Ground broken for new U.S. Strategic Command headquarters

  • Published
  • By Ryan Hansen
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  Ground was officially broken here Oct. 12 for the new home of U.S. Strategic Command.

The new command and control facility will provide STRATCOM greater mission capability and flexibility over the next several decades.

"Today we break ground to celebrate the construction of our new command and control facility and we also celebrate the ground breaking technology and capabilities this new facility will provide," said Gen. C. Robert Kehler, STRATCOM commander.

STRATCOM's current home, the Gen. LeMay Building, lacks redundancy in the event of primary utilities failure and is not able to support their IT mission systems long term.

"We are in a new operating environment that presents us with a rapidly evolving threat and of course we are rapidly evolving capabilities," Kehler said. "There is tremendous complexity and tremendous uncertainty and one size fits all solutions won't cut it any longer."

He also said the new facility will increase the efficiency of STRATCOM while continuing to provide for a safe, secure and effective nuclear program.

"The capabilities this facility will provide us, puts us on a path to the future," Kehler said. "A future that secures America and our allies from information age threats with information age systems and capabilities."

Leaders from across the Department of Defense as well as state and local elected officials participated in the ceremony.

"Never before has the role and mission of STRATCOM been more important than today," said Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson.

"Defense spending continues to be under severe pressure in Washington and will be under more pressure in the foreseeable future," he added. "Needless to say it was a harsh time and harsh climate to get this done. But thanks to our delegation and thanks to the support we got from (STRATCOM), we persevered."

The new $524.4 million facility will be located on the former Warrior Nine Golf Course. It will be built by KiewitPhelps and was designed by HDR. They worked closely with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Air Force Center for Engineering and Environment to ensure the design of the new facility fully supports all known and anticipated mission requirements.

For many of those in attendance, this moment was a long time coming.

"This is a great day for Offutt Air Force Base, the state of Nebraska and the United States of America," said Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman. "This new headquarters will strengthen STRATCOM's ability to perform its national security and national defense missions."

"A lot of water has gone under the bridge to get to this point, but all of those efforts have been worth it," said Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry. "This facility is really important to Omaha and the metropolitan area and to see this new building arising gives us a great deal of confidence in our importance and stature in protecting all American citizens."

After the new C2 facility is complete, the 55th Wing will move into the Gen. LeMay Building.

"This is a milestone event and this upgrade is a great opportunity for U.S. Strategic Command and for the rest of Team Offutt," said Col. John Rauch, 55th Wing commander. "It will allow organizations within the 55th Wing to consolidate and realign many of our missions into STRATCOM's current home."

The wing's transition into the General LeMay Building will enable the base to demolish as many as 14 old and outdated facilities, totaling more than 2 million square feet.

Construction on the new 915,876 square-foot facility is expected to be completed in 2016.