Offutt Air Force Base - STRATCOM

[skinzfan23]

Work on new $1.2 billion StratCom HQ will soon enter phase ‘fraught with risk’



Sounds like the project is expected to be completed about 14 months late. Occupied by July 2019. Usual gov't building status.

[iamjacobm]

https://www.omaha.com/news/military/it- ... 14bb1.html

The first of StratCom’s more than 3,500 military and civilian employees are expected to move into the new 916,000-square-foot building in early spring, Kriete said, 6½ years after the October 2012 groundbreaking ceremony.

StratCom’s new headquarters is among the costliest and most expensive building projects ever undertaken by the Defense Department. Its price tag is just slightly less than the bill for the Pentagon itself, which cost $83 million when it was built in 1941, equal to $1.4 billion in current dollars.

The Pentagon, though, has seven times the square footage, houses 10 times as many workers and was completed in 15 months.

Now StratCom is engaged in Phase 2 of the project, what its leaders call the “missionization” of the new headquarters. That means outfitting it with the electronics and communications gear it needs to carry out its missions, including oversight of the nation’s space forces, missile defense, electronic warfare, and, of course, its nuclear arsenal.

This missionization phase is priced at $679 million — even more than the construction phase. It involves the installation of a communications suite robust enough to carry out StratCom’s functions even in a national emergency, and electronic and cybersecurity capabilities strong enough to withstand any attack.

The second phase is now 86 percent complete. Kriete said StratCom still hopes to move its entire staff into the new building by the end of 2019.

[ita]

https://www.omaha.com/news/military/it- ... 14bb1.html

The first of StratCom’s more than 3,500 military and civilian employees are expected to move into the new 916,000-square-foot building in early spring, Kriete said, 6½ years after the October 2012 groundbreaking ceremony.

StratCom’s new headquarters is among the costliest and most expensive building projects ever undertaken by the Defense Department. Its price tag is just slightly less than the bill for the Pentagon itself, which cost $83 million when it was built in 1941, equal to $1.4 billion in current dollars.

The Pentagon, though, has seven times the square footage, houses 10 times as many workers and was completed in 15 months.

Now StratCom is engaged in Phase 2 of the project, what its leaders call the “missionization” of the new headquarters. That means outfitting it with the electronics and communications gear it needs to carry out its missions, including oversight of the nation’s space forces, missile defense, electronic warfare, and, of course, its nuclear arsenal.

This missionization phase is priced at $679 million — even more than the construction phase. It involves the installation of a communications suite robust enough to carry out StratCom’s functions even in a national emergency, and electronic and cybersecurity capabilities strong enough to withstand any attack.

The second phase is now 86 percent complete. Kriete said StratCom still hopes to move its entire staff into the new building by the end of 2019.

It's unbelievable how much this HQ ballooned to over the years. There have been so many issues with construction and contractors resulting in more and more money being poured into this project, it's kind of ridiculous it will $680 million just to to outfit it. It's too bad that downtown developers do not have that kind of money to throw around on some skyscrapers. We like to see headlines of "West Farm or Avenue - the $1 billion development!" and boast about how much development dollars are being spent in Omaha, but humble Bellevue already has a $1 billion dollar development that's almost completed (hopefully).

[skinzfan23]

There is no doubt, this is a much nicer and needed facility, but I said it 2-3 years ago. This gov't waste at its finest. Any other company would have fired the contractors and started with new ones. I moved to Bellevue 6 years ago when construction began and I can't believe that it still isn't fully completed. I understand that with construction, there are always complications, but this is ridiculous.

[Greg S]

For the talk about the new building being able to withstand any attack I still can't believe how close it is to Kennedy.


Greg

[Coyote]

Air Force shifts gears, plans full replacement for Offutt's crumbling, 77-year-old runway

[GetUrban]

For the talk about the new building being able to withstand any attack I still can't believe how close it is to Kennedy.


Greg

"any attack" most likely doesn't include all nuclear, but the facility does seem pretty close to the west edge of the base. I'm sure they've taken that into account.

