Nebraskans may not hear it, but there’s thunder coming from Offutt Air Force Base this week.
The U.S. Strategic Command is wrapping up Global Thunder 23, a training drill involving thousands of military personnel across the United States, including 2,500 military and civilian staff at StratCom’s Offutt headquarters.
StratCom stages as many as 400 training events each year.
But Global Thunder is easily the biggest event on StratCom’s calendar, with Minuteman ICBM teams and ballistic missile submarine crews on alert, and bombers, fighters, tankers and reconnaissance aircraft flying missions.
“If you’re a missileer or a bomber pilot, this is your big event,” said Navy Capt. Ron Flanders, a StratCom spokesman. “They’re doing things pretty much every day. But this is the Super Bowl.”
Although StratCom’s headquarters is the nerve center for Global Thunder 23, not a lot of activity is visible at Offutt.
“(People around Omaha) should not see anything different,” said J.B. Miller, who as StratCom’s J7 director of joint training, exercises and assessments plays a lead role in running the drill.
‘Global Thunder’ at Offutt: StratCom conducts year’s biggest nuke drill
‘Global Thunder’ at Offutt: StratCom conducts year’s biggest nuke drill
Ericson Report 