USAFA Library Guides: Combatant Commands Research Guide: Strategic Command

STRATCOM Overview & Strategy

Welcome to your essential guide to U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM or STRATCOM).

This guide provides an in-depth overview of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), including its mission, organizational structure, strategic functions, and academic research partnerships.

About U.S. Strategic Command: STRATCOM, one of four functional combatant commands, is headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Its mission includes strategic deterrence, nuclear operations, global strike, missile defense, and command and control of global forces.

Explore key resources:

STRATCOM Mission, Vision & Intent | Posture Statement

STRATCOM History | News | Speeches | Leadership Library | Academic Alliance

STRATCOM Structure & Component Commands

🔗Functional Components

Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC)
Located Barksdale AFB, LA
Joint Force Maritime Component Command (JFMCC)
Located Naval Station Norfolk, VA

🔗Service Components

🔗Liaison Element

Marine Liaison Office, U.S. Strategic Command
A Marine Corps liaison element advises the STRATCOM commander on service capabilities and operations.

Supporting Partners & Agencies

Key Research Alliance

Strategic Command Academic Alliance

A research network of academic institutions that support STRATCOM through analysis of deterrence, assurance, and strategic national security issues.

Research Topics | Selected Research Sources

Defense Publications

America's Nuclear Triad Experience
DoD Spotlight: Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
Missile Defense Agency
DoD fact sheets and publications on ballistic missiles and related weapon systems.
National Defense Strategy
NDS report includes the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and the Missile Defense Review (MDR)

Books

Enter your search terms and click Search to find an e-book:

Cyber Threats and Nuclear Weapons (2022)
Examines vulnerabilities in nuclear command and control systems.
Military Strategy, Joint Operations, and Airpower: An Introduction (2018)
To Rule the Skies (2021)
Biography of General Thomas S. Power and the rise of Strategic Air Command.

Use the Library Online Catalog to search for printed book titles, which may also be available electronically.

Research Reports & Key Resources

This section brings together in-depth studies, official overviews, and analysis from trusted sources including CRS, RAND, and academic publications.

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
RAND Corporation - explore featured reports on topics related to Nuclear Weapons and Warfare

🔗 Overviews & Official Reports

🔗 Selected Research Studies & Reports

🔗 Research Databases & Resources

Country & Area Profiles (NTI)
WMD profiles prepared by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
Military Balance
Annual assessments of the military capabilities, including global nuclear capabilities & defense economics.
Military Periscope
Provides open-source profiles of global military systems, forces, and operations.
Nuclear Notebook: Nuclear Arsenals of the World
Expert analysis of global nuclear arsenals, published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Security Studies on JSTOR

🔗Thesis Spotlight

Mapping STRATCOM: The Architecture of Offutt, the U.S. Military, and Strategic Command (2024)
Explores how military power influences architecture, using STRATCOM’s facilities as a case study.

Articles & Journals

Enter a journal title to check full-text availability and coverage in all library collections:

Selected articles from journals and military publications for advanced research and analysis.

Journals to Explore

Keyword Index

Use these terms for deeper, targeted research:

Strategic Forces & Deterrence

Command and control
Deterrent strategy
Global strike
Great power competition
Launch under attack (LUA)
NC3 systems
Nuclear integration
Nuclear posture
Nuclear triad
Strategic competition
Strategic deterrence
Strategic forces

Weapon Systems & Delivery Platform

Ballistic missile submarines
Ballistic missiles
Bombers
Hypersonics
ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles)
Missile defense
Missile warning
Warning systems
WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction)

Threats & Conflict Domains

Cyber attacks
Cyber warfare
Electronic warfare
Future threats
Hardening & survivability
Information warfare
Nuclear conflict
Situational awareness
Strategic environment
Surveillance

Policy, Arms Control & Doctrine

Arms control
Disarmament
Nuclear modernization
Nuclear security
Strategic competition
Strategic deterrence

Emerging Technologies

Artificial intelligence
Electromagnetic threats
Quantum computing

Selected Websites

Arms Control Association
Policy research on arms control treaties.
Brookings Institution: Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative
Research topics include Arms Control
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Nuclear Policy Program
Center for Strategic & International Studies: Defense and Security
Research topics include missile defense and weapons of mass destruction proliferation
Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (NDU)
International Institute for Strategic Studies: Strategy, Technology & Arms Control
James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at Middlebury Institute of International Studies
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: Center for Global Security Research
Focus areas include integrated strategic deterrence, competitive strategies, nuclear dangers and more
National Strategic Research Institute at University of Nebraska
STRATCOM-affiliated academic research center.
Nuclear Threat Initiative
USAF Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)