[bigredmed1]

Air Force shifts gears, plans full replacement for Offutt's crumbling, 77-year-old runway

Hope they donate parts of the oldest sections to the Smithsonian and to the Air Force Academy. Frankly, they should sell chunks to history buffs. From the Enola Gay to modern bombers, all of the nuclear airforce has flown off that runway.

[ita]

Here is an update on the runway. A contractor has been awarded a $143.9 million dollar contract to repair the runway. No timeline on completion, but I am glad to see this project is moving forward.

Contractor Picked for Offutt Runway Repair Project

[skinzfan23]

That is going to be different for 2 years living in Bellevue near the base. No flyovers.

[ChadJK]

The joke used to be that you knew they were about to close an AFB when they rebuilt all of base housing and put a new runway in.

[Coyote]

[bigredmed1]

One would think that they would have some electronic warfare tool or other devices that could end this.

[Uffda]

One would think that they would have some electronic warfare tool or other devices that could end this.

Maybe security with a shotgun. Drone skeet practice.

[bigredmed1]

One would think that they would have some electronic warfare tool or other devices that could end this.

Maybe security with a shotgun. Drone skeet practice.

In WW2, bomber crews learned to shoot down fighters by learning to shoot trap from the back of jeeps or trucks. So, it wouldn’t be the first time.

[Coyote]

What role could Offutt Air Force Base play in Russia-Ukraine crisis?



Though the Russia-Ukraine conflict may seem a world away to some, it is closely monitored by Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, home to Strategic Air Command and the 55th Wing.

[Coyote]

'We’ve waited a long time for this': Three years after flood, Offutt AFB finally rebuilding



Over three years after the flood, soiled furniture is finally being cleared from facilities and walls are coming down, preparing for construction of a more efficient 55th Wing.

[Coyote]

Offutt E-4B unit opens first flight simulator for aging 'Doomsday' jets



Flights just like that have taken place for decades, since the Air Force first fielded the E-4Bs as a National Airborne Operations Center in the mid-1970s.

[Coyote]

Cymstar Training Center opens in La Vista for Offutt's E-4 'Nightwatch' crews



A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the inauguration of the new Cymstar Training Center, the home of the E-4 training system.

[Coyote]

Climb aboard an E-4B Nightwatch plane



Col. Brian Golden explains the Nightwatch mission

[Coyote]

Inside look on-board of the N.A.O.C. "Doomsday plane"



On-board N.A.O.C. "Doomsday plane

[Coyote]

Air Force's E-4B crew works towards mission goal despite flood and runway closure



Air Force's E-4B crew overcome difficulties posed by the 2019 flood and the closure of the runway at Offutt Air Force Base

[Coyote]

Air Force Cpt. Ryan La Rance thrilled to have a seat on the plane



Air Force Cpt. Ryan La Rance loves that his job allows him to fly on an E4-B

[Coyote]

$2.38-per-gallon gasoline draws a crowd in Bellevue for AFP, Gov. Pete Ricketts

BELLEVUE, Nebraska — A driver in her 20s looked up from her phone and stared slack-jawed at the price of gasoline advertised Wednesday morning at the Speedy Gas N Shop in Bellevue. A woman hollered from a second car turning onto the street. She asked a man on the sidewalk whether the $2.38-per-gallon price was real. He said yes, one-day-only, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Both drivers were directed a block away, to the back of a line that was 23 cars deep at 8:23 a.m., minutes after Americans for Prosperity-Nebraska tried to make a political point.

The point

People are suffering from inflationary costs that President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress made worse, said Jessica Shelburn, state director of Americans for Prosperity-Nebraska. The discounted amount matched the price of regular gasoline when Biden took office in 2021. The station sold 1,750 gallons in two hours. The group compensated the station for the difference in price, which totaled nearly $4,000. The 501(c)(4) lobbies federal, state and local governments for lower taxes and less regulation and promotes domestic energy.

