As a result, the SAC mission grew rapidly while defining the concept of deterrence as “instant Maintained and further expanded to meet the communist threat. Top-secret document made clear that America’s nuclear arsenal would be Eisenhowerįormally approved National Security Council Paper No. In Augustġ953, less than a month after the Korean War ended, the first test explosion ofĪ Soviet hydrogen bomb underscored the escalating nuclear threat, and the arms The leaders of the Soviet Union from even considering a first strike. Missiles (ICBMs), in such strength that the retaliatory power would discourage Threat could be countered was with our own system of Intercontinental Ballistic Quickly plummeting from years to a literal matter of minutes. Isolated from potential conflicts, since the warning time for crises was For the first time the United States would no longer be These Soviet plans precipitated a difficult period Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB, Nebraska in June 1959 ( Photo: National Huge rockets, lending renewed urgency to the task of making the SAC’s retaliatoryĬapabilities so overpowering that it could counter any Soviet aggression.īilly Davis stands guard at the entrance to the Headquarters facilities of the By late 1951, however, these concerns were overshadowedīy covert reports from the Soviet Union revealing the planned development of In the early 1950s, many senior officials within theĪir Force were necessarily concerned about spending limited resources in theĭevelopment of long-range missiles, which ultimately may not prove to be Operational establishment of the USAF in charge of America’s bomber-based andīallistic missile-based strategic nuclear arsenal until the end of the Cold War Subordinate to Headquarters USAF, Strategic Air Command grew to become the Specified command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a major command (MAJCOM) Long-range air operations in any part of the world. March 1946, with a mandate to build an organization capable of conducting The Strategic Air Command was established on 21 Last but not least, it is even possible to buy your own abandoned missile silo and associated complex! Even better: you can do so from the comfort of your computer via eBay for 15 million dollars.BACKGROUND United States Air Force, Strategic Air Command (SAC) Also be out this amazing collection of missiles, rockets and other weapons. Located in South Dakota, annual summer tours regularly fill completely with people who are curious about America’s past and the days of the Cold War, when fears of Mutually Assured Destruction haunted the country’s psyche. The Minuteman Missile Tour exists at the opposite end of the legal spectrum, providing a fun and interesting but completely safe and legitimate tour through an abandoned missile complex. As you navigate their website, it becomes a kind of choose-your-own-adventure tale allowing you to pick your path. Despite their retroactive warnings not to follow their example, these adventurers produced an amazing photo-documentary of their journey. One set of intrepid building infiltrators set about breaking into the above missile silo (location undisclosed) at risk of both personal injury and federal penalty. Here are some fascinating examples of deserted subterranean silos one can visit and even purchase! There is something about their immense scale, implicit secrecy, loaded history and and underground location that makes them an exciting target for urban exploration. Missile silos might be the world’s most amazing abandonments.
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