Offutt Air Force Base

Offutt Air Force Base is located south of Omaha, Nebraska, in Sarpy County. The site was commissioned in 1890 as Fort Crook and served as a dispatch point for conflicts on the Great Plains and the Spanish-American War. Aviation operations began in 1918 with the establishment of an Army Air Service balloon field. The airfield was designated Offutt Field in 1924, named in honor of First Lieutenant Jarvis Offutt. During World War II, the Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant operated at the site, producing B-29 Superfortress aircraft, including the Enola Gay and Bockscar. The facility transitioned to the U.S. Air Force in 1947 and became the headquarters for Strategic Air Command in 1948.

The base is operated by Air Combat Command, with the 55th Wing serving as the host unit. It is the headquarters for U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), which oversees the nuclear triad, global strike operations, and missile defense. Additional based units include the 557th Weather Wing, the 595th Command and Control Group, and the 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing. Flying squadrons at the base operate multiple variants of the Boeing RC-135, including the Rivet Joint, Cobra Ball, and Combat Sent, as well as the E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post.

Infrastructure includes the original red brick buildings of Fort Crook, the Bennie Davis Aircraft Maintenance Hangar, and the USSTRATCOM Command and Control Facility. Between 1961 and 1990, the base supported Operation Looking Glass, maintaining a continuous airborne command post. Recent developments include the 2019 Missouri River flood, which submerged portions of the airfield and required the temporary relocation of flight operations to Lincoln Air National Guard Base. Modernization efforts include the completion of the USSTRATCOM headquarters facility in 2018 and the replacement of base housing and weather agency facilities. In 2001, the base served as a primary strategy and communications site for President George W. Bush following the September 11 attacks.