[ricko]

Inflation and the spiraling cost of energy are world-wide problems. So I guess Biden and the evil Democrats are angry at the world. So, if you follow this group’s logic, Biden can take credit when gas prices plummet, after the election of course.

[Coyote]

Offutt unit marks 60 years of 'doomsday' mission

Six decades ago, the Strategic Air Command realized it needed a plane that could survive Armageddon. So SAC, headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, launched a program called the National Emergency Airborne Command Post, or “Night Watch” in February 1962. Three four-engine KC-135A jets were modified with 12 state-of-the-art communications systems to serve as airborne command posts for the president and other top leaders in the event of nuclear war. Since then, the aircraft have gotten bigger and the comms systems more sophisticated and numerous. But the planes and their crews still stand by 24/7, at Offutt and other sites, hoping doomsday never arrives but ready to carry on if it does. This week, the 595th Command and Control Group — the Offutt-based unit that operates the fleet of four E-4B Nightwatch (the current spelling) jets — is celebrating its 60 years of service with a banquet Saturday at Omaha’s CHI Health Center.



An E-4B Nightwatch aircraft takes off as another one prepares for takeoff at the Lincoln Airport in March 2021, shortly after the aircraft moved from Offutt Air Force Base due to renovation of Offutt’s single runway.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD

[Coyote]

Runway Construction Update July 2022




OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE RUNWAY CONSTRUCTION VIDEO UPDATE

Rob Hufford, Chief of Construction Management with the 55th Civil Engineers Squadron, provides video updates over the past four months on the Offutt Air Force Base runway construction project. In the videos, Hufford mentions that the project is still running on time and on budget. All three videos give a great inside look at various stages of the progress of the runway.

[Coyote]

Offutt Air Force Base 55th Wing to retire jet, welcome another

The 55th Wing with Offutt Air Force Base is retiring one jet and welcoming another. According to the 55th Wing, during a ceremony at Lincoln Airport Hangar 956 this Wednesday, a WC-135C jet with the tail number 2667 will be officially retired. Also during the ceremony, the 55th Wing will welcome a WC-135R with tail number 4836 into its fleet. The 55th Wing says its WC fleet of aircraft is an atmospheric collection supporting consumers on the national level. The fleet is operated by the 55th Wing’s 45th Reconnaissance Squadron and is in support of the Air Force Technical Application Center’s 21st Surveillance Squadron, Detachment 1 global mission. The WC-135R is the first of three expected to be delivered to the wing. Two more are expected over the next 18 months. The retiring WC-135C is the last of the old WC-135C jets to be used by the 55th Wing.

[Coyote]

Fightin' 55th retires plane that played big role following the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster

One chapter has come to a close and another has opened at Offutt Air Force Base. A retirement ceremony for one tail from the fleet of WC-135s was held off base at the airport in Lincoln today. It's making way for a more modern version of the aircraft.

[Coyote]

Offutt Air Force Base reopens runway after 18-month renovation

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. — The runway at Offutt Air Force Base is back and ready for traffic. A ceremony next Friday will mark the resumption of operations. The 55th wing has been using the Lincoln airport for the last 18 months while the Offutt runway was rebuilt. Rebuilding the 12,000-foot-long runway cost $217 million. The Air Force said replacing the 70-year-old runway was about 30-years overdue. A representative for Lincoln's airport said it was honored to have the fleet and team based there for the duration of the rebuilding.

[Coyote]

NEW OFFUTT RUNWAY SET TO OPEN ON FRIDAY

The end is in sight!

