Force Base)
• 1 January 1958: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
• 1 February 1958: Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming
• 1 April 1958: Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas (later Eaker Air Force Base)
• 1 August 1958: Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan
• 1 January 1960: Larson Air Force Base, Washington
• 1 April 1960: Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana
• 1 July 1962: Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota
• 1 July 1963: Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota
• 1 January 1964: K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan
• 1 October 1968: Kincheloe Air Force Base, Michigan
• 1 July 1970: Griffiss Air Force Base, New York
• 1 July 1972: McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas
• 1 October 1979: Peterson AFB, Colorado and various BMEWS and SSN radar stations
In addition to its own operational bases, SAC maintained wings at installations under the control of other USAF Major Commands. These included tenant wings at:
• Amarillo AFB, Texas
• Eglin AFB, Florida
• Lowry AFB, Colorado
• Mather AFB, California
• Robins AFB, Georgia
• Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina
• Sheppard AFB, Texas
• Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
SAC also often retained a presence at former SAC bases that had since been transferred to other commands. This included:
• Altus AFB, Oklahoma
• Laughlin AFB, Texas
• MacDill AFB, Florida
• Homestead AFB, Florida
• Travis AFB, California
Run-up to Korea and Start of the Cold War
The RB-29 "Kee Bird" made an emergency landing in Greenland after a secret 1947 mission. This image encapsulates the daring, often perilous, nature of early Cold War reconnaissance.
11th Bombardment Wing Convair B-36J-5-CF Peacemaker, AF Ser. No. 52-2225, circa 1955, showing "Six turnin', four burnin'". The B-36 was a symbol of SAC's early strategic might, a truly colossal machine.
93 BW B-52Bs at Castle AFB after the 1957 fastest round-the-world flight. This demonstrated the global reach and endurance SAC aimed to achieve.
SAC was officially transferred to the newly established United States Air Force on 26 September 1947, the very day the USAF became an independent service. Under its direct control were the 8th and 15th Air Forces, along with the 311th Air Division, the 4th Fighter Wing, the 82nd Fighter Wing, the 307th Bomb Wing, and two reconnaissance units: the 311th Reconnaissance Wing and the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron. [26] The 56th Fighter Wing was soon added to SAC's roster on 1 October 1947.
Following the USAF's inception, most SAC installations within the United States underwent a renaming process, shifting from "AAF" designations to "Air Force Base" by late 1947 and into 1948. Non-U.S. installations were likewise re-designated as "Air Base." [27] [28]
In May 1948, SAC's "Red" strike force participated in an exercise against Air Defense Command's "Blue" force, simulating attacks on targets along the Eastern Seaboard down to Virginia. [29] : 77 After a highly critical 1948 review of SAC operations by Charles A. Lindbergh, which scrutinized both air operations and six SAC bases, [7] General Kenney was removed from command on 15 October 1948 [30] and replaced on 19 October 1948 by Lieutenant General Curtis LeMay, then commander of the 8th Air Force. LeMay inherited a command with only 60 nuclear-capable aircraft, none possessing a realistic range against the Soviet Union. [31] LeMay's ambition was for SAC to be able to deliver 80% of its weapons in a single, decisive mission. [32] The B-29D, which had been redesignated the B-50 in December 1945, [33] began its delivery to SAC in June 1948. [34] This was soon followed by the arrival of SAC's first Convair B-36 Peacemaker bomber at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, in September 1948. [35]
In November 1948, LeMay orchestrated the relocation of SAC headquarters and its command post from Andrews AFB, Maryland, to Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The command moved into "A Building," a three-story facility previously utilized by the Glenn L. Martin Company during World War II. Concurrently, LeMay significantly increased SAC's Radar Bomb Scoring (RBS) efforts, conducting 12,084 runs in that year alone. [13] SAC also bolstered its organic fighter escort capabilities, replacing its World War II-era piston-engine F-51D Mustang and F-82E Twin Mustang fighters with the more advanced F-84G Thunderjet. In January 1949, SAC conducted simulated raids against Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The assessments of these exercises were, according to reports, "appalling," [32] [30] despite explicit instructions from Major General McMullen, SAC's deputy commander, to improve operational effectiveness. To foster a competitive spirit and enhance performance, SAC established the first "Bomb Comp" in 1948, an event that would become a prestigious competition. The inaugural winners were the 43rd Bombardment Group for the unit award and a B-29 team from the 509th Bombardment Group for aircrew achievement. [36] Recognizing the global nature of its mission, SAC also opened its own survival school at Camp Carson, Colorado, in 1949. This school later relocated to Stead AFB, Nevada, in 1952 before being transferred to the Air Training Command in 1954. [25]
SAC also developed Emergency War Plan 1–49 (EWP 1–49). This plan detailed the delivery of 133 atomic bombs—essentially the entire stockpile at the time—in a single, massive attack against 70 Soviet cities over a 30-day period. [37] The first Soviet atomic bomb test occurred on 29 August 1949. In response, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) identified SAC's primary objective as crippling the Soviet Union's nuclear delivery capability. Their secondary objective was to halt any Soviet advances into Western Europe, with the industrial destruction mission from EWP 1–49 relegated to a tertiary priority.
