[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8269]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 479--COMMEMORATING THE DEDICATION OF THE STRATEGIC 
   AIR COMMAND MEMORIAL DURING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS STAND DOWN

  Mr. JOHANNS (for himself and Mr. Nelson of Nebraska) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 479

       Whereas Strategic Air Command was formed on March 21, 1946, 
     to provide the United States with long-range bombing 
     capabilities;
       Whereas Strategic Air Command operations were moved to 
     Offutt Air Force Base in 1948 to avoid a surprise attack from 
     the growing nuclear threat by the Soviet Union during the 
     Cold War;
       Whereas the men and women of Strategic Air Command 
     perfected aerial refueling, allowing Strategic Air Command 
     bombers to reach any spot in the world and advancing the 
     ability of the United States to project military power 
     worldwide;
       Whereas in 1953, following the Korean War, the defense 
     strategy of the United States shifted and President 
     Eisenhower designated Strategic Air Command as the primary 
     nuclear deterrent for the United States;
       Whereas the Strategic Air Comman played a major role in the 
     triad of aircraft, missiles, and submarines that provided an 
     undefeatable nuclear force that prevented nuclear war and 
     kept the Soviet Union at bay until the demise of the Soviet 
     Union in December 1991;
       Whereas Strategic Air Command is credited with the 
     development of the Snark, Atlas, and Minuteman missiles;
       Whereas Strategic Air Command maintained continuous 
     airborne alert operations from October 1957 until September 
     1991, which many consider the longest continuous military 
     operation in history;
       Whereas in 1962, the visibility of Strategic Air Command 
     bombers responding to the DEFCON 2 order issued by President 
     Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis presented a clear 
     indication to the Soviet Union of the determination of the 
     United States to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba;
       Whereas at its height in 1962, Strategic Air Command 
     employed 283,000 personnel and maintained 3,400 aircraft and 
     224 land-based missiles;
       Whereas in December 1972, 33 crewmembers and 10 B-52 
     bombers supported by Strategic Air Command were lost during 
     Operation Linebacker II in North Vietnam during the aerial 
     bombing campaign that forced Vietnamese leadership back to 
     negotiations and a peace settlement;
       Whereas the need for absolute command and control by 
     national leaders led Strategic Air Command to organize the 
     National Emergency Airborne Command Post operation, which 
     became the National Airborne Operations Center and the E-4B 
     aircraft operating at Offutt Air Force Base;
       Whereas the operational practices and procedures for safe 
     and secure nuclear weapons were established by Strategic Air 
     Command and continue under the leadership of United States 
     Strategic Command and Air Force Global Strike Command;
       Whereas the Strategic Air Command performed the assigned 
     mission flawlessly according to its famous motto, ``Peace is 
     Our Profession'';
       Whereas the United States, and particularly the State of 
     Nebraska, is extremely grateful to those who served the 
     United States at Strategic Air Command; and
       Whereas the Senate recognizes the service and dedication of 
     the individuals whose unyielding commitment and sacrifice 
     contributed to the continued safety of the United States for 
     over 4 decades: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the stand down of 
     Strategic Air Command and the immeasurable contributions and 
     prominent role of Strategic Air Command in national security 
     and nuclear deterrence during the Cold War;
       (2) commemorates the dedication of the Strategic Air 
     Command Memorial in the State of Nebraska, which pays tribute 
     to the men and women who worked tirelessly to make Strategic 
     Air Command the most powerful and professional military 
     organization in the world; and
       (3) honors the personnel who served at Strategic Air 
     Command and those who have carried on the tradition of 
     excellence through service at United States Strategic 
     Command.

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