Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the

55th Wing The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz ...

(55 WG) of the

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

(ACC), the latter serving as the host unit. Aviation use at Offutt began in September 1918 during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

as an Army Air Service balloon field. Originally named Fort Crook, it was renamed in honor of

pilot and Omaha native 1st Lt. Jarvis Offutt in 1924. Offutt AFB's legacy includes the construction of the ''

Enola Gay The ''Enola Gay'' () is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets. On 6 August 1945, piloted by Tibbets and Robert A. Lewis during the final stages of World War II, it ...

'' and ''

Bockscar ''Bockscar'', sometimes called Bock's Car, is the name of the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped a Fat Man nuclear weapon over the Japanese city of Nagasaki during World War II in the secondand most recent nuclear attack in ...

'', the planes that dropped Little Boy and

Fat Man "Fat Man" (also known as Mark III) is the codename for the type of nuclear bomb the United States detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in warfare, the fir ...

over

Hiroshima and Nagasaki The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the on ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Offutt served over 40 years as the headquarters for the former

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

(SAC) and home for its associated ground and aerial command centers for the United States in the case of nuclear war during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

. The population was 8,901 at the 2000 census.

History

Offutt AFB is named in honor of First Lieutenant Jarvis Jennes Offutt (26 October 1894 – 13 August 1918). The first native of Omaha to become a casualty in

, Lieutenant Offutt died of injuries sustained when his SE-5 fighter crashed during a training flight near Valheureux, France. The airfield portion of Fort Crook was designated Offutt Field on 10 May 1924.

Fort Crook

Offutt's history began with the commissioning by the War Department in 1890 of Fort Crook. Located some 10 miles south of Omaha and two miles west of the Missouri River, the fort was constructed between 1894 and 1896. The fort's namesake was

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nanta ...

, a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

and Indian fighter. It was first used as a dispatch point for

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

conflicts on the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, a ...

. Troops from Fort Crook fought during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

when the 22nd Regiment under Charles A. Wikoff was dispatched to Cuba. The regiment suffered heavy casualties in the

Battle of El Caney The Battle of El Caney was fought on July 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War. 600 Spanish soldiers held for twelve hours, until they ran out of ammunition, against Henry W. Lawton's 5th US Division, made up of 6,899 men. This action tempor ...

. Only 165 of the 513 regiment members survived with most succumbing to

tropical disease Tropical diseases are diseases that are prevalent in or unique to tropical and subtropical regions. The diseases are less prevalent in temperate climates, due in part to the occurrence of a cold season, which controls the insect population by f ...

s after the battle. The oldest surviving portion of Fort Crook is the

parade grounds A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

and surrounding red brick buildings that were constructed between 1894 and 1896. These structures are still in active use today as squadron headquarters, living quarters for high-ranking generals (Generals Row), and Nebraska's oldest operational jail.

Offutt Field

In 1918, the 61st Balloon Company of the Army Air Corps was assigned to Fort Crook at the close of

, which performed combat reconnaissance training. In the spring of 1921, the plowing, leveling, and seeding of 260 acres of land at Fort Crook created an airfield suitable for frequent takeoffs and landings and as a refueling stop for mail and transcontinental flights. The first permanent aircraft hangars were completed in 1921. Other known organizations assigned to the field were the 74th Balloon Company in November 1918; 60th Balloon Company in December 1918. On 6 May 1924, the airfield was officially named "Offutt Field". The field accommodated interim reserve flying training and regular Post Office Department airmail flights during the 1920s and 1930s; a small detachment of enlisted men (detached service) from Marshall Field and Fort Riley, Kansas, constituted the only military presence on the field between 1935 and 1940.

Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant

In 1940 as American involvement in World War II loomed, the Army Air Corps chose Offutt Field as the site for a new bomber plant that was to be operated by the Glenn L. Martin Company. The plant's construction included a two-mile (3 km)-long concrete runway, six large hangars, and a aircraft-assembly building. Production switched to

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 ...

very heavy bombers in 1944, and 531 Superfortresses were produced before the end of

. Among these were the ''

'' and ''

'', the B-29's that dropped the first atomic weapons to be used in a military action (against the cities of

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui ...

and

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

, Japan). Production ended on 18 September 1945, when the last B-29 rolled out of the assembly building. With the manufacturing plant's closure, custody of the airfield and ground facilities were assumed by the 4131st Army Air Force Base Unit, Air Materiel Command.