After boarding more than 19,000 bus trips and racking up 1.2 million miles across I-80, Offutt Air Force Base’s new $168.9 million runway is scheduled to reopen Sept. 30, 2022. The 55th Wing and its mission partners have been operating their flying mission from the Lincoln Airport for the past 18 months while the base’s runway has undergone a complete replacement project. “It is almost hard to believe that we are finally here,” said Col. Kristen Thompson, 55th Wing commander. “The past year-and-a-half has been challenging, but our Airmen never once backed down, they made the mission happen, and they learned some valuable lessons along the way.” What started out 10 years ago within the 55th Civil Engineer Squadron as a discussion on the scope of work needed to continue to meet mission requirements into the future, turned into a full replacement after an extensive review of the runway was completed in 2018. “We programmed a repair for 2015 as soon as the 2006 project was completed as that…didn’t cover the full scope of what was needed,” said Bruce McCauley, 55th CES deputy director. “Around 2012, the discussions on the scope of the project started and that took until around 2018 to finalize.” However, defining the full scope of what was needed was only the beginning. Once the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s airfield pavement evaluation team recommended a full replacement, funding was still needed before any of the 70-year-old runway could start to be torn up. Thankfully, after multiple designs and contract changes, AFCEC and the 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron awarded a contract in June 2020 to replace the aging runway as well as its mass parking apron. The project called for full-depth concrete end sections, an asphalt center section, asphalt shoulders and a new lighting system.



The 55th Wing will officially welcome its first aircraft back to Offutt during a ceremony Sept. 30, 2022, with regular flying operations starting Oct. 3, 2022.

[Coyote]

Runway at Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base set for re-opening

On the eve of the planes returning to Offutt Air Force Base, the runway, which has been closed for a year and a half, re-opens Friday afternoon.

[Coyote]

Behind-the-scenes look at extensive runway rebuild for Offutt Air Force Base

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. —
On the eve of the planes returning to Offutt Air Force Base, the runway, which has been closed for a year and a half, re-opens Friday afternoon. KETV NewsWatch 7's Rob McCartney got a behind-the-scenes look at the most extensive project in the history of the Bellevue base and what it means to their mission. Under the peaceful, jet contrail-creased skies lies the runway, but jets haven't landed here for a year and a half. "The runway badly needed to be repaired and so we're happy that it got accomplished," Major Brian Ross said. Ross, who will pilot the first plane to return to Offutt, said the old runway could be a challenge to land on because it wasn't uniform. "It was a little bit sporty sometimes just because it was almost like landing in a spoon on the other end of the runway there. There was a little bit of a dip and then a rise," Ross said. Getting it to its new condition has been a labor — not always of love.

[Coyote]

Service families are celebrating the runway reopening at Offutt Air Force Base

KMTV 3 News Now
Chewed up and worn out are the best words to describe the runway at Offutt. Flooding in 2019 destroyed a half-mile stretch leading to an overhaul of the runway. Now, the work is finished. "We used to patch the runway, like, every 10 years, that's like a $15 million job typically," Congressman

[Coyote]

Offutt runway reopens after 18-month runway reconstruction.

Omaha World-Herald
Planes landed at Offutt Air Force Base for the first time following an 18-month runway reconstruction that cost more than $200 million.

[Coyote]

Years of work: How Offutt Air Force Base got its new runway
Fischer, Bacon speak at ceremony marking runway’s opening

BELLEVUE, Nebraska — The roar of jet engines returned to Offutt Air Force Base at 2:08 p.m. Friday, on a new runway that took more than a decade to fund and fully rebuild. Congress and the Air Force spent $172 million remaking the 80-year-old runway. They spent another $45 million moving the 55th Wing to Lincoln, where it was based during 18 months of construction. But getting the Air Force to acknowledge the runway’s problems and prioritize a full rebuild took 15 years or more of Nebraskans meeting with Air Force brass and bird-dogging the military budget. Over that span, the project climbed from one aimed at setting aside millions of dollars for patchwork repairs to one that weighed a plan to partially repave the runway to one that embraced building it all over again.

