United States Special Operations Forces (SOF) are the special forces of the United States Department of Defense's United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) within the United States Armed Forces, used for special operations.
Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. Formerly known as Pope Air Force Base, the facility is now operated by the U.S. Air Force via a memorandum of agreement (MOA), and an inter-services support agreement (ISSA) with the U.S Army as part of Fort Bragg.
The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, as a geographically separated unit.
Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 (VAW-121), also known as the "Bluetails", is an Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and Command and control (C2) squadron of the United States Navy, operating the E-2D Hawkeye. Established in 1967, the squadron is based at NAS Norfolk. It is currently assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7 and deploys aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
The 8th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at McClellan Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 July 1957.
The Boeing EC-135 is a retired family of command and control aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter. During the Cold War, the EC-135 was best known for being modified to perform the Looking Glass mission where one EC-135 was always airborne 24 hours a day to serve as flying command post for the Strategic Air Command in the event of nuclear war. Various other EC-135 aircraft sat on airborne and ground alert throughout the Cold War, with the last EC-135C being retired in 1998. The EC-135N variant served as the tracking aircraft for the Apollo program.
The 28th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Tactical Air Command at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It was inactivated on 29 May 1992.
Airborne Command and Control Squadron 123 (VAW-123) is based at Naval Station Norfolk, flying the E-2C Hawkeye. They are attached to Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) while deployed aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. The squadron nickname is the Screwtops.
The 552d Air Control Wing is an operational wing of the United States Air Force. It has been based at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma since July 1976, operating the Boeing E-3 Sentry. It includes the 552d Operations Group, 552d Maintenance Group, 552d Training Group, and 552d Air Control Group.
Looking Glass is the code name for an airborne command and control center operated by the United States. In more recent years it has been more officially referred to as the ABNCP. It provides command and control of U.S. nuclear forces in the event that ground-based command centers have been destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperable. In such an event, the general officer aboard the Looking Glass serves as the Airborne Emergency Action Officer (AEAO) and by law assumes the authority of the National Command Authority and could command execution of nuclear attacks. The AEAO is supported by a battle staff of approximately 20 people, with another dozen responsible for the operation of the aircraft systems. The name Looking Glass, which is another name for a mirror, was chosen for the Airborne Command Post because the mission operates in parallel with the underground command post at Offutt Air Force Base.
The 625th Strategic Operations Squadron (STOS) is a United States Air Force nuclear missile control & support squadron. The 625th STOS has five flights that play different roles in this mission. The Latin motto of the 625th STOS is Si vis pacem para bellum, which means, "If you wish for peace, prepare for war."
Airborne Command & Control Squadron 113 (VAW-113), known as "Black Eagles", was established on 20 April 1967 flying the E-2A Hawkeye.
The 12th Airborne Command and Control Squadron is a United States Air Force flying unit, assigned to the 461st Air Control Wing, stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The squadron flies the Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS, providing airborne battle management, command and control, surveillance, and target acquisition. The J-STARS radar system detects, locates, classifies, tracks and targets ground movements, communicating information through secure data links with other command posts.
The 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron is part of the 552d Air Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.
The 7th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron is part of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. It operates the E-8 Joint STARS aircraft, conducting airborne command and control missions. The squadron has performed the airborne command and control mission since 1968, when it was activated in Vietnam. In 1985, the squadron was consolidated with three earlier units: The 7th Ferrying Squadron, which helped deliver aircraft to the Soviet Union from 1942 until 1944; the 7th Combat Cargo Squadron, which performed combat airlift missions in the Southwest Pacific Theater from 1944 until V-J Day, then became part of the Occupation Forces in Japan until inactivating in 1948; and the 7th Air Transport Squadron, Special, which provided airlift support for the United States' special weapons porograms from 1954 to 1966.
The 5th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron is a provisional squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Pacific Air Forces to activate or inactivate as needed.
The 4735th Air Defense Group is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. It was assigned to the Boston Air Defense Sector at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it was last active in 1959.
The Post Attack Command and Control System (PACCS) was a network of communication sites for use before, during and after a nuclear attack on the United States. PACCS was designed to ensure that National Command Authority would retain exclusive and complete control over US nuclear weapons. Among other components, it included Strategic Air Command assets such as the Looking Glass aircraft and mission, and various hardened command and control facilities.
Airborne Command & Control Squadron 124 (VAW-124) "Bear Aces" is a United States Navy airborne early warning and control squadron based at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia (USA). It flies the Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye and is currently attached to Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8).