Postwar use

In the initial months after the end of World War II, Offutt was used by the 2474th Separation Processing squadron to demobilize service members out of the armed forces after their return from overseas duty. In June 1946, the Army Air Force re-designated Fort Crook and the Martin-Nebraska facilities as Offutt Field. It became the headquarters for the

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inac ...

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...

on 6 June. In 1947, the airfield opened for operational use, with the 381st Bombardment Group being assigned to the field with one squadron of B-29 Superfortresses, although the facility remained primarily a separation center. The newly established United States Air Force took control of the facility in September 1947, and on 13 January 1948, it was renamed Offutt Air Force Base. Later that same year, on 26 September, the 3902nd Air Base Group (later Wing) became the host unit at Offutt.

Strategic Air Command

On 9 November 1948, Offutt became the host base for Headquarters

, which was moved from Andrews AFB, Maryland. Secretary of the Air Force Stuart Symington chose to locate the Air Force's long-range atomic strike force at Offutt primarily because the base was centrally located on the North American continent, placing it well beyond the existing range of long-range, nuclear-armed bombers to (then) stay safely out of range of hostile missiles or bomber aircraft. Offutt's population and facilities grew dramatically to keep pace with the increased operational demands during the

. Several new dormitories and more than 2,000 family housing units – built in the late 1950s and 1960s under incremental Wherry and Capehart projects – quickly replaced the old quarters of Fort Crook. Headquarters SAC moved from the Martin-Nebraska complex to Building 500 in 1957, and new base facilities in the 1960s and 1970s included a hospital, main exchange, commissary, and library. During the late 1950s, Offutt housed a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

facility for servicing Avro Vulcans, which visited the air base frequently while on exercise with SAC. Operational use of Offutt Air Force Base included the basing of alert tankers in the late 1950s and 1960s, support for intercontinental ballistic missile sites in Nebraska and Iowa in the 1960s, and worldwide reconnaissance from the mid-1960s to the present. To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Offutt AFB Defense Area, and Nike-Hercules surface-to-air missile sites were constructed during 1959. Sites were located near Cedar Creek, Nebraska (OF-60) , and Council Bluffs, Iowa (OF-10) . They were operational between November 1960 and March 1966. The missiles were operated by the 6th Battalion, 43rd Artillery. During the Cold War, a

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

and various support personnel from the base were airborne 24 hours a day on an EC-135 from 3 February 1961 to 24 July 1990 in Operation Looking Glass, creating an airborne command post in case of war. The 3902d Air Base Wing was inactivated on 1 March 1986, and the

55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz ...

assumed host-unit responsibilities for Offutt. Increased defense spending during the 1980s brought additional operational improvements to Offutt, including the Bennie Davis Aircraft Maintenance Hangar, and a new command center for Headquarters SAC.

U.S. Strategic Command

Offutt again faced changes in 1992 when the easing of world tensions allowed the United States to reorganize the Air Force. The

was inactivated on 1 June, succeeded by the U.S. Strategic Command ( USSTRATCOM), a

Unified Combatant Command A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces, ...

of the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

. The 55th Strategic Wing then became the

, under the newly created

. In 1998, the Strategic Air and Space Museum moved 30 miles (48 km) southwest to Ashland, just off

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...

, midway between Omaha and Lincoln. In 2005, Offutt began several major renovations. The on-base Wherry housing area was demolished for replacement with new housing. A new fire house, AAFES mini-mall, and U.S. Post Office were completed in 2006. Additionally, the Air Force Weather Agency broke ground on a new facility which was completed in 2008. The new headquarters for STRATCOM, the Command and Control Facility (C2F), is expected to be operational in September 2018. The base sustained significant damage in the spring of 2019 as a result of the Missouri River flooding; at one point, almost half of the base's runway was underwater. Flight operations and some support staff were temporarily relocated to nearby

Lincoln Air National Guard Base Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Linco ...

while repairs (as well as some pre-planned construction projects) were undertaken.