Korean War
In July 1950, in response to the outbreak of hostilities on the Korean peninsula, SAC deployed ten nuclear-capable bombers to Guam and stationed four B-29 bomber wings in Korea for tactical operations. This deployment, however, drew a wry comment from SAC commander LeMay, who felt it "whittled off too many splinters from the [deterrence] stick." [31]
Initial successes by SAC's B-29s against North Korea in the summer of 1950 were met with stiff resistance from Soviet MiG-15 fighter-interceptors. Consequently, SAC's 27th Fighter Escort Wing began escorting bombers with its F–84 Thunderjets. [38] Following the arrival of three SAC radar bomb scoring (RBS) squadron detachments (Dets C, K, & N) in Pusan in September 1950, ground-directed bombing (GDB) was employed for close air support (CAS) missions. In 1951, SAC began to "eliminate its combat groups," transferring medium bombardment groups "to Far East Air Forces (FEAF) Bomber Command for combat." [38] LeMay, a relentless advocate for SAC's role, convinced the Air Staff in 1951 to grant SAC approval authority over nuclear targets, [39] : 18 and he continued to resist submitting war plans for JCS review, a stance the JCS eventually accepted. [39] : 37 (By 1960, out of 20,000 potential targets, SAC had designated 3,560, primarily Soviet air defense installations like airfields and suspected missile sites.) [39] : 60
Aerial refueling, a concept experimented with before World War II, was refined by SAC into a critical operational art. SAC's in-flight refueling mission commenced in July 1952. In a landmark operation, its 31st Fighter-Escort Wing refueled sixty F-84G Thunderjets from Turner AFB, Georgia, to Travis AFB, California, non-stop. This feat was accomplished using fuel from twenty-four KB-29P Superfortresses that had been modified into aerial tankers. Exercise FOX PETER ONE further demonstrated this capability, with 31st FEW fighters being refueled en route to Hawaii, reaching Hickam AFB. [40] The operational tempo remained high: on 15 March 1953, an RB-50 from the 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron returned fire on a Soviet MiG-15. Tragically, a 343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron RB-50 was shot down over the Sea of Japan just two days after the Korean Armistice. Further incidents occurred, including an RB-29 being shot down near Hokkaido Island in northern Japan on 7 November 1954. By the time of the Korean War cease-fire on 27 July 1953, SAC B-29s had flown over 21,000 sorties, dropping nearly 167,000 tons of bombs. The cost was significant: thirty-four B-29s were lost in combat [41] and an additional forty-eight were lost due to damage or crashes.
Cold War and Massive Retaliation
The Titan II missile launching from Site 395-C, a test launch silo at Vandenberg AFB. A stark symbol of the nuclear standoff. The Strategic Air Command logo on a B-47 displayed at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, Georgia.
SAC's first jet strategic bomber was the swept-wing B-47 medium bomber, entering service in 1951 and becoming operational within SAC in 1953. The B-47 was a key component of the October 1953 New Look strategy, which articulated a doctrine of deterrence based on the threat of "massive retaliation." The strategy emphasized that the primary purpose of air defense was not necessarily to intercept incoming bombers, but rather to provide sufficient warning for SAC to launch its retaliatory strike, thus ensuring "massive retaliation" against an aggressor. [29] [44]
Concerns about a potential "bomber gap" intensified after the 1955 Soviet Aviation Day flyovers, which showcased advanced Soviet aircraft. The Soviets also rejected the "Open Skies" Treaty proposed at the Geneva Summit on 21 July 1955. US bomber strength peaked around this time, with "over 2,500 bombers" in service. This included the production of "over 2,000 B-47s and almost 750 B-52s." By 1956, B-47s constituted 50% of SAC's aircraft and 80% of its bombers. [11] : 104
To enhance its reconnaissance capabilities, SAC received several RB-57D Canberra aircraft in April 1956, initially based at Turner AFB, Georgia. [45] In 1957, these aircraft were forward deployed to Rhein-Main Air Base in West Germany to conduct reconnaissance missions along the borders of the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations. However, this deployment inadvertently led to frequent interceptions of these classified missions by Hawker Hunter fighters of the Royal Air Force stationed in the UK and Europe as the RB-57s returned to Rhein-Main. [45]
As a medium bomber, the B-47 Stratojet prioritized speed over range. To compensate for this shorter range and enable the B-47 fleet to effectively reach Soviet targets, SAC routinely deployed its US-based B-47 wings to overseas forward operating bases in North Africa, Spain, and Turkey. This program, known as Operation Reflex, ran from 1957 to 1966. SAC's Sixteenth Air Force (16AF), permanently stationed in Europe, held tactical and administrative control over these forward-deployed aircraft and units. [34] Beginning in 1955, SAC also placed a portion of its bomber and aerial refueling aircraft on 24-hour alert status, either on the ground or airborne. By 1960, one-third of SAC's bombers and tankers were on continuous alert, with crews and aircraft ready to take off within fifteen minutes from designated alert pads. Alert bombers were armed with nuclear weapons, and tankers were fully fueled for maximum combat offload. [46]
"The Martin Company: Ten Years to Remember" (1964). Official USAF ICBM development promotional film reel.
In parallel with the increased alert posture, SAC intensified its efforts to hone strategic bombing skills. The 1955 SAC Bombing and Navigation Competition utilized radar bomb scoring (RBS) runs over locations such as Amarillo, Denver, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, and San Antonio. [47] The 1957 competition, nicknamed "Operation Longshot," featured three targets: Atlanta, Kansas City, and St. Louis. [50] This practice of employing RBS with simulated target areas, utilizing mobile and fixed scoring sites near major cities, industrial centers, military installations, and dedicated ranges across the United States, continued through successive SAC competitions into the 1980s. Starting in the late 1950s, these competitions expanded to include participants from the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command and, after 30 April 1968, its successor, RAF Strike Command.
