The 625th Strategic Operations Squadron is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

nuclear missile control & support squadron. It has been located at

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, 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 (55 WG) of the ...

, Nebraska since activating in 1996 and is assigned to the 95th Wing of

Air Force Global Strike Command The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC provides combat-ready fo ...

Mission and operations

Airborne Launch Control System operations flight

The

Airborne Launch Control System The Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) provides a survivable launch capability for the United States Air Force's LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force. The ALCS is operated by airborne missileers from Air Force ...

operations flight provides combat forces for the

United States Strategic Command The 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_weap ...

Operation Looking Glass Looking Glass (or Operation Looking Glass) is the historic code name for an airborne command and control center operated by the United States. In more recent years it has been more officially referred to as the ABNCP (Airborne National Command Po ...

Airborne Command Post on board the Navy's Boeing E-6B Mercury aircraft. Flying as members of the battle staff, squadron personnel, using on-board equipment, provide a survivable means to launch the Nation's

LGM-30 Minuteman The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. , the LGM-30G (Version 3) is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and represents th ...

intercontinental ballistic missile force.

Intercontinental ballistic missile targeting flight

The

intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...

(ICBM) targeting flight, working with

maintains targeting for the nation's Minuteman fleet. Additionally, the flight produces the targeting for all ICBM test launches, support

software tests, and develops, documents, verifies and maintains targeting software programs and operating procedures required for daily ICBM alert operations.

Airborne Launch Control System training and evaluation flight

The Airborne Launch Control System training and evaluation flight provides simulator and classroom training to missile combat crew-airborne missileers who operate the Airborne Launch Control System on board the E-6B Mercury. The flight also provides initial mission qualification training and combat mission ready currency training and evaluation.

Test and analysis flight

The test and analysis flight executes flight safety zones and optimum launch tracks for the Airborne Launch Control System on board E-6B Mercury aircraft. The team oversees flight performance analysis and capability assessments of U.S. and foreign ballistic missile weapon systems. It also serves as the airborne test conductor for all ICBM force development evaluation missions in which they lead, plan and coordinate Airborne Launch Control System test missions with Strategic Command,

, the US Navy and other national agencies.

Intercontinental ballistic missile targeting systems flight

The ICBM targeting systems flight develops documents, verifies and maintains the operational readiness for ICBM targeting software programs and operating procedures required for daily Minuteman III targeting operations. Additionally, they support the targeting flight and the test and analysis flight through software development, programs, operations and network sustainment.

History

The squadron was first activated at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, on 15 April 1996, as the 625th Missile Operations Flight and was the product of a number of organizational changes within the ICBM community subsequent to the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. It initially was part of

Air Force Space Command An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

. The

flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

's mission was to deploy ICBM targeting, train ALCS crews and ensure operational capability of strategic communications networks between operational field units and national leadership. The unit also analyzed foreign ballistic missiles and provided threat information to the

Ballistic Missile Early Warning System The RCA 474L Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS, 474L System, Project 474L) was a United States Air Force Cold War early warning radar, computer, and communications system, for ballistic missile detection. The network of twelve rada ...

. It was redesignated the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron on 14 June 2007 and reassigned from Air Force Space Command to

on 1 December 2009, and assigned to the 595th Command and Control Group on 1 October 2016, the unit continues to provide the same critical capability for our national defense. The 625th reports to

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 Forces S ...

for organization, trainining and equipment functions, while reporting to Task Force 214 and USSTRATCOM for all warfighter-related matters. On 1 June 2017, the functions and personnel of the

Strategic Automated Command and Control System Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "troop leadership; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the " ar ...

flight was transferred to the 595th Strategic Communications Squadron.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 625th Missile Operations Flight on 1 April 1996 : Activated on 15 April 1996 * Redesignated 625th Strategic Operations Squadron on 14 June 2007

Assignments

Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Intercon ...

, 15 April 1996 * 595th Command and Control Group, 1 October 2016 * 95th Wing, 28 February 2025

Stations

* Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 15 April 1996 – present

Missiles, aircraft, and systems supported

* Boeing E-6B Mercury * Airborne Launch Control System * LGM-30G Minuteman III

Decorations

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

External links

* {{cite web, url= http://www.missilenews.com/space-command-news/625th-strategic-operation.shtml , last1=, first1=, title=625th Strategic Operations Squadron Activated at Offutt AFB, date=January 2, 2008, publisher=Missile News, archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080417214837/http://www.missilenews.com/space-command-news/625th-strategic-operation.shtml , archive-date=April 17, 2008, access-date=April 23, 2025 Military units and formations in Nebraska Military units and formations established in 1996