friday, novcmber 9, 1979
daily nebraskan
pagoO
SAG9s LooMiilg Glass deters war
By Toni Trujillo
Fifty-four Titan lis 1,000 Minuteman missiles, 400
ong-range bombers and aerial refueling tankers, recon
naissance and command control aircraft-Strategic Air
Command's forces await an enemy attack at any moment
SAC is never totally at peace," John Lupton, a SAC
officer at Offutt Air Force Base, explained. fWe operate
under the assumption that an attack can occur at any
minute."
It is because of this 24Jiour readiness that Operation
Looking Glass was created. The operation keeps a com
mand control post in the air 24 hours a dav that would
take over missile and bomber control if the underground
command post at unutt and alternate command posts
were lost.
Each Looking Glass plane has an airborne launch con
trol system that can launch the entire Minuteman missile
force-SAC's solid -fueled intercontinental ballistic missile.
Together with radio relay and launch control aircraft
and another airborne command control squadron in Fort
Elsworth, S.D., Operation Looking Glass makes up the
Post Attack Command Control System.
"Looking Glass provides us with survivable means of
command control and retaliation," Col Ronald Clap
saddle said, "because if an enemy were to attack we
would still have control of our missiles." Clapsaddle is
head of the Looking Glass operation.
'The enemy isn't as likely to attack if they knew we
would still have some missile control for retaliation,"
Lupton explained.
Operation Looking Glass has been continuously
airborne since 1961 and has' logged 200,000 miles.
A Looking Glass plane is self-supporting because it can
give or receive fuel while airborne.
'It's one of the few independent systems," Lupton ex
plained. 'It works under the idea that if we can't be
eliminated in the air (and can maintain a command post
capable of missile launch) then maybe they (an enemy)
won't attack."
Ann Smitherst, an Operation Looking Glass pilot and
the only woman SAC pilot at Offutt, described three
types of crew on each Looking Glass plane-drivers,
providers and deciders. Drivers, Smitherst explained,
include the two pilots, a navigator and a boom operator.
The providers are radio, telegraph and teletype operators-
and radio maintenance crews. The deciders are the actual
battle staff of the airborne command control. Battle staff
members include personnel in commands control,
operations, plans, Intelligence, logistics, communications
and a general officer in charge.
LOOKING GLASS PLANES have sophisticated radio
operations that can monitor 54 telephone conversations at
one time.
Each plane has ultra high frequency, very low
frequency, high frequency single sideband, satellite
communication and, with radio relay aircraft, air to air
ultra high frequency, according to Harkavey. Looking
Glass planes have a five-mile-long antenna that can be let
out for very low frequency and are capable of long range
command communications.
If the underground command post at SAC was
destroyed, as many bombers and jankers as possible
would be launched to ensure their survival, Clapsaddle
said.
This airborne force would await a "go code," at the
president's direction, that with the Primary Alerting
System would reach each SAC unit simultaneously
through two widely scattered routes, Clapsaddle explain
ed. "IT WOULD TAKE a coordinated effort after the 'go
code' to arm our nuclear weapons," he said. At least four
officers must authenticate the orders from sealed trans
lators in what Clapsaddle calls the "clackerbox." The box
makes a clacking sound when opened so that everyone on
board knows someone is getting in.
After the orders are authenticated, two keys must be
turned simultaneously from separate consoles to activate
the launch system.
'The final switch, though, is up front with the pilot,"
Ann Smitherst said.
"We would take over control," Lupton explained, "un
til a ground base officer was located. In a sense, we would
monitor at the onset of war until it was over and then
we'd put the pieces back together-assuming there's any
thing left to put back together."
SAC is well prepared for enemy attack, according to
Clapsaddle. SAC's intercontinental ballistic missiles main
tain 24-hour alert posture, he said, and can react on a
moment's notice as can the SAC bomber arid tanker torce.
1 think we're very well prepared and the Looking
Glass set-up is part of this," Clapsaddle said .
DAILY AT: 12:45
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