OMAHA — Nebraska’s political, business, educational and military leaders have Zoomed their pitch to bring the U.S. Space Command headquarters to Offutt Air Force Base, arguing that a unique blend of academic, public and private support make Offutt the right choice.
Now, it’s time to wait.
The six communities that are finalists for the headquarters — and the 1,400 jobs that come with it — each had one hour Monday or Tuesday to make their case by video teleconference to the Air Force committee that will recommend a site. Offutt’s, on Tuesday, was the fifth to present.
In addition to Offutt, the other finalists announced in November are in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cape Canaveral, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Huntsville, Alabama; and San Antonio.
Offutt’s bid won an endorsement Wednesday from the military website RealClearDefense, which noted that Offutt is the only operational base among the finalists while offering high quality of life and low cost of living along with strong community and educational support.
“To prevent another ‘Sputnik’ moment in space, Omaha makes the obvious choice for SPACECOM and the future of our Nation’s security,” wrote David Craig, the site’s editor.
Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett is expected to announce the winner by Jan. 15.
Gov. Pete Ricketts and Sen. Deb Fischer headlined the presentation, which was organized by Tim Burke, chairman of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
Ricketts said the pitch emphasized the high quality of life in the Omaha area, the collaboration between state and local entities from both government and the private sector and the area’s long history of public-private partnerships like the one that delivered the Department of Veterans Affairs new ambulatory clinic earlier this year within budget and ahead of schedule.
Ricketts showed a short film and presented letters from the governors and adjutant generals of at least six nearby states supporting the project.
“We want to make this more than just a Nebraska mission,” he said.
Fischer stressed the legislative delegation’s work to secure funding for the military commands already at Offutt, including the 55th Wing, the U.S. Strategic Command, the 557th Weather Wing and the 595th Command and Control Group.
Col. Gavin Marks, the 55th Wing’s commander, told the committee the base has plenty of capacity for the Space Command’s expected 400,000-square-foot headquarters building — even after the devastating 2019 flood. He said the Air Force will have invested about $3 billion in new construction or renovation of the base by the time SpaceCom is slated to move in 2027.
University of Nebraska President Ted Carter, a retired Navy admiral, described the educational support for the military here, including a new alliance with Kansas State, Purdue and the University of North Dakota to support SpaceCom programs and research.
Carter said the University of Kansas and Wichita State University have since asked about joining the space partnership, as well.
University of Nebraska at Omaha professor Ginamarie Ligon, who heads a new center at UNO focused on counterterrorism studies, said she moved here in 2012 with her Air Force officer husband.
She said they expected to move on when his tour at Offutt was over, but they fought to stay because they love the community, the neighborhoods and the schools.
“Now we are Nebraskans,” Ligon said.
Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike cited community efforts like a large annual Veterans Day parade and a picnic, and mutual aid agreements with Offutt for police and fire-rescue services.
John Henderson, assistant Air Force secretary for installations, environment and energy — who lives in Omaha — heads the site selection committee.
He said all bids are being rated on a 100-point scale:
* Mission (40 points), including a qualified workforce and closeness to space entities.
* Capacity (30 points), such as facility, parking, communications and force protection.
* Cost to the Defense Department (15 points), including infrastructure costs and locality pay.
* Community (15 points), such as quality of schools and cost of living.
Colorado Springs hosted a previous incarnation of U.S. Space Command from 1985-2002.
Then its functions were moved to Offutt when Space Command became part of StratCom’s portfolio. Colorado Springs was named the temporary headquarters when SpaceCom was reestablished as a separate combatant command in August 2019.
But Burke is confident the Nebraska group made a strong case for locating SpaceCom here.
“This is a community that really supports the military. Omaha stacks up really strong,” he said. “Now it’s time for it to come home.”
OFFUTT THROUGH THE YEARS
Photos: Offutt Air Force Base through the years
Offutt Air Force Base is named for Lt. Jarvis Offutt — the first airman from Omaha killed in World War I.
1891
The area now known as Offutt Air Force Base was first commissioned as Fort Crook, an Army post to house cavalry soldiers and their horses. This photo, circa 1905, shows mounted officers and infantry troops assembling on the parade ground. The officers' quarters in the background still stand today, but the closing of Offutt's stables in 2010 ended the base's equine tradition.
1946
The World's Fair of Aviation was held at Offutt Air Force Base, including a race between a 1912 airplane and 1912 automobile. The 1912 airplane easily won, but provided sharp contrast to the sleek, modern "600-mile-per-hour aircraft" on display at the fair.
1952
Painter Frank Anania places the final bolt in the SAC emblem, newly placed on the command building at Strategic Air Command headquarters. After the command was created in 1946, SAC headquarters were moved from Andrews Field, Maryland, to Offutt Air Force Base. SAC's high-flying reconnaissance planes and bombers would go on to play a global role from the onset of the Cold War through the last bomb of the Persian Gulf War.
