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Strategic Air Command (SAC), former command of the U.S. air force (see Air Force, United States Department of the) charged with organizing, training, equipping, administering, and preparing strategic air forces for combat; it was headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base. From 1946 to 1992, SAC controlled most U.S. strategic nuclear weapons. Its bombers and guided missiles played a key role in the nuclear strategy of the cold war. SAC was abolished in 1992 as part of the reorganization of the Department of Defense. The vastly smaller interservice Strategic Command (StratCom), also based at Offutt, now coordinates nuclear plans for both the U.S. air force and navy; the forces formerly under SAC's command are now the responsibility of the Air Mobility Command and the Air Combat Command.
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