 The United States Air Force Strategic Air Command, SAC to most people. It's the nation's long-range combat strike force of intercontinental bombers and ballistic missiles. SAC's mission to be ready round the clock to respond decisively to the orders of the national command authorities in relation to any strategic threat on the vital interests of the United States. To maintain a ready, flexible stance, SAC regularly conducts command post and field training exercises which test the ability of SAC forces to execute their emergency war orders. Such an exercise begins here in the headquarters SAC Underground command post with a simulated change in the worldwide alert condition. Coated message reflecting increased world tensions comes in from the Joint Chiefs of Staff through the National Military Command Center in Washington, D.C. Message. Sir, we have an emergency action message. Go ahead and process it. The headquarters SAC command post emergency action team receives the message and retransmits it to all subordinate units. Sir, we'll be building the message. At the same time, the senior controller initiates a pyramid alert recall of the SAC headquarters battle staff and key military personnel. Ellis. General Ellis. This is Colonel Grassen, the SAC senior controller. An immediate recall of the battle staff has been initiated. Right here. I'll be right down. An increase in the worldwide alert condition SAC places additional forces on alert. Subordinate units receive the message directing a general increase in unit readiness. Agree. Agree. It's retransmission. Let's go to battle staff recall. The emergency action message triggers the recall of battle staffs and key military personnel at the numbered air forces and at all operational units. 1-7. 1-7. 1-9. 1-9. 2-3. Zulu. Any questions, sir? Thank you. Once personnel are recalled and the battle staffs formed, the SAC commander and his staff monitor the generation of aircraft and missile forces. To manage these forces, SAC employs strict command control procedures. The SAC commander and his staff monitor the generation of aircraft and missile forces. To manage these forces, SAC employs strict command control procedures. To maintain contact with and control of combat crews and their weapons systems. General Ellis. I'm Colonel McClure, chief of the sport battle staff, briefing you on the initiation of this exercise. Showing on screen one is a list of significant events that will occur. The low level routes and significant weather. Alternate battle staffs at the missile bases deploy to wing alternate command posts near the missile fields where they would continue operations if the main operations are destroyed. SAC's day-to-day alert force remains on alert and ready to respond to real-world situations. Under the increased alert condition, additional SAC bombers and tanker forces are generated and placed on alert with the day-to-day force. Generation of bombers and tankers means preparing them for their wartime mission. Maintenance. Fuel. Ordinance. Chaff. Bomber and tanker crews are briefed on mission profiles, tactics, communications, targeting and safe passage procedures. A majority of the SAC missile force is on constant alert. Missiles in a training configuration and those down for maintenance are quickly generated to an alert status. To prevent infiltration and sabotage, SAC security police are specially trained to contain any situation that might threaten weapon systems on the ground. The increased alert condition calls for many decisions on the part of the SAC commander and his battle staff. Sir, based on the current situation, I recommend that we disperse forces to ready standby and civilian bases. Do you concur? I'm not from the staff. I agree, sir. Concur, sir. Yes, sir. Recommendation approved. Thank you, sir. Based upon the briefing, the SAC commander elects to disperse a portion of the generated force to other military and civilian bases. The additional dispersal bases increase the targeting problems for the enemy and provide more runways to launch aircraft in a shorter period of time. This enhances their ability to attack the enemy. This enhances their survivability by getting them airborne faster to avoid being caught on the ground by enemy missiles. In support of these aircraft, teams of operations, maintenance, security, and communications personnel are transported to the dispersal bases. As simulated tensions again increase, the National Command authorities declare a further increase in the worldwide alert condition. In response, the SAC commander orders full generation of all remaining SAC bomber and tanker forces. The Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve tanker force represents one-fifth of SAC's refueling support. Tests to respond with the same precision as active SAC KC-135 units, their timely generation is crucial to the effective employment of the SAC bombers. Once the remaining force has been generated, some of those sorties are also deployed to SAC and non-SAC dispersal bases. With any significant increase in emergency war operations, additional personnel are needed to augment combat support forces. To meet this need, SAC's war skill program trains people who are in non-combat positions to function in other specialties for which there would be an urgent need during the first stages of conflict. The program involves training and use of these personnel to supplement critical skills such as pavement maintenance, construction, law enforcement, and medical service and administration. During the exercise, disaster control teams are prepared to manage aircraft crashes, fires, large fuel spills, and other accidents. To assist in the exercise realism, communications personnel jam intrabass radio frequencies and telecommunication systems. This provides base personnel with the opportunity to practice