1956
The Strategic Air Command "nerve center" gets a new headquarters building at Offutt Air Force Base.
1957
Even since the late 1950s, Strategic Air Command has been holding open house events at Offutt Air Force Base to display and demonstrate aircraft for civilian visitors. Each year, the open house and air show at Offutt features aerial acts or reenactments, static displays, and booths showcasing military history and capabilities.
1959
The first SAC museum consisted of a section of abandoned runway near the north edge of Offutt Air Force Base outside of Bellevue. However, the outdoor display left the aircraft vulnerable to the elements.
1961
A Royal Air Force bomber crashes at Offutt Air Force Base. Beginning in the late 1950s, the RAF maintained small detachment and service facility for Vulcan bomber planes at Offutt, often participating in defense exercises and demonstrations at the base until their retirement and deactivation in 1982. This plane crashed at take-off at the northwest end of the main runway and then slid across Highway 73-75. All seven passengers survived.
1962
Just weeks after the Cuban missile crisis, President John F. Kennedy visits Offutt Air Force Base, accompanied by Gen. Thomas Power of Strategic Air Command, right.
1962
Actor Rock Hudson receives a B-52 bomber briefing during a visit to Omaha and Offutt Air Force Base. He began filming "A Gathering of Eagles" in May of that year.
1967
An early photograph of the Ehrling Bergquist military medical clinic in Bellevue. The clinic has served Offutt Air Force Base since 1966 and was remodeled in 2013, including a grand staircase, larger physical therapy and mental health areas, and a more private mammography waiting area.
1970
The world's largest aircraft at that time, the C5 Galaxy was displayed as part of the open house for civilian visitors at Offutt Air Force Base.
1989
A conference room in the SAC underground command post at Offutt Air Force Base. Strategic Air Command would be formally disestablished in 1992, but Offutt would remain the headquarters for the new United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).
1992
The Strategic Air Command Memorial Chapel holds a Sunday morning service as a reminder of those who have given their service and those who have died during the Command's 46-year history. Founded in in 1946, the command was dissolved in a ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base.
1997
OPPD worker Craig Azure of Ashland holds a power line up across Platteview Road near Highway 50 so that an Albatross airplane can fit under it. After SAC was dissolved, the museum moved into a new indoor facility in 1998. Airplanes were moved from their old location at Offutt Air Force Base to their new and current home near Mahoney State Park off I-80.
2000
The parade grounds gazebo at Offutt is dedicated in honor of Airman 1st Class Warren T. Willis, who was killed in an aircraft accident the previous December.
2000
President Bill Clinton speaks at a rally at Offutt Air Force Base.
2003
More than 300 anti-nuclear protesters gather outside Kinney Gate at Offutt Air Force Base. The rally was part of a weekend of protest against nuclear weapons, and was organized in response to an extensive nuclear arsenal review being held at the base.
2006
Vice President Dick Cheney greets service men and women following a speech at Offutt Air Force Base's Minuteman missile in Bellevue.
2012
Dignitaries clap along to an armed forces medley as ground is broken for the new U. S. Strategic Command Headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base. From left: Neb. Rep. Adrian Smith, Rep. Lee Terry, Neb. Governor Dave Heineman, General C. Robert Kehler, Commander USStratcom, Sen. Ben Nelson, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, and Mayor of Bellevue, Rita Sanders.
2012
Chris Shotton created this thank you message to the airmen and troops flying in and out of Offutt Air Force Base. Employees of area Walmart stores have been writing giant messages in fields near Highway 370 for years.
2013
Senior Airman Kevin Chapman works the desk at the new Public Health Clinic located in the Ehrling Bergquist military medical clinic.
2014
The new MERLIN SS200m Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radar System, with the control tower in the background, photographed at Offutt Air Force Base. The system was moved here from Afghanistan in order to help detect large flocks and prevent damages to aircraft from bids, which cost the Air Force millions of dollars each year.
2015
An aerial photo from late February of the construction site for StratCom's new $1.2 billion headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base. Despite numerous delays and setbacks, the building would be completed in 2018, six years after construction began. StratCom would then spend the next year outfitting the structure with more than $600 million worth of high-tech communications and security gear.
2016
President Barack Obama arrives in Omaha after landing at Offutt Air Force Base. While in Omaha, Obama met with the family of Kerrie Orozco, visited a local teacher, and addressed a crowd of about 8,000 at Baxter Arena.
2019
This year, U.S. Strategic Command unveiled a new Command and Control Facility located at Offutt Air Force Base. The "battle deck," shown here, features computer workstations, soundproofing, and the ability to connect instantly to the White House and Pentagon.
2019
Luke Thomas and Air Force Tech Sgt. Vanessa Vidaurre at a flooded portion of Offutt Air Force Base. In March, historic flooding included breaches of two levees protecting the base from the Missouri River.
sliewer@owh.com; twitter.com/Steve Liewer