Nuclear Bunkers, SAC Ground Alert, and Transfer of SAC's Fighter-Escort Wings
• For the underground NORAD and aboveground Pentagon command posts, see Cheyenne Mountain Complex and National Military Command Center.
Strategic Air Command Headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. A symbol of centralized strategic command. U.S. President Jimmy Carter visiting Strategic Air Command's Headquarters.
Described as the "Western Pentagon," Building 500 at Offutt AFB was a purpose-built headquarters complex for SAC, featuring a four-story above-ground structure and an adjacent, segregated three-story underground command post. Construction began in 1955, and SAC headquarters relocated from the A Building to Building 500 in 1957. The underground nuclear bunker boasted 24-inch thick walls and floors, 10-inch intermediate floors, and a 24-to-42-inch thick roof. It housed a war room equipped with six 16-foot data display screens and could sustain up to 800 personnel for two weeks. [22] The bunker also contained an IBM 704 computer, used for generating monthly weather forecasts for targets, calculating fuel consumption, and modeling fallout patterns for planning strike and egress routes. [51]
In 1957, SAC also constructed The Notch, an alternate command facility known as the 8th Air Force Combat Operations Center (COC) and the Westover Communications Annex, operating as a sub-post of Westover AFB. Located on Bare Mountain, Massachusetts, this three-story nuclear bunker featured three-foot thick walls, 1.5-foot thick steel blast doors, and was situated 20 feet underground, designed to protect 350 individuals for 35 days. [52] The Notch was decommissioned as a SAC facility in 1970 when the 8th Air Force was relocated to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.
Despite these significant investments in hardened command and control infrastructure, the 1957 Gaither Commission highlighted the vulnerability of SAC's bombers, stating there was "little likelihood of SAC's bombers surviving [a Soviet first strike] since there was no way to detect an incoming attack until the first [Soviet nuclear weapon] warhead landed." [53] In response, SAC bombers and tankers began armed ground alert status on 1 October 1957. [54] In another significant organizational shift, SAC's fighter escort wings were transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC) between 1957 and 1958. [55] Finally, during Exercise Fir Fly in January 1958, SAC "faker" aircraft (twelve B-47s) simulated bombing strikes against metropolitan areas and military installations within the United States, which were defended by Air Defense Command's 28th Air Division. [56]
Nuclear Missiles, Aircrew Readiness, Airborne Alert, and Strategic Reconnaissance
Minuteman ICBM crew on alert in a launch complex at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The silent, deadly guardians of the peace. SAC received its first Lockheed U-2 aircraft in June 1957. This high-altitude reconnaissance platform was crucial for intelligence gathering.
Following the activation of SAC's 1st Missile Division on 18 March 1957, SAC HQ established the Office of Assistant CINCSAC (SAC MIKE) at the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division in California on 1 January 1958. SAC MIKE was tasked with liaison for missile development. [57] The intermediate-range Jupiter and Thor missiles were transferred to SAC for alert duty in 1958. [58]
From 1 February 1958, a SAC Liaison Team was stationed at the NORAD Command Post at Ent AFB, Colorado. The two commands agreed to establish direct landline communications connecting SAC bases with NORAD's Air Defense Direction Centers. [56] In the late 1950s, SAC continued to enhance its intelligence collection capabilities and develop innovative strategies for force survivability against surprise attacks. From 1958 to approximately 1967, a SAC Detachment (TUSLOG Det 50) operated at Incirlik AB, Turkey, monitoring Soviet missile telemetry from the Kapustin Yar and Tyuratam launch complexes. In 1959–60, SAC evaluated the feasibility of deploying Minuteman I ICBMs via civilian railroad tracks using USAF-operated locomotives and trains, a concept known as Mobile Minuteman.
President Eisenhower approved the first Atlas ICBM launch by a SAC crew on 9 September 1959, at Vandenberg AFB. [59] As missile operations expanded, robust training for flight crews to ensure survivability during strike missions remained a priority. In some instances, SAC bombers would engage ADC fighter-interceptors simulating Soviet interceptors. Conversely, SAC supported ADC readiness by simulating Soviet bomber threats to the continental United States, to which ADC fighters would respond. However, following a mid-air collision between an ADC F-102 and a SAC B-47 during a 17 December 1959 exercise, simulated NORAD fighter attacks against SAC bombers were prohibited. [60] : 63
On 18 March 1960, SAC intercontinental missiles began their alert status at the Snark Missile Launch Complex near Presque Isle AFB, Maine. The following month, on 22 April 1960, SAC transferred the last British-based PGM-17 Thor IRBM to the Royal Air Force. Shortly thereafter, SAC's first Titan I ICBMs were placed on alert in June at Lowry AFB's Titan I Missile Complex 1A in Colorado.
