OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Nebraska – Two groundbreaking ceremonies took place at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, May 3, 2024, signifying the final stages of seven U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District flood recovery projects on the installation.
The $389 million Non-Kinetic Operations Campus and $142 million Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Campus are the two most challenging projects out of the seven total.
“The NKO facility is a highly complex project due to the sheer magnitude and size of the facility, and the different users involved,” said Col. Robert Newbauer, USACE Omaha District commander. “The NC3 facility is one of our other very complicated builds due to the secure nature of the operations and the number of different units, each with their unique requirements.”
However, Newbauer said they could have been much more challenging.
“We had the opportunity to take all the demolition, utility work and site preparation and do it under a separate contract for the construction area,” he said. “This allowed us to take most of the risk and unforeseen site conditions, and address those while we were still finishing the design and construction acquisition of the main contracts.
“That has greatly simplified what the NKO and NC3 projects have had to deal with,” he added.
The NKO Campus will bring together not only the 55th Operations Group’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance squadrons on base into the 420,000 square foot facility, while co-locating numerous mission partners as well.
“We’re the largest and most diverse operations group in the Air Force…and all of that will be centered and operated out of this building,” said Col. Derek Rachel, 55th OG commander. “[This facility] is absolutely critical to the operational success of the 55th Wing.”
The NC3 Campus encompasses 225,000 square feet and houses the 595th Command & Control Group. It includes a facility for the U.S Air Force’s E-4B and U.S. Navy’s E-6B alert crews, which is crucial to the no-fail National Airborne Operations Center and Looking Glass missions.
“The NC3 Campus is a force multiplier,” said Col. Dave Bonn, USSTRATCOM J3 chief of staff. “There is more access to mission planning facilities, advanced communications and crew accommodations robust enough to meet dynamic mission needs.”
The NC3 Campus is scheduled to be completed by February 2026, while the NKO Campus is slated for completion October 2027.
Three of the five other campuses, the Base Lake, Flightline and Logistics Readiness, will open in 2024, with the Security Forces Campus set for 2025.
“It’s always great to celebrate these milestones as we deliver this flood recovery program,” Newbauer said. “And there’s quite a few more milestones to look forward to celebrating this year and in the years to come.”