President Bush Offutt Conference on 11 September 2001

On 11 September 2001, President George W. Bush conducted one of the first major strategy sessions for the response to the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

from a bunker at the base. Bush, who was in Florida at the Emma Booker Elementary School in Sarasota at the time of the attacks, first flew from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport to Barksdale AFB in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

and then to Offutt en route back to Washington, DC. Bush arrived at 2:50pm, conducted a video conference in an underground command bunker and left for Washington, DC at 4:30pm.

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and us ...

left Barksdale AFB for Offutt AFB around 1:30pm. The Air Force One entourage was pared down to a few essential staffers such as

Ari Fleischer Lawrence Ari Fleischer (born October 13, 1960) is an American media consultant and political aide who served as the 23rd White House Press Secretary, for President George W. Bush, from January 2001 to July 2003. As press secretary in the Bush ...

, Andrew Card, Karl Rove,

Dan Bartlett Daniel Joseph Bartlett (born June 1, 1971) is an American political advisor who served as counselor to the president in the administration of George W. Bush. On June 1, 2007, Bartlett announced that he would be leaving the White House and was rep ...

, Brian Montgomery, and Gordon Johndroe, plus about five reporters. During the flight, Bush remained in "continuous contact" with both the White House Situation Room and Vice President

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former ...

in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. Air Force One landed at Offutt shortly before 3:00pm. At 3:06pm, Bush passed through security to the US Strategic Command Underground Command Center () and was taken into an underground bunker designed to withstand a nuclear blast. There, he held a teleconference call with Vice President Cheney, National Security Advisor

Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who is the current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th Un ...

, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, CIA Director George Tenet, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, and others. The meeting lasted about an hour. Rice recalled that during the meeting, Tenet told Bush, "Sir, I believe it's

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

. We're doing the assessment but it looks like, it feels like, it smells like al-Qaeda." The White House staff was preparing for Bush to address the nation from the Offutt bunker, but Bush decided instead to return to Washington. Air Force One left Offutt around 4:30pm.

Whistleblower suit

In May 2011, base civilian employee George Sarris successfully settled with the government over claims that he was subjected to retaliation for talking to the media in 2008 about poor maintenance of RC-135 aircraft at the base. After Sarris' allegations appeared in the ''

Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and ...

'', base officials revoked his security clearance and reassigned him to menial duties. Later investigations by the government substantiated many of Sarris' claims. As part of the settlement, the USAF agreed to pay Sarris his full salary until he retired in 2014 and paid $21,000 of his attorney's fees. After retiring, Sarris published a book titled, ''Cowardice in Leadership – A Lesson in Harassment, Intimidation, and Reprisals''. Ten years after Sarris blew the whistle, the ''

Omaha World Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ch ...

'' published a three-part series titled "In-flight emergency", which confirmed his earlier claims.

Previous names

* Fort Crook, 3 March 1891 * Offutt Flying Field, Fort Crook, 1920 * Offutt Field, 6 May 1924

Major commands to which assigned

* Seventh Corps Area, United States Army, 1920 * Army Air Forces Materiel Command, 13 October 1942 * Army Air Forces Materiel and Services Command, 1944 : Redesignated: AAF Technical Service Comd, 31 August 1944 : Redesignated: Air Technical Service Command, 1945 : Redesignated: Air Materiel Command, 9 March 1946 : : The United States Army Seventh Service Command exercised overall jurisdiction until 11 June 1946 *

, 11 June 1946 *

, 1 October 1948 *

, 1 June 1992

Major units assigned

, 6 June 1946 – 1 July 1948 * 381st Bombardment Group, 24 July 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...

, 1 July – 24 August 1948 * 3902d Air Base Group (later Wing), 26 September 1948 – 1 March 1986 *

, 8 November 1948 – 1 June 1992 * 438th Troop Carrier Wing, 27 June 1949 – 14 March 1951 * 5th Air Division, 14 January – 25 May 1951 * 1st Weather Group, 20 April 1952 – 8 October 1956 * 544th Strategic Intelligence Wing, 12 April 1952 – 1 June 1992 * 3d Weather Wing, 8 October 1956 – 1 June 1992 * 34th Air Refueling Squadron, 1 October 1958 – 25 June 1966 * 4321st Strategic Wing, 1 October 1959 – 1 January 1963 *

549th Strategic Missile Squadron The 549th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 385th Strategic Aerospace Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, where it was inactivated on 15 December 1964. At Offutt, the 549t ...