overcoming the electronic interference they would encounter in a combat environment. Others monitor intrabass radio and telephone networks to evaluate communication security. As simulated enemy provocation increases, the joint chiefs direct an airborne alert as a show of force to demonstrate resolve. In response to the directive, the SAC commander orders selected bombers and tankers to fly airborne alert. The emergency action team directs the field units to implement airborne alert. Based on your previous decision to implement and execute the giant Lance missions, those forces are launching and will proceed to the orbit areas indicated on screen three. Over the next several hours, the crews are briefed, the mission reviewed, and the aircraft launched. In forward position, highly survivable, able to respond quickly, hold in orbit, pending further direction. In anticipation of further hostilities, various support teams are dispatched to forward operating locations and remote U.S. areas. The purpose is to enable SAC to continue operations and to recover its forces in the event a strategic nuclear attack destroys its main operating bases. A headquarters emergency relocation team, representing key offices in SAC headquarters, deploys to a remote location where it would carry on if the headquarters were destroyed. Bomber control, bomber mobile recovery, and tanker recovery teams move to their off-base hold points for survivability and await the order to proceed to their pickup airfields. These teams consist primarily of maintenance personnel, whose job it is to perform essential maintenance on post strike bombers and tankers at forward operating locations, preparing these aircraft for return to surviving bases. As the threat increases, the order is issued to launch the post-attack command control aircraft. These aircraft will augment the SAC Airborne Command Post, which flies constant airborne alert round the clock. Purpose? To back up the SAC Underground Command Post and battle staff, should it be destroyed? Headquarter SAC, General Ellis. An all-out enemy attack appears imminent. Pending the President's decision to counter-attack, the SAC commander makes a decision to launch the SAC aircraft under positive control. General Ellis, we have indications of multiple ICBM launches threatening North America. This activity is now displayed on the balcony monitors behind you. Stagnore at assessment of decision time remaining is also shown. We await your decision on positive control of the force for survival. Sir, your decision time is shown here. Once the force under positive control, I'm going airborne. Yes, sir. The aircraft will launch and proceed along their planned routes and hold short enemy territory awaiting further instructions. The SAC commander's support aircraft launches to join the post-attack command control aircraft already airborne. Bombers and tankers use minimum interval takeoff procedures to get airborne in a matter of seconds. Missile units accomplishing their mission to the SAC command. The SAC commander's support aircraft launches to join the post-attack command control aircraft already airborne. Missile units accomplish selected checklist actions to improve reaction time in anticipation of a presidential order to execute. Bombers and tankers remain in their orbits awaiting the order to strike or return. With the decision to launch SAC aircraft under positive control, the SAC commander has assured the survival of the bomber tanker force. Now airborne, he is in direct communication with his vehicle units and crews and with the national command authorities. Support teams previously deployed to off-base hold points for survival arrive at their pickup airfields where they will be airlifted to forward operating locations. Bomber control teams will act as forward command posts directing the recovery of aircraft after the strike. Bomber mobile recovery teams will deploy with the control teams to recover post-strike aircraft at the forward operating locations. Tanker recovery teams will prepare KC-135 aircraft for their return to post-strike bases. The simulated enemy strike is confirmed. A mass missile raid on the U.S. is in progress. The order comes in from the president. Execute the retaliatory attack. Roger, centering FCI. It's on him. Bomber control now rights. Reconnaissance aircraft head for target areas to assess the damage. The attack commander continues to monitor his forces. Those executed and those that will be needed for follow-up strikes. The primary bomber force has struck its targets and simulates returning to the United States. The post-attack command control battle staff directs returning aircraft to surviving main operating bases or to alternate reconstitution locations. Surviving alternate locations. Maintenance teams are in place and waiting to cover the bombers and tankers for a second strike or continued alert as required. The message comes in from the national command authorities. Hostilities have been terminated. Initiate recall procedures. To assure that all tactical elements receive the message, the airborne command post uses every surviving communication system at its disposal to contact the scattered force. This includes the emergency rocket communication system, a Minuteman missile with a communications package in place of its warhead. Okay, I've got a hat. The missile is then launched by the airborne launch control center and system and return of all aircraft. Global shield came to an end. As the nation's first line of defense against strategic attack, SAC is constantly preparing for the unthinkable. Maintaining forces that are prepared round the clock, retaliate with such devastating power that a potential aggressor would consider an attack on us unprofitable. It all adds up to readiness. Our best and perhaps our only opportunity for survival.