Beginning in November 1959, to counter Soviet surface-to-air missile threats, SAC incorporated low-altitude bombing training for its manned bomber force, supplementing its traditional high-altitude training. This involved utilizing low-level flight corridors known as "Oil Burner" routes (later renamed "Olive Branch" routes in the 1970s). [61] The first of three SAC RBS trains was deployed in 1960. On 30 June 1960, SAC maintained 696 aircraft on alert within the Zone of Interior (ZI), also known as the Continental United States (CONUS), and at overseas bases. These aircraft included 113 B-52s, 346 B-47s, 85 KC-135s, and 152 KC-97s. SAC's Emergency War Order (EWO) mandated that the first aircraft be airborne within 8 minutes and all aircraft within 15 minutes of notification. [62] During the mid-1950s, SAC drew upon experienced combat veteran pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and aircrew from World War II and the Korean War, recalling them from inactive reserve status. SAC played a pivotal role in integrating the Air Force's reserve components into its overall structure. By the early 1960s, SAC had also arranged for the assignment of KC-97 Stratofreighter aerial refueling aircraft to Air National Guard groups and wings, bringing them under SAC's operational purview.
On 11 August 1960, President Eisenhower approved the establishment of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff (JSTPS), co-located at SAC headquarters at Offutt AFB. [63] The JSTPS was responsible for preparing the Single Integrated Operation Plan, or SIOP, and the National Strategic Target List for nuclear warfare, incorporating input from various non-SAC agencies. On 1 July 1960, a SAC RB-47 carrying a six-man crew was shot down in international airspace over the Barents Sea by a Soviet MiG-19. Four crew members perished, while the two survivors were captured and held in Lubyanka Prison in Moscow for seven months. [64] On 3 February 1961, SAC's Boeing EC-135 Looking Glass aircraft began operations [65] as the Airborne Command Post for the Nuclear Triad and the Post-Attack Command and Control System. From that date until 24 July 1990, SAC maintained at least one Looking Glass aircraft continuously airborne, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This airborne command post carried an embarked SAC general officer and battle staff, ready to assume command of all strategic nuclear strike forces should SAC headquarters be destroyed in a Soviet first strike. [66] SAC's airborne alerts also included Operation Chrome Dome, which involved bombers and tankers. Though ostensibly a peacetime mission, Chrome Dome placed significant demands on flight crews, and five B-52 aircraft were lost in airborne mishaps during its eight-year duration.
EC-135 Looking Glass aircraft. A lifeline in the event of nuclear catastrophe. B-58A Hustler supersonic bomber. A technological marvel, but ultimately too specialized and expensive.
On 11 May 1961, SAC received its first B-58 Hustler supersonic medium bomber, assigning it to the 305th Bombardment Wing at Bunker Hill AFB. Designed for high-altitude, high-speed penetration of Soviet airspace, the B-58 was vulnerable to advancements in Soviet high-altitude surface-to-air missile systems. It proved expensive to operate and inefficient at lower altitudes. Its service in SAC was relatively short, eventually being replaced by the FB-111 by 1970. An overhead view of two SAC FB-111As in formation. A versatile, if controversial, aircraft.
Following SAC's development in early 1961 of a Radar Bomb Scoring (RBS) field kit for use with the U.S. Army's Nike surface-to-air missile systems, [67] SAC aircraft conducted numerous mock penetrations into Air Defense Command sectors during the 1961 SAGE/Missile Master test program. [68] SAC also participated in the joint SAC-NORAD Sky Shield II exercise followed by Sky Shield III on 2 September 1962. [69]
KC-135 refueling a B-52D in 1965, the year the last KC-135 was delivered to SAC. [70] B-52D dropping bombs over Vietnam, circa 1970. A stark reminder of SAC's dual role.
In 1961, in the wake of the Berlin Crisis, President John F. Kennedy increased the number of SAC aircraft on alert to 50 percent. [7] During periods of heightened tensions, SAC maintained some B-52s airborne as a deterrent against surprise attack. [71] In 1962, SAC gained full control of the various "Q Areas" established by Sandia Laboratories for nuclear weapon storage adjacent to Loring AFB (Site E (Maine)/Caribou AFS), Ellsworth AFB (Site F (South Dakota)/Rushmore AFS), Fairchild AFB (Site G (Washington)/Deep Creek AFS), Travis AFB (Site H (California)/Fairfield AFS), and Westover AFB (Site I (Massachusetts)/Stony Brook AFS). These sites were subsequently converted into USAF-operated and maintained weapon storage areas (WSAs), mirroring those on other SAC bases. [22]
The solid-fuel LGM-30A Minuteman I ICBM was first deployed in 1962, followed by the LGM-25C Titan II entering operational service in 1963. [41] Project Added Effort began phasing out all first-generation ICBMs on 1 May 1964, with the Atlas-D missiles being taken off alert at Vandenberg AFB's 576th SMS. [72] The LGM-30F Minuteman II replaced the Minuteman I in 1965. In October 1962, a SAC BRASS KNOB mission U-2 piloted by Major Richard S. Heyser detected Soviet intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Cuba, triggering the Cuban Missile Crisis. BRASS KNOB operations, involving multiple U-2 aircraft, were subsequently established at a forward operating location at McCoy AFB, Florida. On the morning of 27 October, a SAC RB-47H from the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, forward deployed to Kindley AFB, Bermuda, crashed on takeoff, resulting in the deaths of all four crew members. Later that afternoon, a 4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron U-2, deployed to McCoy AFB for BRASS KNOB operations, was shot down over Cuba by an SA-2 Guideline missile, killing the pilot, Major Rudolf Anderson. [65]
Throughout the early 1960s, the Kennedy Administration, under Secretary of Defense McNamara, canceled numerous SAC modernization programs. This included the Mach 3 North American B-70 Valkyrie in 1961, the GAM-87 Skybolt missile in 1962, and the Rocky Mountain Deep Underground Support Center in 1963. The B-70's cancellation stemmed from its design limitations for low-altitude penetration, making it vulnerable to emerging Soviet SAMs. Skybolt, an air-launched ballistic missile, was scrapped after numerous test failures and the perceived greater reliability of land-based and submarine-based ballistic missile systems. Although entering service in 1957, SAC's second-generation aerial refueling aircraft, the KC-135 Stratotanker, had reached sufficient numbers to allow SAC to begin divesting its KC-97 Stratofreighter tankers, transferring them to SAC-gained Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units. As the KC-135 became the primary aerial tanker, SAC utilized it for several non-stop B-52 and KC-135 global flights, demonstrating SAC's reduced reliance on forward bases in Spain and Britain. [31] : 108
SAC SR-71 Blackbirds & U-2s deployed to the Vietnam War and conducted "Lucky Dragon" surveillance along North Vietnam and China borders (later named "Trojan Horse", "Olympic Torch", "Senior Book", and "Giant Dragon"). These missions provided vital intelligence in a complex theater.