, 1 July 1961 – 15 December 1964 * 385th Strategic Aerospace Wing, 1 January 1963 – 15 December 1964 *

(and subsequent redesignations), 16 August 1966 – present * Air Force Global Weather Center (and subsequent redesignations), 8 July 1969 – present * 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron (and subsequent redesignations), 1 July 1977 – present *

United States Strategic Command United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for strategic nuclear deter ...

, 1 June 1992 – present * 55th Electronic Combat Group, 1 April 1992 – present * General Curtis Lemay Offutt Composite Squadron

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...

* 595th Command and Control Group * 1st Air COMM Group, then 1st Air Comm Wing, then 1st Air Information Systems Wing at least August 1984 – April 1988. The Squadrons were 390th, 1850th, 1851st, and the 1853rd.

Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities

549th Strategic Missile Squadron - SM-65D Atlas Missile Sites

The

operated three SM-65D Atlas ICBM sites (1 October 1960 – 15 December 1964). Each site was composed of three missile silos (9 total). * 549-A, 3.4 mi SE of Mead, NE * 549-B, 3.6 mi NE of Arlington, NE * 549-C, 4.3 mi SE of Missouri Valley, IA Beginning in 1958, the Army Corps of Engineers began planning for the sites, and construction began in 1959. The construction project was completed on 28 July 1960. In April and May 1961, the three complexes became the last Atlas D missiles to go on alert. The missiles were manned by the 549th Strategic Missile Squadron which was activated on 1 October 1960. The squadron began to phase down with the inactivation of the Atlas-D on 1 October 1964, and was inactivated 14 December 1964. Confusingly, the squadron was originally the 566th but on 1 July 1961 SAC swapped designators with the 549th at F.E. Warren AFB. The 549th SMS was under the 385th Strategic Aerospace Wing. Site "A" was abandoned for many years, until the late 1970s when the Nebraska National Guard took over ownership of the site to establish a training area called the Mead Training Site. The site is managed by the

Camp Ashland Camp Ashland, Nebraska is an Army National Guard facility located near Ashland, Nebraska, along the Platte River. The camp has been in use by the Nebraska National Guard for more than 100 years. The camp is currently home to the 209th Regimental ...

Training Site Command. The training area has been used by the National Guard, United States Air Force, local law enforcement, and other entities as a training site for many years. 3/209th RTI out of

began using Mead Training Site in 2008 as the primary training facility for their 88M military occupational specialty reclassification school and continues to use the site year round. A

MOUT Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both the operational and the tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the presence of civilians and ...

site (

Military Operations in Urban Terrain Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both the operational and the tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the presence of civilians and ...

) was constructed at the site in 2009. Two Nebraska National Guard armories were built directly alongside the training area in 2012. Many other National Guard units use the site for drill weekends and annual trainings. Airmen out of Offutt Air Force Base practice

Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) is a training program, best known by its military acronym, that prepares U.S. military personnel, U.S. Department of Defense civilians, and private military contractors to survive and "retu ...

(SERE) Training at the site several weekends a year. Site "B" is in use for agricultural storage. Site "C" has been demolished, with only the access roads remaining.

1983 killings

Serial killer John Joubert murdered two boys while stationed at the base in 1983.

2019 shooting

In September 2019, a shooting took place in Offutt's private housing community, killing Sgt. Zachary Firlik and his wife Kari Firlik. The case was identified as a murder-suicide; the shooter was an active off-duty airman, who afterwards killed himself.

Role and operations

Offutt Air Force Base is the host station for the

(55 WG), the largest wing of the United States Air Force's

. Additionally, the base is home to many significant associate units, including US Strategic Command Headquarters, the 557th Weather Wing, the Omaha operating location of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, and many others.

55th Wing

Boeing RC-135S (717-158), USA - Air Force AN1318719

The 55th Wing is composed of five groups at Offutt AFB and at various locations worldwide: *55th Operations Group : The

55th Operations Group The 55th Operations Group (55 OG) is a component of the 55th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The group is stationed at Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska. During World War II the group was an Eighth Air Force fig ...

