Strategic Air Command

U.S. military command whose role was critical to providing a deterrent threat against the Soviet Union during the Cold War in support of U.S. nuclear strategy. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) was the component of the unified command plan charged with organizing, training, equipping, administering, and preparing strategic air forces for combat. Most importantly, SAC controlled most U.S. nuclear weapons as well as the air delivery systems, bombers, and missiles capable of delivering those weapons.

The Strategic Air Command was critical to the U.S. deterrent policy against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The task of the Strategic Air Command was to provide strategic nuclear bombing depth to the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The SAC was central to deterrence policy, as it strengthened U.S. capabilities to deliver a costly blow to the Soviet Union. Specifically, the Strategic Air Command oversaw the bombers capable of carrying nuclear payloads with the intent of strategically bombing Soviet cities. Because of its central role in the nation's nuclear strategy, SAC received a significant portion of the U.S. defense budget.

The Strategic Air Command was first established in 1946 as a part of the larger U.S. Army Air Corps. However, with the establishment of the Air Force as a separate branch of the armed forces, and the advent of the Cold War, the Strategic Air Command soon took on a new and important role.

The Strategic Air Command grew significantly following the discovery of a so-called bomber gap in the 1950s, in which U.S. intelligence reported significant Soviet bomber superiority. Because of this, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the immediate production of more bombers. As was later discovered, the bomber gap did not actually exist, because the Soviets flew their bombers in loops to convey the picture that they had greater numbers of bombers.

It was under Eisenhower's administration that the Strategic Air Command grew most significantly in both size and importance. Under his administration, the New Look concept was forwarded, positing that U.S. forces would be reliant on nuclear weapons as a deterrent and air power as a strategic advantage. It was at this point that the Air Force began developing numerous bombers to deliver strategic nuclear weapons and serve a reconnaissance role in detecting Soviet military power and intentions.

Along with overseeing the strategic bombing capability, the Strategic Air Command oversaw long-and medium-range missile development as well. In this respect, SAC facilitated the development and maintenance of U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs).

Although headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, SAC maintained several forward operating bases, including bases overseas in countries such as England. These bases were important to the nuclear mission—in the event that war with the Soviet Union broke out, forward-based bombers would be significantly closer and more easily able to strike the Soviet Union. Similarly, planning for SAC increasingly focused on spreading SAC assets to several different areas to lessen their vulnerability and limit the possibility of having one strike disable the Strategic Air Command. As such, SAC bombers were deployed to well over 50 domestic and overseas locations.

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