Vietnam War and Latter Half of the Cold War
SAC's Air War in Vietnam
After Secretary of Defense rejected LeMay's November 1964 proposal for a "...strategic air campaign against 94 targets in North Vietnam...", thirty SAC B-52Fs were deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, on 17 February 1965, marking the first increment of SAC aircraft committed to the Vietnam War. [7] The following month, in March 1965, the Strategic Air Command Advanced Echelon (SACADVON) [73] was established as a liaison unit for CINCSAC at MACV Headquarters to support the B-52 effort. [74] On 23 May 1965, SAC B-52Fs began unarmed missions for radar mapping "...and later to test bombing with the assistance of ground homing beacons..." [75] SAC initiated saturation bombing [76] on 18 June 1965 [77] (averaging 8,000 tons per month in 1966) [78] and conducted Operation Arc Light missions from 1965 until the cessation of U.S. involvement in 1973. [79]
All B-52F missions in 1965 targeted areas within South Vietnam (RVN), with the exception of the December "Duck Flight mission [that] hit a suspected VC supply storage area [for which] part of the target box was in Laos." [80] : 121 In April 1966, operations shifted to the B-52D model. This variant, originally designed in 1956 for the AGM-28 Hound Dog cruise missile and ADM-20 Quail aerial decoys for low-altitude operations, was modified in late 1965 by Project Big Belly [81] to significantly increase its conventional bomb capacity. [34]
SAC's RBS Squadrons were disbanded as most detachment personnel transferred to Vietnam between 1966 and 1973 to support Combat Skyspot ground-directed bombing operations. The first "Quick Reaction" bombing mission, codenamed "Pink Lady," occurred on 6 July 1966, utilizing SAC B-52D/Fs to provide support to the U.S. Army's 1st Air Cavalry Division. [80] : 186 The 1972 Operation Linebacker II also employed Skyspot for bombing missions in the Hanoi/Haiphong area of North Vietnam, resulting in the loss of 25 SAC aircrew members. [70]
By May 1967, [82] SACADVON had relocated to Seventh Air Force headquarters [83] at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, to manage the scheduling and coordination of "...strikes for the 7th AF and MACV." [84] From a peak strength of 161,921 military and 20,215 civilian personnel in June 1968, SAC experienced a drawdown of 13,698 first-term airmen between November 1968 and May 1969, a process known as Project 693, [77] to comply with Public Law 90-364. [85] While conventional bombing, aerial refueling, and strategic reconnaissance operations in Southeast Asia increasingly consumed SAC's resources, the command's primary mission of nuclear deterrence remained its core focus. In 1969, "...SAC's B-52s and B-58s could carry B28, B41, B43, B53, and BA53 nuclear weapons." (SAC possessed 311 nuclear AGM-28 Hound Dog missiles at the end of the year.) [77] : 6 This period also coincided with the ongoing retirement of the B-58 Hustler from SAC's active inventory and its replacement by the FB-111.
On 18 March 1969, SAC commenced bombing operations in Cambodia along the South Vietnamese border, as part of Operation Menu, which continued until 26 May 1970 and was managed by Skyspot. [74] On 17 February 1970, SAC conducted the first "GOOD LOOK" bombing mission in Laos, targeting the Plaine des Jarres. This followed B-52 photoreconnaissance missions ("GOOD LOOK ALPHA" in August 1969 and "GOOD LOOK BRAVO" around 15 January 1970) and observations from a Skyspot installation in Thailand. [74] : 19 On 1 April 1970, SAC transferred "...HQ 8th AF...to Andersen AFB, Guam, to oversee B-52D/G operations and to complement SACADVON". [84] The 8th AF assumed responsibility from the Third Air Division for generating "frag" orders based on daily strike requests and amendments from COMUSMACV. [74] In 1970, SAC deployed the LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM, equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), capable of striking three targets. Concurrently, the B-58 Hustler supersonic bomber was retired.