's (ACC) largest group, has operational control over 11 squadrons and two detachments worldwide. The group consists of approximately 3,200 personnel. It employs 46 aircraft, including 13 models of seven different types. The 55th Operations Group uses the tail code OF for its aircraft :: 38th Reconnaissance Squadron (RC-135) ::

343d Reconnaissance Squadron The 343d Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit part of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It operates the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft conducting reconnaissance missions. History World War II Constituted a ...

(RC-135) ::

45th Reconnaissance Squadron The 45th Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 55th Operations Group and stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It is one of the most decorated squadrons of the active duty United States Air ...

(OC-135, RC-135, TC-135, WC-135) ::

338th Combat Training Squadron The 338th Combat Training Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 55th Operations Group, stationed at Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska. The 338 CTS performs the initial, requalification, and upgrade training as the RC-1 ...

(Simulator) ::

82d Reconnaissance Squadron The 82d Reconnaissance Squadron is part of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USA. It is geographically separated from the 55th, operating from Kadena Air Base in Japan. The squadron operates Boeing RC-135 aircraft flying reconna ...

(RC-135) ::: Operates from Kadena AB, Japan :: 95th Reconnaissance Squadron (RC-135) ::: Operates from: RAF Mildenhall, England *55th Electronic Combat Group : The 55th Electronic Combat Group, stationed at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, is an operations group and geographically separated unit (GSU) of the 55th Wing. It consists of 5 squadrons, 3 flying squadrons, 1 support squadron and 1 maintenance squadron. All 3 flying squadrons utilize various models of the EC-130 aircraft. :: 41st Electronic Combat Squadron (ECS) ::

42d Electronic Combat Squadron The 42d Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona as a geographically separated unit from its parent wing, the 55th ...

(ECS) ::

43d Electronic Combat Squadron The 43d Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 55th Electronic Combat Group, being stationed as a tenant unit at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona as a geographically separated unit ...

(ECS) :: 755th Operations Support Squadron (OSS) :: 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS) *55th Maintenance Group : The 55th Maintenance Operations Squadron provides centralized direction of all maintenance staff functions providing support to world-wide aircraft reconnaissance missions. *55th Mission Support Group : The 55th Mission Support Group provides mission support for Offutt AFB through engineering, security, mission support, services, supply, transportation, contracting & deployment readiness programs. *55th Communications Group : The 55th Communications Group provides worldwide command, control, communications and computer (C4) systems, information management and combat support to warfighting and national leadership. It also provides communications technology and support to the 55th Wing and 44 tenant units. *55th Medical Group : The 55th Medical Group serves 28K enrolled patients with outpatient clinic capabilities, and ancillary support.

595th Command and Control Group

The 595th Command and Control Group (C2G) was activated in a ceremony held on 6 October 2016. The mission of the 595th C2G is to consolidate the Air Force's portion of the nuclear triad, including Air Force nuclear command and control communications, under the auspices of

Air Force Global Strike Command Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC provides combat-ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global stri ...

(AFGSC). Previously, portions of the Air Force's command and control of nuclear operations had been divided among AFGSC,

, and the Twentieth Air Force. The 595th Command and Control Group is composed of four squadrons: * 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron * 595th Strategic Communications Squadron * 595th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron * 625th Strategic Operations Squadron

557th Weather Wing

The 557th Weather Wing, formerly the Air Force Weather Agency, is headquartered at Offutt AFB. It is the lead weather center of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

United States Strategic Command

Offutt AFB is the headquarters of

( USSTRATCOM) which is one of the ten

s of the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...

(DoD). USSTRATCOM was established in 1992 as a successor to

(SAC). It is charged with space operations (such as military satellites), information operations (such as

information warfare Information warfare (IW) (as different from cyber warfare that attacks computers, software, and command control systems) is a concept involving the battlespace use and management of information and communication technology (ICT) in pursuit of a ...

), missile defense, global command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR), global strike and strategic deterrence (the United States nuclear arsenal), and combating weapons of mass destruction.