Past and present members of Nebraska’s congressional delegation and others spoke to the Nebraska Examiner in recent days about the work it took to secure a new 12,000-foot runway. Base leaders shared concerns about the runway with U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., after she took office in 2013. Air Force leaders nationally told her the runway was in “very good condition.” She asked them to study the runway’s condition. She knew what the Air Force would find in 2015, when engineers rated Offutt’s runway as the worst in the Air Force’s Combat Command. “ It was clear that the runway was really a disaster,” she told an Offutt crowd of more than 150 people celebrating the runway’s return Friday. “It was in disrepair.” Fischer, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, worked in 2016 with Nebraska Republican Reps. Don Bacon, Jeff Fortenberry and Adrian Smith to secure $7.5 million for design work. The Air Force formally committed to a full rebuild of the runway in 2019.

The delegation also made sure the Air Force had the funding in its operations and maintenance budgets to cover the combined $217 million cost of the project. Fischer said Bacon, a retired brigadier general, was helpful in a lot of meetings because he was a former commander of the Air Force’s 55th Wing. She said he “spoke their language.” Bacon on Friday recalled his time running the base in 2012, when he said his four-star commander had to circle Offutt while Bacon’s crews finished emergency repairs to the runway. He credited Fischer and the late Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb., whom he beat in 2016. Ashford had worked with the delegation to secure $55 million for repairs before Bacon took office in 2017.

“ This is beautiful, to see it come to fruition,” Bacon said of the rebuild. “We went from the worst runway in the Air Force to the best.” Ashford’s widow, Ann, laughed recalling how he warned former President Barack Obama in January 2016 that Air Force One was about to have a bumpy landing at Offutt, but that he could fix it. Fortenberry, a member of the House Appropriations Committee at the time, made sure both Offutt and the Lincoln Airport got the funding they needed, a former staffer said. He created a task force in the mid-2010s to focus on the issue. Former Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., who represented Offutt for much of his time in Congress from 1999 to 2015, said improving the World War II-era runway was often the top priority of Offutt commanders when he visited the base. “So I made that my priority,” Terry said. He said he worked with the House Armed Services Committee and former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., on runway repairs until Ashford replaced Terry in 2015. The delegation got some help from local business leaders and a boost from a series of articles in the Omaha World-Herald detailing the poor condition of the runway, boosters said. Fischer and Bacon said they see Air Force investments in a new runway, a new headquarters for U.S. Strategic Command and $1 billion in flood repairs as a clear national commitment to Offutt. The base hosts the 55th Wing and StratCom, which oversees U.S. nuclear forces. About 10,000 people work there.

“When you have a big project like this, it takes years and years,” Fischer said before her speech Friday. “It’s just really nice to see it completed. This is extremely important to the country.” Bacon said he hopes the runway reopened Friday is just a start. His goal, he said, is to see Offutt one day add a second runway, going north to south. “Our nuclear survivability and deterrence depends on this runway,” he said. Bacon made his first major public appearance Friday at Offutt since having an emergency appendectomy Wednesday in Maryland. He said he wouldn’t have missed the runway ceremony, though he said he might be in a little pain Saturday. Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly, commander of U.S. Air Combat Command, and Col. Kristen Thompson, commander of the 55th Wing, praised the resilience of Offutt airmen and women. Both Kelly and Thompson said Offutt service members survived the historic flood of 2019, relocation to Lincoln, a complete rebuild of the runway and the coronavirus pandemic. “The runway is back,” Thompson said. “To our airmen and their families, welcome home.”

[Coyote]

Offutt AFB breaks ground on project to restore area destroyed by 2019 flood
New facilities for the 55th security forces squadron will feature combat arms training areas, control center, kennels



Offutt Air Force Base personnel and other distinguished guests broke ground on the new 55th security forces squadron campus on Thursday. The old one was destroyed in the Heartland Flood of 2019. Since then, they’ve had to work out of several different facilities around the area. “Security forces airmen are some of the most resilient airmen that we have in the military. They rarely face a challenge they can’t overcome. Even when they’re not given the money, manpower or equipment that they need to do that piece. They’ll still amaze you and find a solution to get it accomplished,” said Lt. Col. Cameron Maher, 55th security forces commander.

[Greg S]

The base is currently on lockdown:

[Brad]

Already given an all clear.

[Louie]

Any details?