In 1972, Operation Linebacker II commenced. This was a combined aerial bombing campaign by the Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 targeting North Vietnam during the final phase of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Conducted from 18 to 29 December 1972, it became known informally as "The December Raids" or "The Christmas Bombings." Unlike previous interdiction operations like Rolling Thunder and Linebacker, Linebacker II was a "maximum effort" bombing campaign designed to destroy major target complexes in the Hanoi and Haiphong areas, an objective achievable only by SAC B-52D/Gs. It represented the largest heavy bomber strikes launched by the U.S. Air Force since the end of World War II. Linebacker II was an intensified version of the Operation Linebacker bombings conducted from May to October 1972, with the emphasis shifted to B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers rather than tactical fighter aircraft. During Linebacker II, a total of 741 B-52D/G sorties were dispatched from bases in Thailand and Guam to bomb North Vietnam, with 729 successfully completing their missions. [86] SAC incurred losses of fifteen B-52s during Linebacker II. The U.S. government asserted that the operation compelled North Vietnam's Politburo to return to the negotiating table, leading to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords shortly thereafter.
By early 1973, offensive SAC air operations in Southeast Asia concluded, and numerous SAC aircrew members who had been captured as prisoners of war by North Vietnam were repatriated to the United States. Aircraft utilized by SAC during the Vietnam War included the B-52D, B-52F, B-52G, KC-135A, KC-135Q, various versions of the RC-135, SR-71, U-2, and EC-135.
Post-Vietnam, 1970s Budget Cuts, 1980s Renewal, and the Cold War Redux
During the Vietnam War, escalating costs necessitated base closures, consolidations, or transfers of several SAC bases to other MAJCOMs, services, or the Air Reserve Component to remain within budgetary constraints. This included:
• Altus AFB (transferred to MAC, later to AETC)
• Bergstrom AFB (transferred to TAC, then ACC until BRAC closure in 1993)
• Columbus AFB (transferred to ATC, now AETC)
• Clinton-Sherman AFB (closed)
• Dow AFB (closed; portion transferred to ANG as Bangor ANGB)
• Hunter AFB (transferred to U.S. Army as Hunter AAF)
• Larson AFB (closed)
• Lincoln AFB (closed; portion transferred to ANG as Lincoln ANGB)
• Little Rock AFB (transferred to TAC, later MAC, now AMC)
• Mountain Home AFB (transferred to TAC, now ACC)
• Turner AFB (transferred to USN as NAS Albany in 1968, closed 1975)
With the drawdown following the Paris Peace Treaty in 1973, reduced defense budgets compelled SAC to inactivate additional wings, close more CONUS and Puerto Rican bases, transfer further installations to other MAJCOMs or the Air Reserve Component, and retire older B-52B, B-52C, and B-52E/F aircraft:
• Davis-Monthan AFB (transferred to TAC, now ACC)
• Forbes AFB (closed; portion transferred to ANG as Forbes ANGB)
• Glasgow AFB (closed)
• Kincheloe AFB (closed)
• McCoy AFB (closed; portion transferred to USN as Naval Training Center Orlando McCoy Annex until its BRAC-directed closure in 1999)
• Ramey AFB (closed; portion transferred to USCG as CGAS Borinquen)
• Rickenbacker AFB (closed; portion transferred to ANG as Rickenbacker ANGB)
• Westover AFB (transferred to AFRES, now AFRC, as Westover ARB)
• Wright-Patterson AFB (tenant SAC presence departed and transferred to Beale AFB; base remained with AFLC, now AFMC)
In 1973, the National Emergency Airborne Command Post, or NEACP, aircraft entered SAC's inventory. Consisting of four Boeing E-4 aircraft, these highly modified Boeing 747 airframes were assigned to the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Offutt AFB and were forward deployed as necessary to support the National Command Authority.
Cover of a 1975 SAC information booklet emphasizing its "Peace Is Our Profession" motto. A stark contrast to the reality of its mission.
By 1975, SAC's manned bomber strength included several hundred B-52D, B-52G, B-52H, and FB-111A aircraft. [41] The command conducted Exercise Global Shield 79, described as SAC's "first major exercise in 23 years." [87] Regarding its ICBM force, SAC reached a peak strength of 1,000 Minuteman II and III missiles and 54 Titan II ICBMs before reductions and retirements began, driven by obsolescence and arms reduction treaties with the Soviet Union. [88] By 1977, SAC had placed its hopes for a new manned strategic bomber on the Rockwell B-1A Lancer. However, on 30 June 1977, President Jimmy Carter announced the cancellation of the B-1A program, prioritizing ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and a modernized B-52 fleet armed with air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs). On 1 December 1979, SAC assumed control of the ballistic missile warning system (BMEWS) and all Space Surveillance Network facilities from the inactivating Aerospace Defense Command (ADC). [89] These responsibilities would later be transferred to Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) upon its establishment in 1982. SAC also continued to operate the Air Force's entire KC-135 aerial refueling fleet, its EC-135 LOOKING GLASS and E-4 NEACAP command post aircraft, as well as the entire strategic reconnaissance aircraft fleet, including the U-2, SR-71, RC-135, and WC-135.
In 1981, SAC received a new aerial refueling tanker to supplement its aging KC-135 Stratotanker fleet. Based on the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 commercial airliner, the KC-10A Extender was deployed with enhanced military avionics, aerial refueling capabilities, and satellite communications equipment. [70] That same year, President Ronald Reagan reversed the 1977 Carter administration decision regarding the B-1, directing the procurement of 100 examples of a refined version, designated the B-1B Lancer, as a long-range combat aircraft for SAC. The LGM-118A Peacekeeper ICBM entered SAC's inventory in 1986, with the 114 Peacekeepers possessing a combined warhead yield of approximately 342 megatons. [70] This deployment also served to offset the retirement of the obsolescent and maintenance-intensive LGM-25C Titan II ICBM, the last of which was deactivated in May 1987. An additional underground command post for HQ SAC, described as a "16,000 square-foot, two-story reinforced concrete" structure, was constructed at Offutt AFB between 1986 and 1989, based on a design by Leo A. Daly, who had also designed the adjacent 1957 bunker. [22] The first Rockwell B-1B Lancer was delivered to SAC in 1987. [34] On 22 November 1988, the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, developed under the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) program—a "black project" since 1979—was officially acknowledged and publicly unveiled. The first "stealth bomber" designed for SAC, the aircraft made its maiden flight in May 1989.