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Offutt Air Force Base. Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Offutt, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

United States Air Force

(ACC) *

Sixteenth Air Force The Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) (16 AF) is a United States Air Force (USAF) organization responsible for information warfare, which encompasses intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber warfare and ...

(Host Wing) ***

**** 38th Reconnaissance Squadron – RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, TC-135W ****

– OC-135B Open Skies, RC-135S Cobra Ball, RC-135U Combat Sent, TC-135W, WC-135W Constant Phoenix **** 55th Intelligence Support Squadron **** 55th Operations Support Squadron **** 97th Intelligence Squadron ****

– RC-135, OC-135, WC-135 **** 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron – RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, TC-135W **** 390th Intelligence Squadron **** 488th Intelligence Squadron *** 55th Communications Group **** 55th Communications Squadron **** 55th Strategic Communications Squadron *** 55th Maintenance Group **** 55th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron **** 55th Maintenance Squadron *** 55th Medical Group **** 55th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron **** 55th Dental Squadron **** 55th Medical Operations Squadron **** 55th Medical Support Squadron *** 55th Mission Support Group **** 55th Civil Engineering Squadron **** 55th Contracting Squadron **** 55th Force Support Squadron **** 55th Logistics Readiness Flight **** 55th Security Forces Squadron ** 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing *** 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group ****

20th Intelligence Squadron The 20th Intelligence Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 363d Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It has served at Offutt since June 1992, when it was activated as ...

(GSU) ** 557th Weather Wing ***

1st Weather Group The 1st Weather Group (1 WXG) is a group of the United States Air Force. It oversees all six operational weather squadrons; the 15th OWS at Scott AFB, Ill.; the 17th OWS at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii; the 21st OWS at Kapaun ...

*** 2nd Weather Group ****

2nd Weather Squadron The 2nd Weather Squadron (2 WS) is an active United States Air Force unit assigned to the 2nd Weather Group of the 557th Weather Wing and is headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The squadron's mission is broad and includes the pr ...

**** 2nd Weather Support Squadron **** 2nd Systems Operations Squadron **** 16th Weather Squadron **** American Forces Network Weather Center

(AFGSC) *

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forc ...

** 595th Command and Control Group ***

1st Airborne Command Control Squadron The 1st Airborne Command Control Squadron is part of the 595th Command and Control Group at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It operates the Boeing E-4 aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions. The squadron is one of the old ...

– E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post *** 595th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron *** 595th Strategic Communications Squadron *** 625th Strategic Operations Squadron

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

(AFRC) *

655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing The United States Air Force's 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (655 ISRW) is an intelligence unit stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Units The 655th ISR Wing is currently made up of: * 655th Intelligence ...

***

655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group The United States Air Force's 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (655 ISRW) is an intelligence unit stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Units The 655th ISR Wing is currently made up of: * 655th Intelligence ...

**** 49th Intelligence Squadron (GSU) *** 755th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group **** 820th Intelligence Squadron (GSU) ** 960th Cyberspace Wing ***

960th Cyberspace Operations Group The 960th Cyberspace Operations Group, at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, is a United States Air Force group managing four squadrons relating to computer network operations. The group was established 1 March 2013 as a reserve unit of the United ...

**** 52nd Network Warfare Squadron (GSU)

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

(ANG) * Nebraska Air National Guard **

170th Group The 170th Group is a unit of the Nebraska Air National Guard, stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. If activated to federal service, the group would be gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The group was originally ...

*** 170th Operations Support Squadron *** 238th Combat Training Squadron – RC-135, OC-135, WC-135

Department of Defense

(USSTRATCOM) * Headquarters United States Strategic Command * Global Operations Center Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) * Headquarters Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

General's Row

Most of the high-ranking officials at Offutt live on General's Row, a row of 4-story duplexes that was built in 1895.

