Strategic Air Command receives little glory for its role during the Cold War. Jim Kowalski, AFGSC commander, quoted the book Black Swan stating, "Acts of prevention get no reward." Furthermore Kowalski said, "If we do our jobs right, then history will never remember our names." He is correct in his interpretation of SAC's place in history - history only remembers the glory and not the sacrifice. Special orders were also handed down to bypass certain safety regulations to make the missiles usable. In doing so, the missileers rapidly ran out of missile propellant and acquired civilian resources to compensate. Because of the crisis, SAC wanted to put every missile in the inventory on alert, which meant converting missiles configured for training to operationally ready weapons. This included Atlas, Titan I, and the Air Force's newest missile, the Minuteman I. 3, General Power ordered that number increased to 186. 19, SAC placed 132 missiles on alert, and by Nov. In addition to the flying missions, SAC's missileers also played a role during the Crisis. Also, 11 other SAC personnel died in RB-47 crashes during takeoff, while supporting of the information reconnaissance mission. This gave SAC the sad distinction of having the only enemy induced casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Rudolf Anderson with a surface to air missile as he flew over Cuba. naval quarantine of Cuba.Ĭritical information gathered by the U-2, a reconnaissance aircraft, assisted America's leadership, but it came at a price. SAC provided this information to President John Kennedy, who in turn, used it to make sound decisions. One of the more important pieces of intelligence was the conclusive evidence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. From the reconnaissance gathered during these missions, intelligence officers identified enemy missile equipped patrol boats, surface to air missile sites, short range cruise missile sites, and fighter planes. had been closely monitoring Cuba for evidence of offensive operations. In addition to the tankers, SAC also dispersed 183 B-47 bombers to both military and non-military airfields, so in the event of an enemy attack, the Soviets would be unable to destroy the total B-47 force.Īlong with the Chrome Dome missions, SAC's responsibilities included gathering electronic and photographic intelligence. Without the tanker crews, Chrome Dome would not have been possible. At the height of Chrome Dome, SAC launched approximately 133 KC-135s a day. Tanker crews supported the Chrome Dome missions by refueling the B-52s with its fleet of KC-135s. At the height of the air alerts, SAC produced 75 B-52 sorties a day. Chrome Dome ensured that a percentage of SAC bombers could survive an enemy surprise attack and that the U.S. Pilots flew these nuclear laden airborne alerts, commonly known as Chrome Dome missions, for 24 hours before another air crew assumed the same flight route. SAC experimented with airborne alerts as early as 1958, but due to budget restrictions, it was not until the Missile Crisis that these sorties became fully operational. Thomas Power, then SAC commander, implemented the airborne alert force as a solution. In the years after the Soviet Union launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), SAC sought alternatives to prevent an enemy surprise attack. security stance to DEFCON 2, an unprecedented level. In the summer of 1962, the Soviet Union placed strategic weapons in Cuba, weapons that could reach the U.S. Some people consider the Cuban Missile Crisis as the high point of the Cold War. As we spend this year highlighting the B-52, this October, let's also highlight Strategic Air Command (SAC) and its contribution to preventing the Cuban Missile Crisis from escalating. For 13 days the United States and the Soviet Union stood, as Secretary of State Dean Rusk said, "eyeball to eyeball," in a nuclear game of chicken. Twenty-twelve is the Year of the B-52, but this October is also the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was also the year that the world's two largest superpowers clashed in a nuclear standoff. No became the first in the series of James Bond movies. The year 1962 was a year full of noteworthy events John Glenn orbited the earth, South Africa jailed Nelson Mandela, Marilyn Monroe passed away and Dr.
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