End of the Cold War and Operation Desert Storm
SAC's reorganization in the twilight of the Cold War began as early as 1988 with the Carlucci Commission, which planned the closure of:
• Mather Air Force Base, California, an ATC undergraduate navigator training (UNT) base that hosted a tenant SAC B-52G / KC-135E bomb wing and a SAC-gained AFRES KC-135A air refueling group.
• Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire, a SAC base with an FB-111A and KC-135E bomb wing and a SAC-gained ANG KC-135A air refueling wing.
These closures were the initial phase of a process that would later become known as Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). While Mather AFB's navigator training mission was relocated to Randolph AFB, Texas, the Mather B-52G bomber/KC-135A tanker wing was inactivated. The AFRES KC-135 tanker group moved to nearby McClellan AFB, later relocating again four years later to Beale AFB when another BRAC process closed McClellan AFB. Concurrently, the Pease AFB bomber/tanker wing lost its FB-111 aircraft and transferred to Whiteman AFB, Missouri, in preparation for the transition to the B-2 Spirit. A portion of Pease was transferred to the New Hampshire Air National Guard for its ANG KC-135 air refueling wing and was renamed Pease Air National Guard Base.
Further base closures and divestments of SAC assets continued throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, accelerating significantly due to the START I Treaty's mandate for the elimination of the entire B-52G fleet and the inactivation of all Minuteman II and Peacekeeper ICBMs. The 1992 reorganization of the Air Force disestablished SAC and dispersed its assets to newly created or existing MAJCOMs, primarily ACC and AMC. In addition to the closures of Mather AFB and Pease AFB, this process included the following subsequent closure and realignment actions, largely driven by BRAC:
• Altus AFB (tenant SAC presence disestablished and transferred to AMC, later AETC)
• Barksdale AFB (transferred to ACC, now AFGSC)
• Beale AFB (transferred to ACC)
• Carswell AFB (transferred to USN as NAS JRB Fort Worth per BRAC)
• AFRES (later AFRC) HQ 10th Air Force, an ACC-gained AF Reserve fighter wing, and an AMC-gained ANG airlift wing remain.
• Castle AFB (closed by BRAC)
• Dyess AFB (transferred to ACC, now AFGSC)
• Eaker AFB (closed by BRAC)
• Ellsworth AFB (transferred to ACC, now AFGSC)
• Fairchild AFB (transferred to AMC)
• F. E. Warren AFB (transferred to ACC, then AFSPC, now AFGSC)
• Grand Forks AFB (transferred to AMC, now ACC)
• Griffiss AFB (closed by BRAC)
• AFMC Rome Air Development Center and ANG Northeast Air Defense Sector HQ remain.
• Grissom AFB (transferred to AFRC as Grissom ARB)
• K. I. Sawyer AFB (closed by BRAC)
• Loring AFB (closed by BRAC)
• Malmstrom AFB (transferred to AMC, then AFSPC, now AFGSC)
• March AFB (transferred to AFRC as March ARB per BRAC)
• McConnell AFB (transferred to AMC)
• Minot AFB (transferred to ACC, now AFGSC)
• Offutt AFB (transferred to ACC)
• Plattsburgh AFB (closed by BRAC)
• Robins AFB (tenant Regular AF SAC presence disestablished; base remains an AFMC installation with ACC and ACC-gained ANG flying wings)
• Seymour Johnson AFB (TAC base transferred to ACC; tenant SAC presence disestablished and SAC-gained tenant AF Reserve presence transferred to AFRC, now gained by AMC)
• Whiteman AFB (transferred to ACC, now AFGSC)
• Wurtsmith AFB (closed by BRAC)
On 1 July 1989, the 1st Combat Evaluation Group, reporting directly to SAC headquarters, was reorganized. Most of its HQ organizations transferred to SAC HQ (e.g., the Command Instrument Flight Division), while RBS personnel, equipment, and radar stations became the 1st Electronic Combat Range Group. Airborne NEACP alerts concluded in 1990. [66] During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, which aimed to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, SAC bomber, tanker, and reconnaissance aircraft operated from bases in Great Britain, Turkey, Cyprus, Diego Garcia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These operations included B-52s armed with conventional bombs and conventional warhead AGM-86 ALCMs. Following Operation Desert Storm, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the de facto end of the Cold War, President George H. W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney directed SAC to remove all bomber, refueling aircraft, and Minuteman II ICBMs from continuous nuclear alert on 27 September 1991, [90] placing them on quick reaction ground alert instead. [91]
The major reorganization of the USAF structure on 31 May 1992 led to the disestablishment of SAC. Its bomber, reconnaissance, and airborne command post aircraft, along with all SAC ICBMs, were transferred to the newly established Air Combat Command (ACC), alongside all Tactical Air Command aircraft. The newly formed Air Mobility Command (AMC) inherited most of SAC's KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and the entire KC-10 Extender aerial refueling tanker force. Some KC-135s were reassigned directly to USAFE and PACAF, with one additional air refueling wing assigned to the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) as the KC-135 formal training unit. Land-based ICBMs were later transferred from ACC to Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), while manned bombers remained within ACC. USAF nuclear forces within ACC and AFSPC were subsequently combined with the United States Navy's Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine forces to create the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), which assumed control of the SAC Headquarters complex at Offutt AFB. In 2009, the entire land-based USAF ICBM force and the nuclear-capable portion of the USAF manned bomber force (i.e., the B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress) were transferred to the newly established Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). The B-1 Lancer conventional bomber force remained with ACC. In 2015, these B-1 units were also transferred to Air Force Global Strike Command, which now holds responsibility for all current and future USAF bomber forces. [92]
Culture and Legacy
The Strategic Air Command left an indelible mark on military history and popular culture. Its most recognized slogan, the official motto "Peace Is Our Profession," encapsulated its role as the ultimate deterrent during the Cold War. Less officially, the saying "To err is human; to forgive is not SAC policy" reflected the demanding standards and unwavering discipline required within the command, where precision and accountability were paramount given the gravity of its mission. Other unofficial slogans, such as "Peace Through Strength" and "Peace Through Superior Firepower," further underscored SAC's formidable posture.