Radio transmissions

Because of its central position in the US, radio traffic to and from Offutt is often heard by

shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...

listeners on 11175 kHz, USB.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,901 people, 2,304 households, and 2,255 families residing on the base. The population density was 2,113.1 people per square mile (816.3/km). There were 2,429 housing units at an average density of 576.6/sq mi (222.8/km). The racial makeup of the base was 78.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 10.4%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.7% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 3.6% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 7.4% of the population. There were 2,304 households, out of which 79.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 90.5% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 2.1% were non-families. 1.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.61 and the average family size was 3.64. On the base the population was spread out, with 41.9% under the age of 18, 16.8% from 18 to 24, 39.7% from 25 to 44, 1.4% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.7 males. The median income for a household on the base was $36,742, and the median income for a family was $36,619. Males had a median income of $25,391 versus $21,593 for females. The per capita income for the base was $11,580. About 4.4% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Offutt Air Force Base is located at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the base has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.3 km), of which, 4.2 square miles (10.9 km) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km) of it (3.22%) is water.

Education

Most of the base is in the

Bellevue Public Schools Bellevue Public Schools operates 15 elementary schools (K-6; some schools also offer pre-kindergarten programs), three middle schools (7-8), and two high schools (9-12) in Bellevue in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The district has 662 teachers ( F ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, w ...

. A portion is in the Papillion-La Vista School District.

Offutt in popular culture

Offutt was brought to popular attention during its SAC period when the command was depicted in the 1955 film ''

'' starring Jimmy Stewart, the 1963 film ''

A Gathering of Eagles ''A Gathering of Eagles'' is a 1963 SuperScope Eastmancolor film about the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War and the pressures of command. The plot is patterned after the World War II film ''Twelve O'Clock High'', which producer-screenwrite ...

'' starring

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Gold ...

, and 1964's '' Fail-Safe'' starring Henry Fonda (which not only claimed to show portions of the base but also a nearby Omaha neighborhood) and '' Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' starring Peter Sellers (which depicts a nuclear first strike from a mad general at the fictional Burpelson Air Force Base). Offutt appeared in the ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' episode " Tomorrow Is Yesterday" (identified as 'the Omaha installation'), when a fighter pilot stationed there detects the approaching USS ''

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...

'' and is transported aboard. The

Dale Brown Dale Brown (born 2 November 1956) is an American writer and aviator known for aviation techno-thriller novels. At least thirteen of his novels have been ''New York Times'' Best Sellers. Early life Brown was born in Buffalo, New York, and was ...

novel ''Plan of Attack'' saw nuclear missiles launched by Russian bombers attacking multiple bomber bases all over the U.S, including Offutt, which is destroyed by four Kh-15 (AS-17 Kickback) missiles. Only one Boeing E-4 NEACP escapes in time, and the officials of the Eighth Air Force and STRATCOM are eliminated in the process.

Pat Frank Harry Hart "Pat" Frank (May 5, 1908 – October 12, 1964) was an American writer, newspaperman, and government consultant. Frank's best known work is the 1959 ''Alas, Babylon'', and '' Forbidden Area''. Biography Frank was born in Chicago ...

's iconic

novel ''

Alas, Babylon ''Alas, Babylon'' is a 1959 novel by American writer Pat Frank (the pen name of Harry Hart Frank). It was one of the first apocalyptic novels of the nuclear age and has remained popular more than half a century after it was first published, cons ...

'' (1959) has Air Force Colonel Mark Bragg, the brother of the protagonist Randy Bragg, stationed at Offutt. In the 1983 post apocalyptic feature film for television, "The Day After", Offutt is represented as a SAC Aircraft departs the field as the cameras then change focus to the countryside as the credits roll. Offutt is also mentioned in Strike Three, a post-apocalyptic novel, by Joy V. Smith.

References

Other sources

* * * Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ). * Ravenstein, Charles A. ''Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977''. Maxwell Air Force Base,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

: Office of Air Force History 1984. . * Mueller, Robert. ''Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982'', Office of Air Force History, 1989

External links

US Strategic Command
official web site

at Strategic-Air-Command.com

at GlobalSecurity.org * * * * Historic American Engineering Record documentation, filed under Bellevue, Sarpy County, NE: ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** {{authority control Installations of the United States Air Force in Nebraska Airports in Nebraska Buildings and structures in Sarpy County, Nebraska Census-designated places in Nebraska Census-designated places in Sarpy County, Nebraska Installations of the United States Air National Guard Historic American Engineering Record in Nebraska History of Sarpy County, Nebraska Initial United States Air Force installations Military headquarters in the United States September 11 attacks Fort Crook United States nuclear command and control