Military Bases Nebraska - The military has a long and important history in Nebraska, and Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue has played an important role in the military for over a century. From the 1950s to the 1970s, when fears of nuclear war were at their height, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a vital part of our country's defense system. These photos from the National Security Archives offer a rare glimpse into the top-secret underground facility from the late 1950s to the 1960s.
Three floors above ground were devoted to administrative tasks. The other three floors underground were reserved for the state-of-the-art control center. An electronic device called a "Snifter" can detect radiation up to 50 miles away. In the event of a nuclear incident, this device would sound an alarm that would cut off the underground command center from the rest of the world. Then it will become a self-sufficient safe zone.
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Data is transmitted to SAC via a global network and displayed on large screens in the underground command center. Weather information, aircraft and missile positions, and other necessary data can be processed and displayed on the screen within 30 seconds.
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The red phone is on the senior controllers' desk. When the phone is lifted, it instantly connects to any SAC command center in the world.
Five Boeing KC-135 jet tankers were converted into air combat headquarters for use in the event of the bombing and neutralization of SAC headquarters. One of these flight headquarters was within the radar range of Offutt and airborne on a 24-hour and 15-minute alert basis.
Fortunately, the threat of a nuclear attack on the United States never materialized, with many safeguards in place during this time were never needed. This state-of-the-art facility has since been replaced by a new headquarters, and Offutt AFB continues to play a vital role in the US military. Were you a soldier during this time or were you working on the base? We'd love to hear your stories in the comments!
A lifelong Nebrascan, Delana loves exploring her state's many hidden treasures. He has been working as a writer and editor since 2007. Delana's work has been published on more than a dozen websites and in the journal Nebraska Life. Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska has experienced severe flooding after recent storms. The planners knew the base was vulnerable, but they had not completed the upgrades in time. American Air Force
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Umair Irfan is a journalist writing about climate change, covid-19 and energy policy. Irfan is also a permanent collaborator of the Alam Juma radio show. Prior to that, she was ClimateWire correspondent for E&E News.
At Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, the headquarters of US Strategic Command and home to more than 10,000 personnel, flooding reached 2 feet on Friday, forcing a third of the base to relocate their offices. The flood also forced the base to cancel an air show scheduled for June.
Colonel David Norton, who manages the facility at Offutt Air Force Base, told the Associated Press: "It was shocking that it came so quickly.
Nebraska is just one of several states in the Midwest this month after a wet winter, a rapid spring meltdown, and a "bomb hurricane" that dropped massive amounts of rain and snow into flooded waterways like the Mississippi River. .
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This flood caused several deaths and billions of dollars in damage. And forecasters expect the situation to worsen when an "unprecedented" flood season begins later this spring.
Global warming is the main cause of above-average precipitation in recent extreme precipitation events because warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air. And scientists predict that climate change will increase weather variability in parts of the country, with droughts and floods and rapid shifts between heat and cold. Last winter snowfall and quick frosts definitely fit that pattern.
The US military has long recognized that climate change is a strategic risk, as it triggers migration and acts as an element in conflicts around the world. It also poses more immediate risks to critical facilities such as naval bases. But recent hurricanes have also shown that there is a huge gap between accepting a risk and being able to handle it.
As NBC News and InsideClimate News reported last week, officials were well aware that the base was at risk. In 2011, another flood approached the runway alarmingly, and in response, base officials and local planners reviewed flood risks as part of a land use study published in 2015.
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The study pointed out that the existing infrastructure is not sufficient to deal with increasing flood concerns due to climate change:
Due to changes in the base flood height of the Missouri River, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) agreed that the embankment had to be increased from two inches to several feet to protect the installation. The Missouri Papio River Natural Resource District (P-MR NRD) has been notified by FEMA that spillways will be recertified if they are not fixed by 2017.
However, the flood protection process took time and was not complete until recent storms hit the area and left the base vulnerable to rising water.
Other military installations have also been affected by the recent floods. The South Dakota Air National Guard has had to redeploy some F-16 fighter jets, and several facilities are currently preparing supplies and workers for disaster relief.
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And last year, Hurricane Michael damaged Tyndall Air Force Base. Several F-22s, the Air Force's most advanced and most expensive combat aircraft, were in distress as the storm raged.
These are examples of the climate risks facing a massive global operation like the US military, which manages hundreds of thousands of personnel, billions of dollars in supplies and thousands of acres. And with such a large footprint, there are many potential vulnerabilities.
While President Trump has repeatedly denied the threat posed by climate change, US military and intelligence officials have been surprisingly open-minded about the problem. US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats has identified climate change as a national security threat for the second time in a row in his Worldwide Threat Assessment report.
Pentagon officials have sounded alarmed about climate risks to military installations, often amplifying climate change as a threat.
Airmen Assigned To The 55th Security Forces Squadron Begin The 1.5 Mile Run During A Tryout For The 2020 Air Force Defender Challenge Jan. 27, 2020, At Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
But an institution as large as the US military takes a long time to adapt. Even when they see what is to come, they cannot prepare in time. Many military bases are decades old and cover large areas, making them difficult to protect. Moving thousands of service members is expensive and time consuming. And even the most agile aircraft have many logistical requirements that make it difficult to evacuate quickly if there is a storm on the horizon.
That's a tough lesson for anyone trying to leave behind rising sea levels, increased risk of wildfires, more intense storms, and higher temperatures already brought about by climate change. We can sit back or begin to adapt to the "new normal" of constant change. the choice is ours
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Offutt Air Force Base / ɒ f ʌ t / (IATA: OFF, ICAO: KOFF, FAA LID: OFF) is a United States Air Force base adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska, south of Omaha. United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is home to the 557th Air Wing and 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air Combat Command (ACC), with the latter serving as the main unit.
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Aviation use at Offutt began in September 1918 as an Army Air Service balloon pitch during World War I.
Originally called Fort Crook, it was commissioned in 1924 in honor of 1st Lieutenant Jarvis Offutt, a World War I pilot and native of Omaha.
Offutt AFB's legacy includes the construction of Ola Gay and Bockscar, the planes that shot down Little Boy and Fat Man over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. Offutt served as the headquarters of the former Strategic Air Command (SAC) for over 40 years and as the US ground and air command center associated with nuclear warfare during the Cold War. The population in 2000 is 8901 people.
Offutt AFB was named after Lieutenant A. Jarvis Janes Offutt (26 October 1894 - 13 August 1918). Lieutenant Offutt, the first Omaha native to die in World War I, died of his wounds.
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