Commemoration and New Commands
The SAC Museum, initially located adjacent to Offutt AFB, was relocated in 1998 [94] to a site near Ashland, Nebraska and renamed the Strategic Air and Space Museum in 2001. Numerous organizations honor SAC's legacy, including the Strategic Air Command Veterans Association, the SAC Society, the B-47 Stratojet Association, the B-52 Stratofortress Association, the FB-111 Association, the SAC Airborne Command Control Association, the Association of Air Force Missileers, the SAC Elite Guard Association [95] and the Strategic Air Command Memorial Amateur Radio Club. [96] Post-Cold War historical accounts include a 1990 almanac and a 2006 organizational history. [97]
In 2009, the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) was activated, inheriting the lineage of Strategic Air Command. [98] Headquartered at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, AFGSC is one of two USAF component commands assigned to United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). AFGSC currently comprises the Eighth Air Force (8AF), responsible for the nuclear-capable manned heavy bomber force, and the Twentieth Air Force (20AF), responsible for the ICBM force.
Lineage
• Established as Continental Air Forces on 13 December 1944 [99]
• Redesignated: Strategic Air Command on 21 March 1946 [99]
• Replaced as a specified command by a new unified combatant command, United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), on 1 June 1992; [100] concurrently disestablished as a USAF major command (MAJCOM) on the same date.
Components
• For SAC aircraft/systems and wings, see Strategic Air Command equipment and Strategic Air Command wings.
• Second Air Force: 21 Mar 1946 (from CAF) – 30 Mar 1946; 1 Nov 1949 – 1 Jan 1975
• Eighth Air Force: 7 Jun 1946 – 1 Jun 1992
• Fifteenth Air Force: 31 Mar 1946 – 1 Jun 1992
• Sixteenth Air Force: 1 Jul 1957 – 15 Apr 1966
• IX Troop Carrier Command: 21 Mar 1946 (from CAF) – 31 Mar 1946
Air Divisions
• 1st Air Division (later, 1st Missile Division; 1 Strategic Aerospace Division): 15 Apr 1955 – 20 May 1956; 1 Jan 1958 – 1 Sep 1988
• 3d Air Division: 18 Jun 1954 – 1 Apr 1970; 1 Jan 1975 – 31 Jan 1982
• 5th Air Division: 14 Jan 1951 – 1 Jul 1957
• 7th Air Division: 20 Mar 1951 – 30 Jun 1965; 1 Jul 1978 – 31 Jan 1982
• 21st Air Division: 16 Feb 1951 – 8 Apr 1952; 8 Apr – 16 Jul 1952
• 42d Air Division: 2 Mar 1951 – 8 Jan 1958; 15 Jul 1959 – 9 Jul 1991
• 58th Air Division: 1 Mar – 16 Oct 1948
• 311th Air Division: 31 Mar 1947 – 1 Nov 1949.
Overseas Components
Strategic Air Command in the United Kingdom represented one of the command's largest overseas concentrations of forces. Additionally, forces under SAC's 16th Air Force were stationed at air bases in North Africa, Spain, and Turkey throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
SAC "Provisional" wings were also located at Kadena AB, Okinawa, and U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield / U-Tapao AB, Thailand, during the Vietnam War.
SAC also maintained bomber, tanker, and/or reconnaissance aircraft assets at the former Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Furthermore, it operated from bases such as Andersen AFB, Guam; RAF Mildenhall, RAF Fairford, and RAF Alconbury in the United Kingdom; Moron AB in Spain; Lajes Field in the Azores (Portugal); Diego Garcia, BIOT; and the former NAS Keflavik, Iceland, through the 1990s.
SAC also conducted operations from RAF Fairford, RAF Alconbury, and RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom; Moron AB in Spain; Lajes Field in the Azores (Portugal); RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus; Incirlik AB in Turkey; Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory; and from multiple air bases in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates during the first Gulf War (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm) from 1990 to 1991. [101]
There. That's the bare bones of it. A history of immense power, chilling responsibility, and ultimately, an era that defined global politics. It’s a story of technology, strategy, and the constant, gnawing fear of annihilation. Don't expect me to wax poetic about it. It just was.