Mission Complete:

USAF’s 55th Mobile Command and Control Squadron, Offutt AFB, Neb., officially stood down Sept. 27, closing out nearly 30 years of service as the alternate, mobile command center in the event of a Cold War nuclear attack upon the United States. The squadron was part of a strategy designed to deter such an attack, and the strategy worked, noted Lt. Gen. Robert Kehler, deputy commander of US Strategic Command. Maj. Karen Hibbard, squadron commander, said that even though evolving world events and advancing technologies had spelled the end of the squadron, its legacy of service would live on. She added, “At the end of the day, we can all say, ‘Mission complete.’ ”